Sales & Marketing Consultant, Bestselling Author & Sales Conference Speaker

Last week I discussed the pros and cons of direct mail marketing. In the course of my discussion, I touched on the use of promotional products as gifts outright and as incentives. Today I’d like to focus exclusively on these promotional products and discuss their use in greater detail.

Last week I mentioned the Silver Marketing Group study that found a 50 percent increase in direct mail response rates when a promotional product was included in a mailing and a fourfold increase when a promotional product was used as an incentive. In addition, consider the following statistics: 60 percent of respondents in a recent survey reported having done business with the product’s advertiser after receiving a promotional product. Nearly half (47 percent) indicated a more favourable opinion of the advertiser after receiving a promotional product. Moreover, of those who received such a product, 37 percent of those who had not previously done business with the advertiser said it was likely that they would.

In short, promotional product advertising is good for business. With a relatively modest investment, a small- to medium-sized business can generate the same level of exposure typically associated with that of a much larger company with a significant advertising budget. A promotional product can be as small as a pen with the name of your business on it or as elaborate as an electronic gadget with some kind of catchy branding message. It all depends on your budget, your target audience, and the needs of your business.

So why are promotional products so valuable to marketers? Well, because they’re valuable to the people who receive them. In the aforementioned survey, nearly three-quarters of respondents said they kept promotional products they received because they were useful. And when people receive something of value—or the promise of something of value, in the case of incentives—they respond out of a sense of obligation to the giver. This isn’t some crass “I’ve given you something so now you owe me” thing. Rather, it’s a way to establish a relationship with your target audience, a way to open the door.

What kind of things should you consider when shopping for promotional products to send out? That can be almost anything, but certain things are kept more than others. Writing instruments are very popular and people tend to keep them around for long periods of time, especially women, who make many of families’ purchasing decisions. Calendars are also popular and have the added benefit of staying in use for an entire year, continually offering up reminders of your business. Also popular is clothing, such as T-shirts, and caps or headwear. Men, especially, like caps.

Promotional product advertising is a great way to promote your business, and with higher response rates that some other forms of advertising, it can be very cost-effective. Do you have a success story with promotional products? Share it with readers in the comments section below.

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

http://www.seanmcpheat.com

(Image by Digital Art)

We live in fast-paced, exiting times, and there is an ever-increasing variety of ways to spread your message. It seems just yesterday people were talking about that new thing called email. And now there are new social media platforms appearing on the Internet all the time.

Today, I’d like to take a look at a more traditional approach to marketing. Direct mail marketing has been around for years. The simplest form of direct mail advertising is the postcard, but they can be as elaborate as a full-color catalogue. There are advantages and disadvantages to direct mail advertising, and that is what I’d like to discuss in today’s post.

Advantages

• Unlike more broad-based newspaper and magazine advertising, direct mail advertising allows you to target a very specific group of individuals by focusing your campaign on a small geographic location. Like-minded people tend to live near one another, so by sending your mailing to the residents of a specific postal code, you are able to ensure that it reaches the types of people you’re hoping to attract.
• Direct mail enables you to customise the message on your mailing, addressing individuals by name and responding to specific concerns or needs. When you speak to people directly as individuals, it increases the likelihood that they will respond positively.
• Direct mail allows for many options with regard to the type of message you distribute. You can send out a simple postcard or a brochure, or you can go all out with a brochure that features pictures of your products and a means for consumers to order them.
• Direct mail has the advantage of being directly measurable in the form of inquiries received or coupons redeemed. Tracking results by location will help you with future mailings.

Disadvantages

• The cost of producing effective campaigns can be prohibitive for some companies. To be effective, direct mail marketers must use up-to-date mailing lists, which must be purchased, and over time this can get quite expensive.
• Some consumers consider direct mail to be “junk” mail and may find it annoying, which could cause them to view your company negatively. In addition, with concern for the environment figuring prominently in the public consciousness, mailings that use a lot of paper products—especially if they are not made from recycled paper—may be viewed as wasteful, and could damage your reputation.
• By most accounts, direct mail response rates can be very low—around 1 to 2 percent, even for the most successful campaigns.

To combat some of these disadvantages, however, you might want to try adopting what has become a highly successful approach to direct mail marketing: the inclusion of a promotional product, such as a pen or a tote bag with your name and logo. Studies have shown that the inclusion of a promotional product can increase response rates by as much as 50 percent. Another very successful approach is the addition of a promotional incentive, such as a coupon for a free product or service when redeemed. This approach has been shown to produce four times as many responses than a sales letter alone.

Direct mail has advantages and disadvantages. Have you had experience with direct mail marketing? Feel free to leave a comment below for other readers.

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

http://www.seanmcpheat.com

(Image by Digital Art)

After the Internet made sending mass emails so much cheaper than bulk mailing, many businesses moved away from physical mail as an advertising method.  They are now realising what a mistake that was.  Bulk mailing is an inexpensive marketing method that has a much better response rate than bulk email.  When email was first introduced to the public, bulk email was a great marketing strategy, but as spam filters were developed and email became so common, the rate of response from emailed messages dropped dramatically.  Now, businesses are scrambling to re-incorporate physical mail.  The least expensive and most likely to be read style of bulk mailing is the postcard. Recipients see all the content because there is no envelope, and businesses see a better response rate.  Here are some basic tips for creating a successful postcard marketing campaign.

Working with the Right Printer

Choosing a printer is not simply a matter of going to the local office supply store and ordering some prints.  Printers offer a range of products and services and a business must be careful to only work with a company that can provide the results they are looking for.  A beautifully designed postcard that has smeared edges and pixilation on the final print doesn’t look like a quality marketing piece.  Make sure that you always get samples in a printed format before authorising the final print job.

Choosing the Right Materials

Not only is the quality of the final print important, but so is the paper choice.  Budget will have a lot to do with the final options that are available, but the thicker the paper, the more likely it is that your postcard will remain in good condition right up until it is read by a consumer.  Also, choosing something a little different can help your postcard stand out from the crowd.  Most postcards are printed on a glossy or matte finished paper.  If you have a printer that can offer a satin finish, that can help your marketing materials stand out from the crowd.

Choosing the Design and Distribution Strategy

Design and distribution often go hand and hand.  While you want a design that properly represents your company, you also need something that appeals to the demographic of the area you are mailing to.  If the area you are mailing to is predominantly younger people, you will want to include more humour in your postcard design and they are okay with more visual stimulation.  An older crowd will respond better to a more elegant appearance.  Work with a graphic designer to create the best postcard design for your chosen demographic.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

http://www.seanmcpheat.com

Setting up a direct mail campaign correctly is important. You’ll put hours of work into getting the copy written correctly, designing the layout, and making sure your call to action is clear. The finished product will hit the mail and you’ll sit back to – well – wait.

There are, of course, a few extra things you can do to enhance the effectiveness of your direct mail marketing campaign. Here are some to inspire you.

• Offer a free gift with your call to action. Set a time limit on it. Those who reply by a certain date will receive a free gift just for responding. It doesn’t need to be a big deal, or anything expensive, but the idea of getting something for free really motivates some people.
• Offer a free trial of your product. You don’t have to give those on a free trial 100% access to all of your services or product perks. They need to see just enough to get an idea of how your services really work. It’s no harm if they don’t purchase – and better for you if they do.
• Keep your copy short. You can include as much information as you want, but make sure it is broken down into digestible nuggets. The shorter your statements, the easier they are to read.
• Are you on a budget? Instead of designing a full-color advertisement, design a high quality black-and-white or greyscale advertisement and have it printed on colored paper. The color will draw attention to the advertisement and you’ll save money on printing.
• Always include a “PS” statement at the end of your copy. When scanning your document, readers will always look to see if there is some sort of “PS” and what it says.

Make your copy informative, easy to read, and inspiring. Before you know it, the responses will be rolling in.

Sean

http://www.seanmcpheat.com