Direct Mail Marketing News

How to Use Birthday Marketing to Get NEW Customers Fast

Ahhh, it’s that magical time of year when the ones you love break out the wine and bake a cake to celebrate… you!

Yep, it’s your birthday.

While many of us cringe at the thought of turning yet another year older, it’s OK to admit that deep down, you kinda like the extra attention.   And guess what?  Chances are that your customers do too, which presents a very unique marketing opportunity for your business.  While they are busy celebrating with friends and family, why not give them something they’ll TRULY love: a discount or a birthday “reward.”  It’s a quick and inexpensive way to build customer loyalty – and is something that probably won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

With 2016 already here, now is the perfect time to start a birthday marketing campaign.  It’s proven to yield double digit response rates (that’s 10 times the national average) and by following the 4 simple steps we’ve outlined here, your campaign will be ready to launch in no time!

STEP 1: Define Your Hook 

Before you start thinking about the size and design of your birthday send-outs, the first thing you need to do is to define your birthday promo.  The quickest – and easiest – way to do this is to put yourself in your customer’s shoes.  So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back in your chair and brainstorm a bit: if you were checking your mail a few days before your birthday and saw something from one of your favorite local businesses, what type of promotion would REALLY stand out and pique your interest?

• If it’s from a spa or salon, perhaps it’s a free service or plan a spa birthday day with friends.
• If it’s from a restaurant, maybe it’s a BOGO or even a free or meal (BTW…The free dessert doesn’t get anyone in the door.)
• If it’s from the local pub, a free drink on the house may be enough to whet your whistle.
• If it’s financial planner, certain key financial decisions are made after specific birthdays

Or maybe you just want to get in the good graces with your customers and just say Happy Birthday!  That really does go a long way to maintain loyality.

The options with your promotions are endless.  It’s important to note, however, that the type of promotion you use needs to speak to your customer base while aligning with your business goals if you expect to see a positive ROI with this type of marketing campaign.

STEP 2: Nail the Timing 

Timing is everything.  While there are certainly worse things than receiving a belated birthday wish, its impact won’t be nearly as effective. When sending out your birthday promos, plan things out so that your customers will receive them as close to their actual birthdays as possible.  If “better late than never” is one of your mantras – or if you really just want to think outside the box – there ARE clever ways you can get away with sending out a promo after your customer’s birthdays have passed, however.  For example, if you’re a spa owner, you might use something like:

Another birthday has come and gone.

You’re another year older.

Another year wiser.

And your muscles are another year achier.

Stop by today for your FREE 15-minute massage!

Just keep in mind that if you’re sending out your birthday promos after your customer’s birthdays have passed, it’s something that should be done intentionally and clearly referenced in your messaging.

STEP 3: Focus on the Details 

The end goal of a birthday marketing campaign is to attract new customers and/or improve current customer engagement and loyalty. Attention to detail, both big and small, is a critical piece of the puzzle and there’s one very basic thing that can jeopardize your entire campaign: misspelling your customer’s name. Digital printers use technology called variable data printing to imprint the birthday recipient’s first name on the card to give it that extra special touch.  However, if you’re not sure about someone’s name, don’t take chances: sending out a generic greeting is a much better option than printing the wrong name.

Also, if your birthday promo features an offer or reward, include a clear expiration date.  This will prevent awkward situations from arising should your customer try to take advantage of your offer AFTER it’s already expired.  No one likes visiting a business to take advantage of a promo, only to be declined.  It’s embarrassing, a bit demeaning – and will have the complete opposite effect that you were shooting for here.

Step 4: Be Sensitive 

A good rule of thumb is to avoid mentioning your customer’s age or other specific details since this can lead to trouble, especially if your customers don’t find “aging gracefully” to be graceful at all.  No one likes having their personal information out there for the world to see, so it’s best to stick to the basics: name and promo.

A birthday marketing campaign is simple and easy way to engage with each one of your customer’s on a more personal basis.  And the good news is that by embracing the 4 steps outlined here, the planning process will be a quick and painless one.

Need help with birthday marketing ideas or design?  We can even run a count on how many upcoming birthdays are around your business.  Just give us a jingle today!  877-222-6010 or by email at okiam@prospectsplus.com

Creating Your Own New Normal for 2016

By Todd Robertson

If you’re like a lot of successful business owners, you’re probably analyzing everything you did in past twelve months.  You also are probably asking yourself a few questions:

• What worked and what didn’t?
• Did my actions support my goals?
• Did I earn what I’m worth?
• Did I take personal responsibility for my success or failures?

By carefully analyzing the past you can discover the elements that you can take into the new year and create
your own new “normal”.  In other words – you can advance your game, play at a higher level, and avoid the pitfalls and hurdles you’ve already cleared to excel faster and with hopefully a few less headaches!

As you approach the new year, many of you are in the process of goal setting.  Let me share a four step system for goals that is used by some of the top performing entrepreneurs in the world.  It’s called the DOME strategy.  Here’s what that stands for:

• D – Stands for Decide. If you look up one of the definitions of the word decision, you’ll find that it means to “cut off from”.  That’s step one for creating your new normal. What things should you cut yourself off from that aren’t working or haven’t
  worked for you this year?  Whether that be a mindset, a skill, or a system, what can you unplug, cut off, or change up that will increase your success in the new year.
• O – Stands for Outstanding. There’s never been a more important time to play at an outstanding level.  That means to surround yourself with the best people, strategies, solutions and systems in our industry.  Model your choices on those of successful business owners.  Duplicate excellence.
• M – Stands for Momentum. Now’s the time to take the stance that what gets scheduled – gets DONE.  That’s how you build momentum.  By cutting out the things that don’t work. By plugging in new systems and solutions that drive your business in smarter ways.  By blocking your time so that you can streamline your processes – as well as schedule those
  things that help you create balance.
• E – Stands for Tell Everyone. Once you’ve set your goals for the next twelve months, it’s time to tell everyone. If you’re goal is 10 salable listings in your pipeline at all times or to own a geographic farm – tell everyone you know. Put public pressure on yourself to hit those goals. People will help you when you do. They’ll support you. Remind you. Work with you to make them happen. Then commit to doing whatever it takes to make those goals happen.

Ready to create your new normal and put a plan in place to take 2016 by storm?  Go for it. Remember that we’re here if you need anything. 

Need help? Call our team at 877-222-6010! That’s what we do best!

Clean Your List so Profits Don’t go Down the Drain.

It’s no secret that direct mail marketing is making a surge back from the “I’m only doing email marketing” days! More specifically, and to answer a big question you may face, direct mail marketing using postcards is far more profitable for small business owners when compared to using letters and envelopes.

According to a report published by the Direct Marketing Association in 2013, around 24% of the consumers responded to offers through postcards compared to only a meager 5% response through envelopes.

The report also reveals that around 52% of consumers read postcards, while only 30% of the consumers read envelopes.

However, before you can even attempt to experience these types of results, you MUST clean your mailing list so it’s accurate and up to date.

You wouldn’t want your valuable message to “fall on deaf ears,” would you?

Here are some easy tips you can do before the New Year so your list is ready for 2016!

Contact Validation Tools and Verification Databases

You have quite a few options when it comes to validating in-house maintained contact lists. Of note are validation tools developed by the United States Postal Service (USPS) like the CASS certification tool (Coding Accuracy Support System). USPS also owns a contact database in the form of the National Change of Address Database (NCOA). This database contains the latest updated addresses of people who have moved to a different location within United States.

The CASS Certification Tool

The CASS certification tool is of great help with respect to checking the accuracy of contact addresses in a contact list. Before actually giving it to the mailing service provider, you can verify whether the different portions of the address are in the correct format by making use of USPS CASS certification tool.

This tool checks whether the address is actually valid and deliverable. This ensures the correct delivery of postcards to the intended and verified address and saves a lot of wasted money!

CASS also performs the validation by comparing addresses with the standard format and points out those addresses that are not in correct format. When detected, it can correct improper formatted addresses. This tool also identifies duplicate contact address records and merges them into a single record.

The National Change of Address Database (NCOA)

The USPS continuously updates contact address information whenever contacts move to a different region within the country, and this is updated in the NCOA. Access to this database is only available through licensed direct mail vendors who have the necessary licensing from the USPS to perform checks against the NCOA database.

While our mailing process already included a CASS certification process when your postcards are mailed, it is always beneficial to clean your list prior to ordering to ensure the best response while avoiding wasted marketing dollars.

Need help with your list? We can help.

Simply contact us at 877-222-6010 or at okiam@prospectsplus.com and we’ll get your list cleaned up ASAP!

4 Easy Tips To Stay Committed

As a business owner, there are probably plenty of times when at the end of the day, you feel farther behind than when the day first started. You’ve likely had days when an emergency has unexpectedly popped up and completely railroaded the progress you were making on a major project. And while you hate to admit it, chances are that you feel like you’re being pulled in too many directions all at once. As a result, your marketing efforts end up on a never-ending “to-do” list and continue to be shuffled down the ladder in terms of priority over things like meetings and payroll.

At the end of the day, however, you know that sales is the lifeblood of your business and that marketing fuels sales. So how can you effectively launch – and stick to – a marketing campaign when you already feel like you’re stretched too thin as it is?

Here’s a few tips to help…

TIP 1: Set Realistic Expectations

Most marketing campaigns don’t produce instantaneous results so it’s important to remember that launching a marketing campaign today most likely isn’t going to result in an influx of sales in the immediate 12 or 24 hours post-launch.

As they say, patience is a virtue and this is especially true when it comes to the results your marketing campaigns generate. When planning out your marketing campaign, it’s important to have some idea regarding the potential ROI that will be generated. It’s equally important to be realistic with this number.

TIP 2: Stay Committed

It’s easy to abandon your marketing efforts if you’re not seeing the results you were expecting. This is one of the most common mistakes that business owners make. Just because a campaign isn’t delivering the results you were seeking doesn’t mean that it’s a complete dud or that your industry just isn’t “good” for marketing, however.

If your marketing efforts are falling a little short, it’s time to re-evaluate. Perhaps you need to revise your messaging. Perhaps social media marketing isn’t great for reaching your target market, but Postcard Marketing is. There’s no set science to marketing so it’s important to stay committed to your efforts, as well as understand that tweaks may be needed along the way to improve the results of such efforts.

Embrace technology and use it to your advantage. Just be strategic in what you decide to use, as well as how you will be using it.

TIP 3: Monitor Your Results

There are several metrics you should be tracking on a regular basis to see if your marketing strategy is one point. Key metrics may include:

• Daily number of visits to your website
• Total number of leads generated
• Cost per response or lead
• Number of inbound phone calls
• Close rates

And obviously the most important metric is the amount of revenue generated from your marketing efforts. It’s important to keep your thumb on the pulse of your marketing efforts since this information will help you determine whether your marketing strategy is working. If it is, you’ll find it to be a very motivating experience. If you discover that your strategy isn’t working as well as you had anticipated, depending on how you view the situation, it too can be a motivating experience since it’ll often times incite a sense of urgency in making the changes necessary to obtain a better ROI.

TIP 4: Modify Your Strategy Based On Results

If things aren’t going as well with your marketing campaign as you would like, don’t be afraid to make changes. Sometimes a minor change – like modifying your call-to-action or tweaking a few lines of copy – can increase revenue by up to 20%. Trying something fresh and new in your marketing efforts just may be the ticket to driving home better results. At the end of the day, if you’re not satisfied with your results, the worst thing you can do is nothing. We use this strategy often with our Postcard Marketing Campaigns.

By embracing the 4 tips outlined above, you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of your competitors, most who are probably struggling to launch a successful marketing campaign that is sustainable for the long haul.  Creating a marketing campaign doesn’t have to become an overly cumbersome, time-consuming process.  Neither does staying committed to it.

We can help. We live, eat and breathe this stuff! December is the time to do this.

Call 877-222-6010 today and we’ll take as much time as you need to map out an effective marketing plan that fits your budget and meets your objective.

Ready or not, the holiday season is here.  Take advantage by using holiday cards stay top of mind with your customers or send holiday greetings with special offers to attract new customer. This strategy is highly effective, but before you start, make sure you read these seven holiday card marketing tips.

1. Be Clear and Concise.  Even when you’re sending holiday postcards, you can use the reverse side to deliver a great message or offer.  If you are sending to both your customer list and to new prospects, consider altering the message slightly. Make it personal and heart-felt, with a note of thanks for allowing you the opportunity to serve them as customers.
2. Dual Purpose.  Are you having a holiday customer event?  Charitable program?  Offering a holiday special? 
   Include that information on the card along with her holiday greeting.
3. Don’t Sell.The holidays aren’t the time for salesy messages.  The holidays are about connecting with people on a deeper level.  Keep it light and friendly.
4. Not Just Christmas.  Almost all businesses send Christmas cards.  Be different…remember there are several other holidays around this time. Thanksgiving, New Year’s, Valentine’s, Easter and beyond. There’s always something to celebrate with your customers.
5. Have Fun.  People do business after they feel a connection.  Have some fun with pictures or opt for a
   photo card rather than a more traditional card.
   Be creative and show your company’s personality.
6. Remember Everyone.  You know all those mailing lists you’ve been collecting throughout the year…remember everyone’s important (and a potential customer!)
7. Don’t Be Late.  Send your holiday cards out at LEAST two weeks in advance of the holiday every month — oh…and if you’re a procrastinator…mail them first class as opposed to standard-class to ensure timely delivery…it’s a difference of about 10 days or so.

Here’s to a great holiday season ahead!  We’re even going to make that a little easier on your budget!

From now until January 5th, send any holiday postcard, photo card, or calendar card and SAVE 15% off your order excluding postage!

Use these money saving promo codes to get your discount! 

HOL15S – standard size, mailed First-Class
HOL15J – jumbo size, mailed First-Class
HOL15P – panoramic size, mailed First-Class
HOL15JSC – jumbo size, mailed Standard-Class
HOL15PSC – panoramic size, mailed Standard-Class
HOL15SH – any size, shipped to you
HOL15M – any size, magnetic stock
HOL15PDF – any size, PDF Download

Need help?  We’re here for you!  Call our team at 877.222.6010 today. We’ll help get your holidays started and save you money at the same time! Have a great one!  

Did you know that postcards are the most likely mail piece to be read in your stack of mail?

USPS states that 52.5% of consumers say that they read postcard marketing pieces. 46% say they respond favorably to repeated postcard mailings from the same company and are more likely to do business with those companies. Postcard marketing works, and one of the many useful tools in the postcard marketing toolkit is the reminder postcard. But starting with a blank canvas can be somewhat daunting.  We are here to help.

Include the Basics

Let’s start simple.   When building a postcard template, you should always include the basic information of your business. Essentials include:

• Who you are
• What you do
• What are you offering
• How your offer helps someone
• Special Call to Action Promo
• Expiration date
• Contact Info

This gives your potential customers everything they need to know so they can decide if they want to do business and how to contact you.  But make sure all of this information is easy to locate and is in a font that is clearly legible and large enough to be easily seen. I know…basic…but if I didn’t tell you and you missed it, I would feel terrible!

Brand Imaging

A unified brand image should be presented on the postcard. The postcard is another opportunity for you to define your brand image, specifically, the services you offer. Try to use a color scheme that helps convey your message. The postcard helps to build your brand, but also serves your customer or client needs, so make sure it leaves a positive impression.  Keep things, clean and simple and use high quality images when possible to convey a message.  You know the ole’ saying…an image is worth a thousand words. (BTW…a postcard doesn’t have room for thousand words)

Welcoming Language…AKA “Tone”

Use welcoming and inviting language in your postcard. Certain words have the power to appeal, but others can turn people away. Choose words carefully to convey your message in a fashion that is concise, yet still gives the recipient a warm and familiar feel.  A “Friendly Tone.”

Capture the Reader’s Attention

As I mentioned above, your postcard only has a limited amount of space to capture the readers attention. There are several ways to capture attention:

• Clever tagline
• Pleasant images
• Extravagant colors
• Special offer
• Client testimonials

Proofread for Accuracy

I had to through this in.  I know…obvious…but check and recheck your work before you start Confirm the information is up to date and that you haven’t made any typos. These types of mistakes can detract from the professionalism of your business.

 Use High Quality Materials

“Perception is Reality”…if your postcard looks cheap…customers think you’re not willing to make the investment in your company.  Make the extra investment to create a good quality product. Go with a good quality card stock as a way to convey that you offer a high quality service. Thicker card stock, a premium high gloss UV coating on one side – these make a positive impression that can help set you apart from the competition. Your business will be perceived as more professional when you present a more professional image.

At www.prospectsplus.com/pei you can build your perfect postcard using our extensive industry specific image gallery and over 50 postcard templates.

If you get stuck or want to chat about a potential strategy give us a jingle at 888-222-6010.

Tips for Creating Highly Effective Landing Pages and Conversion Forms

As a small business owner, we’re sure one of the first items on your start-up list was a spectacular website.  After all, If people can’t find you on the web, you might as well not be in business.

But as technology has improved and consumer’s attention spans have regressed with the insatiable appetite for immediate gratification, “Landing Pages” have become almost a necessary for every business.

A Landing page is any web page that a visitor can arrive at or “land” on. However, when discussing landing pages within the realm of marketing and advertising, it’s more common to refer to a landing page as being a standalone web page distinct from your main website that has been designed for a single focused objective.

To make ROI soar, many businesses are combining the strengths of postcard marketing and online marketing so that the benefit accrued by one channel can be used to improve the effectiveness of the other. By designing highly effective landing pages, your direct mail marketing will be more likely to convert into paying customers.

Here are three quick tips to increase the power of your landing pages.

1.) Place the Conversion Form in Top Half of the Page

The conversion form should be located above the fold in the landing page. This will enable leads to instantly view the offer provided in the conversion form. If the conversion form is placed in the lower section of the landing page, leads have to scroll down to have a look at the offer form. Some leads might not even scroll down and leave the landing page without seeing the offer form.

2.) Include Only the Optimum Number of Form Fields

The conversion form should only contain an optimum number of text fields. Sufficient care should be taken to design such text fields. When conversion forms carry a number of secondary text fields that are not actually needed for data collection, leads may very well abandon filling up the form and quit the landing page altogether. If possible, secondary or optional fields should be provided in the form of check boxes and radio buttons, or removed altogether.

3.) Use an Uniform Call to Action Text

Campaign managers need to have their call to action text sprinkled across the different sections of the conversion form and wider site. It is also more effective to use the same or similar text for each call to action button and heading, reiterating exactly what the customer will get when they complete the form. Conversion forms should be simple and straight to the point, and easy for anyone to understand.

By using these techniques, campaign managers can see a dramatic increase in lead response rates.

Need help implementing this technique?  Give us a jingle at 888-222-6010.  We’ll talk about your campaign then see how to implement an easy but effective landing page.

Predictive modeling can boost your bottom line by allowing you to assign every customer a specialized customer category based in a specialized model – predicting the likelihood of the customer to take certain action. This may sound really hard, but in reality, it’s not. Stay with me…more on that later. Promise!

Creating the Model

There are four steps required in creating a predictive model, which determines the probability of certain events based on a target. Variable factors, which are the building blocks of your predictive model, include information like customer age, favorite color, how often they purchase, how many times they’ve frequented your business in the last year, for example. Let’s suppose you wanted to predict the likelihood of a customer visiting your store 5 times in the next 12 months, here’s how you’d proceed:

1. Prepare Your Data

Good data preparation is key. Data may be broken down into categories, such as:

• Demographics: age, gender, income, or marital status.
• Financial variables: income, or property ownership.
• Geographic variables: zip code, region, climate.
• Psychographic segmentation: lifestyle, personality values.
• Behavioral segmentation: brand loyalty, benefits sought, ready-to-buy stage.
• Past business history: total amount of previous purchases, responsiveness to marketing campaigns, returns.

Once categories are determined, data can be pulled from a database, where it will be organized and formatted.

2. Set Your Target

Your target, in this scenario, is customers who will visit your store five times in the next twelve months.

3. Determine the Most Important Variable Factors

Depending on the software you use to create your predictive model, you may have to use your judgment to determine the most important variables, or the software may tell you. Some software even gives you both options; it will tell you what it likes, but allow the variables to be tweaked.

4. Create the Model

Predictive modeling software measures the importance of the variables and creates a model. As you fill in the variables, the model calculates the probability of certain events occurring, such as which customers, with the greatest probability, may return to your store 5 times in the next year.

Ways to Use Modeling in Your Business

Modeling can be used in a variety of ways to boost your business. Let’s take a look at some examples:

• Retention efforts: Because retention efforts can be costly, ideally, you want to spend that money where it will be most effective. A predictive model can determine probability of retention and that helps you avoid spending money retaining those who were already staying anyway and instead direct those resources at those likely to leave.
• Choosing content: You may choose to offer 50 different promotions on your website, and predictive modeling can help you determine which customers are likely to respond to which offers, based on browsing history and past behavior.
• A/B tests: When A is stronger and B is weaker, we gravitate toward always using A, but some customers may be more likely to respond to B. Predictive modeling can help you know who’s most likely to respond to A or B, so you can keep both types of customers happy.
• Using survey data: Surveys can gauge your customer’s level of interest in something. A predictive model can look at survey data and determine targets, then show you who your best prospects are.

The Good News…It’s All Done For You!

Nielsen Media Company has created a product called Prizm Code Data that has already done all the work described above. They even went a step further by naming them with really cool descriptions. Then we took the time to research each category and make category recommendations based on your industry.

Check it out Here :

So if you want to power up your response, cut down on waste and watch the pre-qualified leads come rolling in, get started today using Nielsen Prizm Codes on your next mailing.

If you need help deciding which data best fits your objectives, give us a call at 888-222-6010.

Some would say we’re sorta data geeks!

Postcard marketing is still one of the most effective and overlooked ways to get new customers to discover the details of your business.

It’s affordable, targeted and mercilessly immune to email spam filters! Top that with the fact that today’s economic climate has consumers eager for good news and good deals in their mailbox – and you have a recipe for success.

If you’re ready to dive into the direct mail marketing waters, take heed to avoid the four most overlooked and underused elements of postcard marketing victory.

1.  Don’t discount the list: Your prospect list is the most important part of your marketing equation. In the old days, companies would mail to entire cities in the hopes that a small fraction would raise their hand and say, “Hey that’s me!”

Today, savvy entrepreneurs and business owners know that to get the most from their marketing dollars, they have to research first and mail later. A little time on the front end of the marketing equation can literally save thousands in lost marketing dollars on the back end by NOT mailing to those who in all probability would not purchase or benefit from your product or service.

Take a look at your best customers. You know the ones that always buy, are always ready to give feedback and better still, first in line to send referrals your way. What are they like? What age are they? Where do they live? Figure that out and tap into today’s extraordinary ability to data mine for more consumers that fit that same “customer profile” and you’ve got the makings of a truly targeted list.

2.  Capture their attention from the start.  You’ve got a minute tops to grab the reader’s attention.       What’s your headline? What’s most important to that “perfect customer” we talked about in step one? Draw them in out of the chute if you hope to take them from headline to offer to dialing the phone or visiting your site.

3.  Make them an “offer they can’t refuse.” Sure, it’s a great line from an unforgettable movie, but it’s also the heart of what will cause people to act – or not. This is the time and space to make an offer that will not only get their attention but again, have them raising their hands to say, “Hey, I want that!”

4  Track it. If you can’t track your marketing in today’s data driven world, don’t do it. With the advent of QR codes and tracking phone numbers there is no reason to stay in the dark wondering what works and what doesn’t. In this era of ever-changing technology, having the ability to track your success and failures (we learn from those too) is one of the greatest hidden secrets marketing experts deploy every day.

So get out there. Start investing in yourself and your business with what still works – only better with the aid of technology, postcard templates and groundbreaking tools.

Remember, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Sharing new and innovative ways to increase your customer base and grow your business is what we do.

Call us today at 877-222-6010 or visit our site online at www.prospectsplus.com/pei