Archive for March, 2009

Online mailing services: Keep It Going, Keep It Consistent

By | March 30, 2009 | Offline Marketing | 2 Comments

dsc_0354Welcome to the fourth installment of Online Mailing Services (click here if you missed Part 1, Part 2 , Part 3 or Part 4). Today we will discuss building out a long-term plan for sustained success with your mailings.

Most consumers need to hear from a company multiple times before they buy. Build a contact plan to make sure that customers see your message multiple times – focusing on the time of year when they are most likely to use your products. This will make it more likely that you are in their consideration set when they are ready to make a purchase. Read more…

Time is on your side, yes it is!

By | March 27, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | No comments

Most marketing experts will tell you that your message truly matters, and that you should work to craft the right one over time. But sometimes even the smallest tweaks to the simplest message can make all the difference in the world. Today we show an example that is very simple yet very telling in how a change in tone and message can dramatically increase results.

A recent post by Kelly Spors on Independent Street from the Wall Street Journal showcases a recent study done by lemondaethe Stanford Business School in which they found that referencing time was more effective than monetary value in a marketing message or campaign. Their example? Setting up kids with a lemonade stand, then featuring different messages to see what would be the best. As it turns out, the message on the lemonade sign, ““Spend a little time and enjoy C&D’s lemonade” was the most effective and drove the most revenue. Customers also reported linking the lemonade more. It also brought in twice as many passers by than messages tied to money.

As the economy changes, so too will people’s marketing messages. This innovative approach suggests that sometimes value doesn’t always win out over other topics, and is a great example of how slight changes can make all the difference.

What messages have you found to be effective?  Do you often go outside the traditional marketing boundaries?

Profitability, something to consider

By | March 25, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | 1 Comment

It seems like something that every business should be considering along the way, but in truth many don’t. It’s underpants-gnomesprofitability, including how long it will take you to get to the point where you’re profitable, what steps you can be taking to ensure you hit your target, and the decisions you make don’t negatively impact your goals for making money.

Today we pass along a very interesting post from the OnStartups blog, posted by Dharmesh Shah, who uses a very funny South Park video to illustrate the point of his post. Shah essentially argues that planning for growth is fine, but ignoring profitability altogether is an unwise move. He also offers three unique steps in the planning process that will help you consider profitability and essentially manage it over the life of the business. Not everyone can be a Twitter or Facebook, so to consider reasonable constraints is probably worthwhile for your business.

The entire post can be read here. What about you, do you consider profitability with your own small business planning?

Online mailing services: test for success

By | March 23, 2009 | Offline Marketing | No comments

dsc_0354Welcome to the fourth installment of Online Mailing Services (click here if you missed Part 1, Part 2 or Part 3). Today we will discuss the importance of testing.

So why is testing so important? Testing is every direct marketer’s best weapon.  It lets you determine what works and what doesn’t so you can learn for the next campaign.  In fact, every direct marketer should learn from every single mailing so each consecutive one becomes more successful. Read more…

SEO Basics – Site Crawlability

By | March 19, 2009 | Online Marketing, Search Engine Marketing | 2 Comments

kenney-head-shotWith the Search Engines constantly updating and changing their algorithms for search engine result rankings, I thought I would share the basics to make sure your site/blog is in good shape to evolve with the search spiders.

Crawlability

The search “spiders” every so often “crawl” your site. They crawl, they gather information of what your site is about.  Then they take into account their “magical” formula and rank your site based on relevance.  The “magic” formula is based on a combination of On & Off Site factors including the url, title & meta tags, body text, relevant back links & plenty more.  Read more…

What can Washington do for you?

By | March 17, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | No comments
Image: Whitehouse.gov

Image: Whitehouse.gov

A lot has been made of late on the Federal Stimulus package.  With banking institutions and large corporations getting federal funding, it was starting to look like small businesses were beginning to get left out of the bigger picture.

However, that appears to have changed in plan outlined by President Obama. Within the new plan, the government will buy the small business loans that are clogging the books of banks and other lenders. This will allow small businesses to attain loans.  The President also noted the importance of small business to the economy, “Small businesses are the heart of the American economy. They’re responsible for half of all private-sector jobs, and they created roughly 70 percent of all new jobs in the past decade.” Read more…

Online Mailing Services:Ensure The Creative Is Effective

By | March 16, 2009 | Offline Marketing | 3 Comments

dsc_0354Welcome to the third installment of Online Mailing Services (click here if you missed part 1 or part 2). Today we will discuss how to ensure that you have an effective creative.

Ensure The Creative Is Effective

Here is probably the single most important aspect of the direct mail campaign, and unfortunately it’s sometimes overlooked.  The standout nature of your postcard or brochure can’t be understated.  Not only does it have to standout and be bold in terms of color, text, and appeal but it also has to have a clear call to action, and an offer that the potential customer will act upon. Read more…

Follow up from Live Chat

By | March 13, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | No comments

We had a follow up question to some of the numbers that Mindy Sanderson was giving in regards to her family’s direct mail campaign efforts.  Sorry for any confusion, but we wanted to provide you with a very impactful direct mail example that the business recently embarked on.  Some of the numbers given in the chat were not accurate, so we wanted to provide you with the correct numbers and the right example. 

One of the restaurant’s full-color campaigns cost $650, including the design, printing and postage.  The mailing was sent out to 1,700  customers and shattered the expectations for the campaign. From the 1,700 postcards, they had 188 customers redeem a$3 off an order of $20 or more coupon, generating $5,900 in revenue.  That ended up being a 809% return on investment.

Mindy has actually posted some other positive direct mail examples from her family’s small business here on the blog.  You can read her entire post here.  Thanks again for your participation in the chat, we look forward to seeing you next time!

Live Chat Transcript

By | March 13, 2009 | Offline Marketing | 2 Comments

mindyHere is a transcript of the live chat with VistaPrint’s live chat on March 13 with Mindy Sanderson.

Jeff Esposito: Welcome to this afternoon’s live chat. We will be getting started at 2:30.

Bonnie: Thanks for the reminder. I’m here just a few minutes early.

Jeff Esposito: Welcome to the chat Bonnie we’ll be getting started in just a few minutes.

Bonnie: Will there be a presentation first or will it all be chat? Read more…

Online Mailing Services: Build the correct list

By | March 9, 2009 | Offline Marketing | 3 Comments

dsc_0354Welcome to the second installment of Online Mailing Services (click here if you missed part one). Today we will discuss how to build the correct list for your campaign.

Build the correct list

This is where some people tend to panic, but if you take your time and put some thought into what your target market truly is, you’ll be successful.  Narrowing down a list from an online source, for example, is very simple if you understand the demographic that you think you might have the best chance of turning into a customer beforehand.  If you’re operating a flower shop, it’s best to target a female demographic above the age of 30.  If it’s a landscaping business, you’ll want to first target homeowners within a certain area close to your home base. Read more…

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