Use a Marketing Calendar

Creating a marketing calendar is perhaps the single most valuable time you spend “on” your business each year. But why should you have a marketing calendar?

Most businesses have no marketing plan at all. To compound things, they make plans based on whoever is trying to sell them the next shiny object. In speaking with business owners and entrepreneurs daily, I’ve found that less than half Of all business actually do it, but those that do have a HUGE competitive advantage.

Below are a few things to consider when creating a marketing calendar. We’ll do a few each tip for the next week or so.

First, you need to devote specific, uninterrupted time each year when you create your calendar. I like to use the time near the end of each December. Things seem to slow down a bit then. The phone doesn’t ring quite an often, and there’s less demands on my time. While this may not be ideal (the phones ringing less, etc), it gives me that uninterrupted time that I need to get it done.

Second, you want to solicit information and help from key people in your business. Do have sales reps? Get them, or their manager involved. Want to run a specific campaign that requires accounting/book-keeping to get involved, do. In fact, I just met with our VP of Operations regarding a “Pay Later” campaign I want to run. Her input on the implementation of it, from an accounting standpoint, was invaluable.

If you’re a sole proprietor, you may want to meet in advance with your vendors who will be helping the campaign along. See that they can meet your deadlines and that they can implement what you want to do. You don’t want to get to the time to implement, and then get stalled because a vendor or key person can’t get the job done in time.

That’s it for today. Later in the week we’ll discuss three additional things you need to consider when creating your marketing calendar. See you then!

Blog Readers Only Special

My friend and very successful marketer Troy White has created a great resource where he’s created the marketing calendar FOR YOU!

The Cash Flow Calendar contains completed marketing campaigns that guarantee to grow your business.

You will learn how to capitalize on the thousands of opportunities you have at your disposal to write new product or service launch. How to transfer an unusual holiday, even the standard ones, with a few minor changes, and one simple addition, to create monster successes with each mailer you send out to your clients.

9 success keys to making any promotion you send a money maker

For each MONTH of the year, you will receive countless opportunities and ideas to run month-long promotions - or one major product launch tied into a monthly event (for example, did you know that April is National Customer Appreciation Month? Perfect time for a mailer and promotion. Or that April also is the month of National Couple Appreciation Month? How easily could you tie in that to a promotion applicable to couples? I show you how.

23 different ways (and reasons) to stay in touch with your customers and prospects (each on of them can make you a bundle if you use them).

And tons more. Visit Troy's site to see it all for yourself.

Don't Confuse Your Clients

Last week we talked about your clients favorite radio station, W.I.I.F.M., or “What’s in it for Me?” Today we’ll talk about the second of the 7 tips for crafting a compelling offer. To review, see my previous blog post below.

First and foremost your offer must be clear. Confused people do nothing, and nothing is the last thing you want from prospect or client.

In general, “half off,” is better than 50% off. Further, “two for one,” in general, is better than “half off.”

I say in general because it all depends on your target audience. The words and phrases you use will get better or worse response based on your chosen target audience. Review segmenting your lists here at my blog.

Second, you must get in the habit of offering only one thing with each piece of marketing. Here’s an online example. In most cases, you want to collect your clients contact information right when they first visit your site. Everything should be concentrated on that one goal. You wouldn’t want to sell them your widget, try to get their contact information, and have them come by and visit your shop all at the same time!

Here’s on off-line example. If you’re running lead generation advertising for your dental practice, you want the only offer to be to call or visit a website for more information. You’re not selling them on the dental work itself, just a call to action to get more information. It would be foolish to try and sell a root canal in that situation, wouldn’t it?

Finally, the offer must be a good (perceived) value. Going back to our dentist example, to validate our offer, we may want to put a value on the information we are providing, thus giving our information a high perceived value.

Be wary of using percentage off for your offers. As a society, we’ve become increasing skeptical of these offers. We have ingrained in our minds that they’ve simply over-inflated the original value of the product or service, and then cut down to the “real” price with the percentage off. However, this can work when there is a widely known “published” price of an item.

Later in the week we’ll talk about the value of offering discounts, premiums (free gifts) or both. See you then.

www.3DMailResults.com

How to Create an Irresistible Offer, Part I

Over the next several weeks we're going to talk about creating an irresistible offer. This is a vitally important element of your marketing campaign.

I often get letters to critique and the most commonly missed or lackluster element is the offer. So sit back and hold on tight as we wind down the adventurous ride that is the irresistible offer!

So what is an irresistible offer? It’ what you dangle in front of your target market that gets them salivating for your product/service. It triggers emotion and focuses on an end results.

The ultimate reaction you want from your clients or prospects from your offer is, "I'd be a fool if I said No to this!" Every piece of marketing you do must have an offer. And it can't be a ho-hum, run-of-the-mill offer. It must be something so great, so ideally matched to your target audience that there is no way someone could possibly justify ignoring it.

An irresistible offer can be used for lead generation in both B2C and B2B to get your prospects to 'raise their hand' and identify themselves as potential clients. The can also be used for a one-step sell of your product/service.

Finally, don't ignore the importance of making offers to your existing clients as well. You see this error all the time. Here’s an example I’m sure you can relate with.

Look at the lengths cable and satellite companies will go to get a new client. You see or hear the ads and you think, “Hey! What about me, I’m the guy paying for you to run those ads!” Don’t let your current clients feel ‘betrayed’ by such offers. Keep them in mind.

You should be using an irresistible offer in all three scenarios, lead generation, one-step sales and to your existing clients.

Stay tuned for later this week as we'll discuss the importance of matching your irresistible offer to yourperfect target audience. I'll see you then!

www.3DMailResults.com

Change how you Think of Testing

Let me switch gears and talk briefly about another aspect of “testing”. This is actually how all highly successful entrepreneurs view everything they do...as testing. They do NOT see things in the context of “success” or “failure” like ordinary people do, and as a result they do not become “de-motivated” like most people do. See, most people drain all the vitality, courage, optimism and git-up-n-go out of themselves by focusing on all the things they do that don’t work out well, as a compilation of failures.

But successful people understand the powerful impact of that negative reinforcement on their own self-image (somewhat akin to the impact of pouring a gallon of toxic waste into a pint of clear water, drinking the result, and wondering why the stomach backs up into the esophagus).

Instead, they carefully organize the things they do into a series or sequence of experiments, testing options, and focusing on the ones they find that work. And they fully expect to go through any number of experiments that don’t pan out before walking away from the lab with a winner.

This not only has practical relevance, it has profound psychological ramifications. Just like a little tweak in thinking can make a big difference in the results of say, an ad or a flyer, a little tweak in thinking can make a giant difference in the life results experienced by an individual.

Edison said it perfectly when he was asked about his failings in creating the light bulb, "I did not fail a thousand times, I just found a thousand ways not to build a light bulb.”

The Secret Of Getting Referrals

There has never been any argument in advertising circles that the most effective business advertising is word-of-mouth advertising.

That’s why direct selling is so dramatically successful as a method of marketing every imaginable product and service, and why direct selling is such a great business in which to be. As a direct salesperson conversationally telling another person why you like a particular product, you are much more convincing advertisement than any TV commercial or magazine ad.

The tremendous persuasiveness of your personal endorsement of a product is what word-of-mouth advertising is all about. Much to the chagrin of professional ad agencies, such word-of-mouth advertising cannot be purchased. But you, as a direct salesperson, can put this special type of advertising power to work for your business.

Because you are fortunate to be on friendly, personal terms with your customers, you can enlist their aid in promoting your services. You can actually turn your present customers into a personal advertising department. All you need to do is master the right way to ask for their help.

Develop Personal Relations

If you learn how to properly ask for their help, your customers will enthusiastically go to work advertising your business. This will help promote your services, lead you to scores of new services, and give you all the valuable benefits of word-of-mouth advertising. There are two types:

1. The customer actually becomes an advertising agent and tells others about you and the service you provide.
2. The customer gives you referrals to people who may be good prospects and allows you to use their name as an endorsement.

Either type can be extremely valuable in multiplying your customer list.

Avoid Pressure

The most important thing to remember is that this kind of help cannot be bought from your customers. It must never seem like you are offering a bribe in exchange for a list of names. As a rule, people will not “sell” their friends to you. Offering an “inducement” also might raise doubts about the quality of your services. If they are as good as you say they are, why should you bribe people for their recommendations?

Remember two very important things about human nature: first, people usually enjoy telling others about products they try and like. Second, people like to be appreciated. One way they get appreciated is by being helpful to others.
In short, offer an incentive for help without appearing to be paying for it.

Show Appreciation

In this way, you’re thanking the person, not bribing them. They’ll be pleased, won’t feel guilty, and will be more willing the next time you ask.

The next time you call on that customer you should remember to again thank them for their help. Report to them on the reactions of the prospects they suggested. Let the person you know you did call on them, that Mrs. Jones did become a customer and purchased such and such, and that Mrs. Walters was interested but wished to purchase at a later date.
In many cases, after reporting these results, you can obtain a couple of additional prospects from them.

Prospects are the lifeblood of your business. Your greatest asset in direct sales is your inventory of prospective new customers. And there is no better way to maintain that inventory, converting prospects to customers, than by using the power of word-of-mouth advertising ...with recommendations from your present, satisfied customers. Put this power to work now and watch your profits and your list of customers multiply.

Drive Traffic to a Location

Here's one of my favorite ways to use 3D mail in really ANY business.

3D mail can be very effective is getting your clients or prospects to come to your store, restaurant or other retail location. One of the best ones we’ve seen in driving traffic to your location is what we call a “puzzle piece mailer.”

In this mailing, you attach a puzzle piece to the top of your letter to your clients or prospects with the headline, “Is This the Winning Piece.” In the letter, its tells the client to bring this puzzle piece in to your location to see if it is the missing piece to complete the puzzle you’ve assembled in your business. If the piece matches, they win!

In restaurants the winner often receives a free meal for that visit, or in a retail store they’ll receive some type of Gift Certificate to redeem in the store.

Here’s another hint. Make sure everyone is a winner, even if their piece doesn’t fit. Have some inexpensive free gifts to give anyone with a puzzle piece who visits your location. We’ve also seen this work well when you send a key in the mailing. They bring in their key to see if it unlocks the treasure chest. If it does, they win again!

Next post I'll discuss 3 other ways to use 3D mail in your business. Be sure to check back in a couple days!

www.3DMailResuls.com

8 Ways go Grow Your Business With 3D Mail

There are 8 distinct ways that 3D mail can be used to grow your business. Below are the first 3. We'll tackle a couple each day for the next week or two.

Increase The Size of an Order
As we talked about earlier, 3D mail can often be used as a freemium, a gift you give the prospect with no obligation on their part. However, this inexpensive free gift can be used to give wafflers or fence sitters the last little push to take you up on your offer.

Here’s another tip to increase the size of your order. Offer another free gift that complements the freemium you previously sent when they place their order of a certain dollar amount. This will give many new clients the added reason to increase their order size!

Generate Leads
We all know how hard it is to get new clients through a cold mailing. As Bill has pointed out in this book, it’s extremely important to stand out with your advertising. 3D Mail does that. It is not unusual for your prospects to be so amazed with your mailing that they actually call to find out where you got the idea! Talk about cutting the clutter!

Reduce Returns
One problem any business runs into is return rates. This is also called buyers remorse. After the initial purchase you can send follow up 3D mailings (often called a ‘stick’ campaign) to reinforce the purchase your client has just made.

But why would you send 3D mail when you can send regular mail? For all the reasons we’ve already outlined. Remember, if a mailing doesn’t get opened, it can’t be read or acted upon. It is every bit as important, if not more so, for your follow up marketing to be open, read and acted upon, as your initial mailing to get the order.

www.3dmailresults.com

Doesn't 3D Mail Cost More?

Sure, 3D Mail will normally cost more than a mailing that is not 3D, but not all of the time. But are you really interested in what the mailing costs or what your return on the mailing is verses the cost? If I need to convince you of that, you really should be interested in the results rather than just the cost (Your Return on Investment), you might as well go do something else right now.

In almost every instance, the results from 3D Mail are a better Return on Investment than the same mailing without the 3D item.

In addition, we highly recommend that you send laser targeted, clutter busting mailings, multiple times, rather than sending out more pieces of untargeted, non-3D mail. In this case, less truly is more

If you’re on a marketing budget (and who besides Nike, McDonald’s and Microsoft aren’t on a marketing budget), we’ve never seen a case in which multiple 3D mails to a smaller list hasn’t outperformed one boring, same-as-everybody-else mailing to a large list.

Later in the week we'll discuss how 3D mail can actually work like a premium (free gift) to boost your response, and more importantly, you're Return on Investment.

www.3Dmailresults.com

3D Mail Has Sticking Power

Let’s face it, most days; nothing different, nothing worth talking about happens either at work or at home. So a mailing that is different, innovative, and maybe a little humorous ends up being talked about. 3D Mail has sticking power. People show it to their spouse, neighbor, friend or coworker. And... Shhhhhh……………………….. Don’t Tell Anyone this Secret…Two or Three or Four is Lots Better Than One!

Those of us who produce conferences, boot camps, seminars, and conventions have a secret we don’t tell you.

Shhhhhhhhhh…. Sales go up when more people from one organization hear about your offer. That’s why when you get invited to a conference or seminar there is always a discount for the second person.

It happens all the time. When two people see an offer, one may decide to not to take advantage of it. But the other person sees the possibilities. So they start talking about all of the things they and you could do…. SALE!!!

The same thing happens with 3D Mail. The recipient shows it to their coworker, or spouse, or friend just to show them how cute it is and the other person starts talking about the actual offer and your sales increase.

Another Reason That Two or Three or Four is Lots Better Than One

But what if the recipient shows it to another person and they don’t talk about and brainstorm ideas. You know it’s not too bad to send out one mailing and have 2, 3 or 4 people read it.

Next post we'll discuss the idea that 3D Mail always costs more (it doesn't) and why cost is the last thing you should be looking at when starting your 3D Mail campaign.

www.3DMailResults.com

3D Mail in Business to Business Marketing

Why Does 3D Mail Work So Well In Business-to-Business Campaigns?

Again, direct mail professionals really don’t care why something works; we just want to know if it does. And, 3D Mail works incredibly well in Business-to-Business environments. With that said, 3D Mail works great in Business-to-Business campaigns because people are people and buyers are buyers.

Businesses don’t buy anything! People in businesses buy things! And, as we said, people like to be entertained. People like to be singled out. 3D Mail is different. It stands out and it creates curiosity. 3D Mail Simply Needs To Be Opened and Read.

It Cuts Through the Clutter

Because people are overwhelmed with amount of advertising and marketing they see today, it is absolutely imperative that you cut through the clutter and boredom and give your prospects or clients something interesting and out of the ordinary.

People are so overwhelmed, that they often spend 3.5 seconds or less with information they’ve requested! If you can’t keep your message in front of your prospect, you’re done. If you think that’s bad, some studies show that business recipients throw out 48% of their unsolicited mail without opening it!

Any message that isn’t opened can never be acted on! When an envelope shows up with something inside - 3D - your client or prospect MUST open it. They simply have to know what’s inside.

The huge majority of direct mail ends up in the “B” or “C” pile (see this post on A-Pile Mail) and then the trash. It lacks the power and ability to break though the clutter. It doesn’t offer a strong incentive to act, and it doesn’t have staying power. Your mailing must have an impact!

If a Stack Doesn’t Stack, It Can’t Be a Stack

Whether at home or at the office, we all get a stack of mail every day. One sure fire way to cut through the clutter is to make sure your mailing piece ends up on the top of the stack.

If your mailing is in a regular envelope it can end up anywhere in the stack. But what if your mailing piece is in a box? Or, what if your mail piece is in a mini-trash can? Or what if your mailing is in a real Vinyl Bank Bag? Or what if you mail a plastic ‘Message in a Bottle.’ Or what if you mailing is in an envelope with a bag of shredded money inside so if it gets put anywhere other than on the top of the stack the stack will fall over?

3D Mail has to be on the top of the stack or the stack will fall over! Neither the mail man, nor the mail room, nor the receptionist can stack a stack that doesn’t stack.

In my next post I'll explain to you how 3D mail can actually increase referrals and increase your average transaction size!

www.3DMailResults.com