While the new media engaged and even mesmerized the world, the so-called old media aren’t redundant yet. We just organised a seminar for a client. Against their strong opposition, we somehow managed to convince them to invest just $500 on fax promotion. A drop in the ocean and yet they were so aghast with the idea. They kept saying that facsimile is so last century; an electronic dinosaur that no one cares. Well, their jaws dropped when we showed them the sales generated from the fax messages that went out.

So when this particular client held another workshop recently, they were much more receptive when we encouraged them to do direct mailing. Not e-direct mailing. The traditional method – where the postman dropped a beautifully designed and printed 250gsm postcard into your letterbox, where you can read it slowly over a steaming cup of cappuccino. In these days where spam is rampant, a large percentage of e-direct mailers goes down the chute without being read. This is true even when the recipient knows the sender or have requested for such information be emailed. A survey was conducted to check out this phenomena and the obvious answer surfaced – people simply don’t have time to go through all their emails! So only the ‘official’ ones take priority. An advertisement is definitely not at the top of people’s reading list. Even if we believe 100% that our message will enrich and benefit our customers’ life, they see it as just another advertisement or worse, junk mail.

Postcards are great in any marketing campaigns but particularly during the November-December festive period. Out on the streets, your customers are wooed by every form of media from billboards, lightbox posters, neon signs, newspapers, magazines, video walls, brochures, flyers and more. While they are watching TV or surfing the internet at home, banner ads, link ads, advertorial, product placement on MTV and movies etc also bombard them. How do you capture even 15 seconds of their precious time? Our recommendation is to catch them while they are not distracted. When is that? We found that window of opportunity may be a brief 1 minute or 30 minutes if you are lucky.

People pick up their mails on the way back home. Scenario 1 – They throw the mails on the couch and plonk themselves down too. For the next 1 minute, while kicking off their shoes, they sieve, read and ditch their mails. Scenario 2 – They throw the mails on their dining table and go about their stuff until dinner time. While they eat their pizza and sip their coffee, they slowly read their mails … including junk mails. If your postcard direct mail hits the hot button, that’s where you make your sales. So always list your 24-hour sales hotline number or website URL because you can bet that their smart phones would be on the table. Many women do ‘dinner shopping’ like this, one hand eats, one hand shops.

The best size to do a postcard direct mailer is A5 size or 5.5″ x 8.5″. With a picture that captures attention, a headline that highlights your unique selling proposing plus an irresistible offer, this size ensures that you can attract eyeballs when it is being handed out, being displayed on the stand or lying amongst many other mails in the letter box.

A postcard direct mailer can be done easily = Sales Strategy + Advertising Concept + Design Execution + Printing + Mailing List + Mail Out. It is not as expensive as people perceive it to be. Production cost has gone down significantly over the last few years. You can engage marketing consultants to do all that for you, or you can go online and get it done real quickly, like 3 working days. The results and services offered may be different but you will get yourself a full fledged direct mailer campaign. Most importantly, don’t ever think that postcard direct mailer is dead. Far from it. If fax campaign can still pull in results, you can bet a postcard direct mailer will too.

Who said a good product endorsed by a well know celebrity will always sell like hot cake?

If the market doesn’t buy, the good product will not fly off the shelves.

If the market thinks the celebrity isn’t the hot topic of the day, there’s no WOW factor to go gaga over.

Before Michael Jackson, most big companies wouldn’t dream of engaging him to endorse their products. The King of Pop just didn’t have a positive image to drive sales.

What is happening to Tony Robbin now?

After two episodes, NBC yanked Tony Robbins’ reality show from its summer schedule. Effective next week, NBC will air repeats of game show “Minute to Win It” in the Tuesday-night slot instead of “Breakthrough with Tony Robbins.”

Tony Robbins is known to help real people solve tough challenges yet audiences didn’t show up; the most recent episode generating only 2.8 million viewers.

NBC wants big advertising dollars from the big boys and they are not showing up with 2.8 million viewers.

So what’s happening?

Should Tony Robbin waves his magic only in seminar room,  CDs and DVDs only?

Did NBC and Tony Robbin not do enough to attract audience?

I’m scratching my head and will be happy to know some insider information on this. Any one?

The 6 Benefits of Direct Mail

Mass advertising like TVCs, print ads, radio commercials, etc, are expensive. Many start-up as well as small businesses may not be able to afford the high media cost. By analyzing your own product profile and decide what problems you are solving and who you are helping, you might want to focus on a niche group of individuals who are more prone to respond to your offer. Mass advertising talks to everyone. Direct mail talks only to the people you are targeting. In short, direct mail is targeted and you have a personalized message specifically for your niche only.

Direct mail also benefits from a flexible format. From sales letters to flyers to brochures to postcards, there are numerous ways to create a direct mail. Such versatility empowers you to customize your marketing literature in a low cost manner. You can sizzle your message further by offering a special incentive (in the form of a physical coupon or coupon code) or free sample . These special offers are only available for the recipients’ of direct mail.

You can track the success (or failure) of your direct marketing effort by counting the number of inquiries or coupons you have received.

Another benefit of direct mail is that it is tangible.  Announcement and special offer in the direct mail encourage interaction because they have the coupons, stickers or coupon codes in hand, literally. With the particulars of your customers in hand will enable you to start a customer database. This will help you tremendously in starting a customer-care program or even a loyalty program for repeat customers.

Direct mail advertising can be very cost-effective. If you are good with DTP, you can create your own marketing material in a jiffy. Plus, postal rate for bulk mail usually cost a faction of the normal rate. If you don’t have the time or the expertise to create your own marketing materials, hire the professionals – ad agency or design film (like us) to assist you.

If you have a small marketing budget, you can always count on direct mail as one of the effective but relatively low cost advertising tool. Just make sure your message solves the problems of others. You do not want to be seen as thrusting your products in people’s face.

1. Overall Impression

The overall look and feel is important. A strong and positive first impression counts a lot. Words, pictures, Colors, fonts, tones, etc will determine how well, and how long, your brochure will captivate the target audience’s attention. This doesn’t mean inviting (loud, bright, trend-of-the-month) colors and showy picture, in fact, they can back lashed if used wrongly. A simple black and white job might do the trick too. You don’t have to resort to using words that scare or threaten people to take action.  The scarcity approach may actually alienate you to your niche. Ask yourself: Who are you? What does your company represent? What benefits did your product/service offers? It’s all about giving a face to the body. It’s about building a brand that is uniquely you and no one else.

If you have an elevator speech to sell yourself, just imagine what you can do on your brochure will be a good start.

2. Headline and Copy

You need attention-grabbing headline to grab attention. 80% of the people read the headline and only decide thereafter if to read the fine print. So provide a promise or a solution in a headline is paramount important. Keep your body copy easy to read and understand. Reveal just enough to whet their appetite to want to know more. Give your target audience a reason to contact you for more information.

Also, write the way your target audience can appreciate. If you sell kids’ products and your target audience are the mamas. Well, remember to tug the heart strings of the mamas. If you use man talk, the mummies will stare at you with blank looks. This is something that many marketers (and even copywriters) missed.

Of course, stay with the facts and the truth. If you cry wolves, you will be in deep trouble. Once your credibility is shattered, it will takes lots of effort to re-establish … if at all.

3. Demonstrate trust and credibility

You don’t know your buyers and your buyers don’t know you personally. Yet you want them to buy from you. People don’t buy from stranger. So begin by introducing yourself and how you can better their life with your product/service. In short, establish a relationship using words and pictures. Never sell features, always convince with benefits. Be careful with your tone of voice as you don’t want your sales copy to be seen as too good to be true. Where appropriate, put one or a few testimonials from satisfied clients. Alls these would makes more credibility. People often want what other people want, people would also trust whom other people trust.

Sell yourself in a positive manner but don’t lie. Your customers are often smarter than you give them credit for.

4. Omnipresence

You are always available. Whether your clients prefer to contact you via phone, email, fax or even snail mail, the salient informations are all there. You must be seen with an open door, ready to welcome all prospects and clients. Give them all the options needed to contact you. I have been surprise too often when I picked up a direct mailer with web and email contacts but not a phone number. Sometimes, I prefer to talk to humans and not machines.

That’s all for now, folks. Let me know if you got other tips to share.

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Just how do you make your business card special, unique and memorable? How do you create a high-impact business card?

1. Contact Information
First and foremost, your card must clearly show your contact details. Even if your card is poorly designed, it must allow people to contact you. This seems like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many cards placed such information in small 6pt or 7 pt font size or a conspicuous location. Small font size can make the card look spaciously hip but you will also alienate clients who have problems reading (long-sighted). And mind you, these are usually the decision makers.

2. Size
Size deserves a mention. The usual card stays within the 90×60 mm dimensions. I once received a card that could not fit into my card holder. I had to trim off at least 3mm to have it fit. I’m sure you wouldn’t want your card (company) to be trimmed off. It’s very a very “un-auspicious” beginning to your business relationship, don’t you think? I would imagine feng shui practitioners will likely faint.

3. Product Details
Should your business card double up as an advertisement to promote your products and services? It all depends on your preference, but why not? The front of the card will list your organisation as a translation service company. So, you can list down the language proficiencies you have such as Chinese, Spanish, Malay, Indonesian, Latin, etc, on the reverse side. You can also list your by-product or services. For example, you can state you also provide copy writing, copy editing and proof reading services if you offer them.

4. Look and Feel
Unless you have a creative flare, hiring professionals to work on the design will minimize design and printing errors. Choice of fonts, graphics, colors will have an impact on the overall impression. More importantly, you’ll need a concept and design that is in harmony with your business and industry type. For example, if you provide financial consultative service, you can forget about using flamboyant designs and colors that are more usually associated with lifestyle products/services.

If you don’t know what you like. Go through your card holder and separate the cards into 2 categories – Like it and Dislike it. Scrutinize them and try to figure out what you like and dislike. When you have some idea, you are ready to talk to people like us to help you expand your idea further.

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