Last
updated April, 2002
Why Direct Mail?
What is it about direct mail that makes it different from
placing an ad in the paper, or buying airtime? There are
many answers to that question...here are a few.
- It helps you reach your target market. You
can find your target market by working with a database
distributor. Choose your market by narrowing down lists
based on income, occupation, number of children, etc.
- the options are endless.
- It's a reminder
of your presence in the community. A
mailpiece is a visual, tangible
reminder that you're open for business.
Because the needs of your audience
continually change, don't hesitate
to resend the same piece to the
same people...they might need you
in the near future.
- Qualified
leads. When
a potential customer
responds to your direct
mail piece, chances are
they have a need you
can meet, and are willing
to make a purchase soon.
This way you won't waste
time cold-calling individuals
who have no interest
your services.
- Call-to-action. Whether
you
have
a
coupon
included
with
your
mailpiece,
or
a
limited-time
offer
with
a
reply
card
attached,
these
are
calls-to-action
that
radio
or
TV
can't
provide.
Direct mail programs are most effective
when they are implemented with your overall marketing strategy.
Public relations builds credibility in your market, and
advertising creates awareness to a broad audience, but
once you integrate direct mail into your mix, be assured
that you are reaching a more targeted audience.
Remember: your message should be consistent
no matter what communication vehicle you choose.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there
and start mailing!
Ouch! Sticker shock!
You've done some sound business planning, put away some
cash to develop your company's marketing, and now you're
ready to begin working with a firm to develop a new promotional
campaign that includes a new logo, some marketing materials,
and maybe even a web site. You have no idea what all of this
is going to cost, you just know you need it. So how can you
avoid painful marketing sticker shock?
First of all, talk openly with your marketing
firm about what you need, what you want, and most importantly
what you plan to spend. Before any work even begins, meet
with the firm and help them understand your company, and
what you are trying to achieve with your marketing. In
addition, have any materials the firm might need handy.
. . current marketing materials, target market information,
copies of your current logo. After the firm has a good
grasp on who your company is, describe in detail exactly
what you are looking for, and what you expect it to cost.
Second, be aware that exploring many different
alternatives and changing the specifications of a project
after the firm has begun their work on it will change the
estimated cost significantly. Going through multiple rounds
of copy and design changes on any project can drive the
bill up very quickly.
Both you and the firm know that you want
a quality product when it's all said and done, and quality
can be achieved at many levels. By being up front about
your budget, and doing some planning and brainstorming
on your own about what it is you need, you and the firm
can easily work within the constraints of a realistic and
mutually agreeable budget. Communicate with your firm early,
and keep in constant contact with them throughout the duration
of the project. If you have a cap on your marketing budget
put that figure on the table up front.
Firms don't like surprising their clients
any more than clients like being surprised by that hefty
bill that sometimes results from a drawn-out project. By
being open and honest, you can develop a solid working
relationship with a firm that will go to great lengths
to meet your needs, and do it for a very reasonable price!
Marketing that gets you where you want to
be
How good is your marketing plan? Is it deeply thought out
with detailed information or does it look more like a flow
chart, hand-drawn on a restaurant napkin? It doesn't really
matter! The words you use are much less important than how
seriously you approach the task.
Key elements you need to include in
your marketing plan:
- Your company's latest financial reports.
- A listing of each product or service
in your current line and target markets. Compare your
products or services to your competitors'. How well do
they stack up? What marketing opportunities are you missing
out on?
- An organization chart.
- Your understanding of your marketplace:
competitors, geographical boundaries, kinds of customers,
distribution channels, demographic data, information
on trends.
- Critical sales points - have your salespeople
list crucial sales points to include in your marketing
plan.
- Marketing objectives/goals. What marketing
objectives do you want to achieve over the course of
the plan? Each of your marketing objectives should include
both a narrative description of what you intend to accomplish
along with figures to measure your progress.
- Budget - whether done well or poorly,
business activity always costs money. Your marketing
plan needs to have a section in which you allocate budgets
for each activity planned. Keep your budget figure flexible,
sometimes spending 10% more makes a huge difference in
the outcome.
A marketing plan gives you a chance to pull all this relevant
information together in one place, to spur ideas and justify
actions.
Keep your objectives challenging but achievable.
Each marketing objective should have several goals (subsets
of objectives) and tactics for achieving those goals. The
key task is to take each objective and lay out the steps
you intend to take to reach it.
It is important to track and review progress
from your marketing plan. All your marketing efforts will
benefit from the classic feedback loop: Act, observe, adjust,
act again.
Marketing isn't a science, but it is a
skill in which you can make steady incremental improvement.
So, get moving!
You, creative? You bet!
Okay, so maybe you're no Picasso...you've never been able
to sketch anything but a Hangman stick figure...you probably
think you don't have a creative bone in your body. Truth
be told, even the most creative person doesn't get that way
naturally...it takes time and effort to enhance their gift.
Want to learn how to be a better writer, a better graphic
designer, a more inventive marketer? Then begin at the beginning...remember
how creative you were as a child? Clear your mind, think
freely and you'll find your creative side flourishing again...
Here are some things you can do to help
your marketing creativity bloom:
- Learn how to play again - Remember
how a blanket spread out over a couple chairs in the
kitchen was all you needed to transport yourself to a
mystical cave or a tent in the wilderness? Remember how
a few empty boxes, some tape and some markers could become
an underground tunnel or a house of your own? Get out
from behind your desk. Set aside the pens and bring back
the crayons. Think differently, and your ideas will not
only be creative, they'll be unique.
- Read anything you can get your hands
on - Educational books, fictional books, magazines...whether
you're waiting for the dentist, on a flight, or at
home...there's usually some sort of reading material
lying around. The power of words is immeasurable...not
only are you always learning by reading, you are increasing
your vocabulary and improving your ability to reason
and think logically. Think you don't have time to read?
Turn off the TV for one hour each night and pick up
a book. You'll be surprised how much you can learn
in that short period of time.
- Pack your bags - If you've lived
in the same town your whole life and never ventured away
from home, then your exposure to diversity and culture
might be limited. Travel - even if only to a place nearby
- allows you to experience the unfamiliar: new sights,
new colors, new sounds, new smells, new people. You need
to experience these things to keep your creative spirit
alive.
- A night at the theatre - If you
aren't able to travel to distant exotic locations, you
can still reap the benefits of different cultures via
the theatre, the opera, the ballet, or the art museum.
- Use technology - It can be as
simple as organizing yourself with a desktop calendar,
investing in a PalmPilot, or brushing up on spreadsheets
and databases, but freeing up time you would normally
spend on information management will give you more time
to let your mind go.
- Take risks - Do you go through
the same routine every morning? Up at 6, coffee, shower,
paper, car pool, work by 8. Break out! Go for a 6 a.m.
walk and experience the world at dawn...eat lunch in
the park instead of at your desk. And then, take risks
in your professional life...break out an original idea
at a mundane Monday morning meeting. Get your co-workers'
blood pumping. Help others break out of the office rut
they're in.
We wish you luck on your journey to creativity! One last hint:
when all else fails, we find that eating chocolate can be a
good motivator, too.
Don't let the perception of your company
be shaped by outside forces
One challenge in creating great marketing materials is
that today's market is oversaturated with messages. There
are hundreds of TV channels, magazines, web sites, and point-of-purchase
displays competing for customer recognition and loyalty.
Consumers have become aware, appreciative, expectant of,
and responsive to well-crafted design. Appealing to fickle
consumers requires extra effort. The most successful design
comes from industries that understand communication programs
must stand out to get noticed - sports teams, vehicle manufacturers,
the beverage industry, media outlets, and the entertainment
industry.
Generation X and younger respond only to
the high-impact design they expect to see on TV, apparel,
food and toys. At first glance, advertising aimed at teens
may seem like unsophisticated, obnoxious design, when,
in reality, it is hitting the target market. Many periodicals
such as USA Today and Rolling Stone use design to appeal
to multiple demographics.
Look at the design styles of Nike, Starbucks,
Target, or anything popular in the national retail market.
The company personality is represented. When the logo and
look of MTV was developed in 1981, a team of designers
turned intangibles (spirit, attitude, spontaneity, defiance)
into objects people could immediately understand.
Every business develops a public identity,
whether it intends to or not. Don't let the perception
of your company be shaped by outside forces. The Gap, Herman
Miller, Lexus and Apple all use design as a strategic business
tool because they know what people see affects them.
People cannot say they were unaffected
by the images they've been seeing on TV and in the paper.
Use this simple fact to affect your customers' view of
your company!
