Direct Mail - Dont Assume, Just Test and Track

Where to Start:

Most novice marketers have definite fixed ideas about direct mail that are way off base - most often in the area of what to spend and how much to do. You should determine what you are able to spend for your marketing budget, spend it, and determine the maximum number of leads that you can create. For instance, I've heard this statement quite often: "We aren't that large of a company. How could we send out 2,000 postcards all at once?" because "What if they all call?" ? seems like a valid concern, right?

Here is the reality behind it: Unfortunately they won't all call. However, a good deal of them very well may and making sure that your traffic in is not more than you can handle is something to think about. Truthfully, there is no sure way to tell exactly how many people will call if you haven't done this type of marketing before. Think of it this way. What would happen if they did all call? You may not be able to handle all of them, but you would handle as many as you possibly could, right?

In this scenario, you would have maximized your income for that time period providing you could close up all those callers! You can also explore the idea of expanding your operation to handle the number of leads that you can create.

What if you didn't max out your promotion at the very start? You can afford to send out 4,000 pieces every two weeks but you think that you will simply get too many calls to be able to handle them all. You, instead, send out only 2,000 and the response is decent. However, you still have some down time where you are having to try to "manufacture" sales.

You saved $400 in marketing money but you had enough down time where you could have closed quite a few more sales than you did. The question now is "Which gives me more money in my pocket? Saving $400 on marketing or closing quite a few more sales and earning an extra couple of G's potentially." More than likely the answer is to spend as much as you possibly can on your marketing, right?

By spending all that you can afford on marketing when you start a program you maximize your income almost immediately.

Okay, Time to Track Results:

Hopefully you have more than one way that you try to recruit new customers. So how do you know which ones are working and which aren't? Set up a system to track the results.

Let's take for example a situation in which you decide to start a Postcard Marketing Campaign for your business. The first week you send out 3000 postcards. When they start hitting homes you get 30 calls. Did all of these leads come from the postcards? Probably not. Because the week before you got 8 calls and hadn't sent out any postcards yet. So how can you tell who actually got a postcard?

The Answer: All you have to do is ask them. "So how did you hear about our company?" The hard part is making sure that any employee in your company who answers the phone and may talk to a new prospect remembers to ask the question every time. The fewer prospects who answer this question, the less accurate your information will be when making future marketing decisions.

Now let's assume that you have been sending out postcards for a while and you have a good number of calls coming in. If you ask the question "So how did you hear about our company?" they may respond, "I got your postcard in the mail." But, by now you have mailed postcards to 4 different lists, 3 times each. How do you tell which list and which mailing this customer was from?

The Answer: Put a marketing code on the postcards that will tell you which specific postcard they received and when it was mailed.

Give each list a name and work the date into your marketing code as well. And the only thing your representatives have to ask is "Would you mind reading me the marketing code above your address?" This code should give you all the info that you need to know and help you keep your Marketing Results Tracking as accurate as possible.

Try not to operate off of assumptions about "how to market" if you haven't educated yourself. And make sure you collect all the data and make your future marketing decisions based on the facts.

Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998; her only assets a computer and a phone. In 2004 the company did close to $9 million in sales and employs over 60 person. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. Now she's sharing her marketing secrets to others. For more free marketing advice, visit her website at http://www.postcardmania.com

---

The Most Powerful Marketing Weapon Ever Invented

It was probably first discovered out there in the caves... Read More

The REAL Key To Successfully Marketing Any Product!

The REAL key to successful marketing of any product is... Read More

How to Write a Fundraising Thank-you Letter for Example (Includes a Free Sample)

Thank-you letters are one of the most important letters that... Read More

Medias Dirty Little Secret

I'm constantly amazed by all of the media reps from... Read More

Direct Mail Marketing Generates Sales Leads: Heres How

1. Personal Unlike an advertisement in a trade publication, which... Read More

Ten Effective Ways to Capture Market

1.Evaluation of Existing Products / Therapies2.Assessment of New Products3.Market assessment... Read More

What Does Your Business Address Say?

If you are operating a business from your home and... Read More

The Process of Change in Marketing Approaches

In a world economy that is in constant flux and... Read More

URL Everywhere? Offline Marketing For Online Success

Your URL (www) should be everywhere and more.I know many... Read More

Shine a Spotlight on Your Professional Service Firm

As a life-long dancer, I know a bit about the... Read More

Marketers VS Consumers Predators VS Prey

The distance between marketing consultants and the real world can... Read More

10 Tips For Packaging That Sells Products To Boomers

Boomers are a prime and growing target audience. Does your... Read More

Top 5 Design Tips to Create Eye-Catching Marketing Materials

Great graphic design looks effortless, but it requires lots of... Read More

51 Ways to Say Thank-you in a Fundraising Letter for a Non-for-Profit (Includes Examples & Samples)

One of the hardest jobs in fundraising is crafting original... Read More

Recipe for Success

Special event and a special recipe- hand it out on... Read More

Attracting Clients With Ease

Whether you are already running your own business, or still... Read More

4 Steps To Increase Your Job Sign Marketing

It's no secret that using a job site sign can... Read More

Newsletters are Marketing Machines!

Is your business publishing a print or e-newsletter? An informative... Read More

8 Secrets to Marketing Success

The profits of a business are totally dependent on marketing.... Read More

The Apprentice: 5 Lessons in Marketing

Donald Trump's hit reality show, The Apprentice is a godsend... Read More

Three Alternative Methods On Getting Quality Testimonials with Bonus

Here are three alternatives to increase your testimonial numbers or... Read More

Put Your Marketing To The So What? Test

Want to get Better at your Marketing today?For many service... Read More

Your Marketing ? From The Couch To The Cash Register

When you put time or money into any marketing plan,... Read More

Four Super-Deadly Marketing Sins - And How To Fix Them

It seems nowadays every marketing guru and their brother-in-law has... Read More

The Mighty Marketing Brochure

"Brochure" is French, and it comes from brocher, meaning to... Read More

Promotional Products

As a promotions director for a lot of super markets,... Read More

Promotional Pen - A Pen by any other Name?

Have you ever been among a group of people exchanging... Read More

Getting Personal ? Innovative Marketing for Small Business Owners

The small business marketing strategy you can't afford to miss... Read More

10 Packaging Tips That Will Make Consumers Buy Your Product

The customer is king/queen. We have all heard this mantra.... Read More

Are Your Prospects Walking Out on You?

After 11 years in sales, I've put together and delivered... Read More

Referrals . . .The Secret Weapon

Are you getting referrals from you customers? If not, you... Read More

Your Ultimate Competitive Advantage

The biggest secret to success in business is to always... Read More

Direct Marketing: Overlooked, Underappreciated, and Unstoppable

Every business needs customers, but more importantly every business needs... Read More