If you’re not working off a house file, your entire direct mailing campaign starts with a list of prospective customers. You’re not going to build these lists yourself. Can you imagine thumbing through an old phonebook to find the names of all the potential customers in your area? You wouldn’t. Instead, you can purchase lists […]
direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, list-broker, list-hygiene, lists, vendors
Saturation can occur when you mail the same sales copy/package to the same group of prospects over and over. A saturated market isn’t a profitable one, so you want to avoid putting yourself in that position. There are a number of ways you can saturate your mailings. One of the most common ways is failing […]
direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, planning, profit, sequential-mailing
Believe it or not, the Post Office really does know a thing or two about direct mail marketing. They provide more than just a service of sending your package from Point A to Point B. The USPS has some really helpful information that can help improve your direct mail response rates. Recently I found a […]
call-to-action, common-errors, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, mailing-list, testing
When putting together a direct mail campaign, you want an angle that will make you stand out from your competition. You want to send out unique sales pieces that will grab your customers’ attention and hold it. You want something that interests them. One great way to connect with people is to give them something […]
direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, holidays, planning, sales
A number of years ago my wife Heidi ordered a down comforter from a catalog. She loved the style and quality of the comforter when it arrived. Of course, as a marketer I was very interested to see what would happen next. Sure enough, they started sending us a regular stream of catalogs and offers. […]
direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, frequency, monetary, new-customers, recency, RFM-system, sales
Have you ever wondered if its better to give a discount based on the dollar-amount off the usual price (e.g., $50 off), or a percentage off (e.g., 30% off)? Which gets a better response? I wish I could give you a cut-and-dried answer to this, but this is really a question of psychology, isn’t it? […]
customers, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, perceived-value, sales
There are tons of ways to get rid of a few customers, lower your income so you can pay less taxes, or prompt a “going out of business sale.” However, if you instead want to sell products and services, make more money, and grow your business, you should avoid driving you customers away. By knowing […]
customers, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, sales
It is great to keep finding new buyers for your products or services. But in your search for new paying customers, don’t overlook your best source of future sales. I’m referring to people who have bought from you in the past, or who have at least made inquiries about you. This group of buyers and […]
direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, house-file, lists
One of the most effective ways to get a prospect to try a new product is to have it recommended by a friend. There are a couple of big advantages to using this kind of feedback. First, friends listen to friends and trust their opinions and recommendations more than they do an obvious advertisement. Second, […]
customers, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, sales, word-of-mouth
Bad grammar is not always so bad. There are different kinds of grammar. There’s good grammar, there’s intentionally bad grammar (which sometimes has its place – especially in copywriting), and there’s ugly grammar – that’s just plain bad grammar that shows ignorance and casts a bad light on the writer. When you know what you’re […]
copywriting, direct-mail, direct-mail-marketing, grammar