Postcards/Mailers and Email Marketing Tips

Direct mail advertising as well as email marketing via email newsletters and/or email blasts works to build customer loyalty. It’s an easy and effective way to stay in contact with your customers and tell them they are important. Research shows that 68% of customers that don’t return to a company say that the company never contacted them, was indifferent, or had a poor attitude. Here are some things to remember:

1. Think Fast! Remember, when doing a mailer, you have 6 seconds to get someone to open the piece. Once opened you have 11 seconds to get them to read it.

2. Ditch the Sales Pitch. Don't try to close sales directly from your postcard or email. You don't have enough space to provide all the information most prospects need to make a buying decision. Instead, use this opportunity to generate sales inquiries.

3. Motivate. Begin by briefly stating the major benefit(s) you offer. Then use the remainder of your postcard/mailer to motivate readers to get more information from a source where you can close sales, such as at your web site or from a phone number they can call.

4. Get Right to the Point. Postcards are delivered "ready to read". Take advantage of this. Get right to the point to capture the reader's attention immediately. This makes it difficult for prospects to avoid reading your postcard - especially if your entire message is brief and easy to read.

5. Watch Your Timing. Send your postcards, mailers and emails so they arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday. The volume of mail delivered in the US on those days is usually the lightest and your postcards won't have to compete with a lot of other mail delivered at the same time. Try to avoid having your postcards delivered on Monday. It's usually the biggest mail delivery day of the week and a very busy day for most people. The same goes for email marketing, avoid Monday and Friday. Most people have a very full inbox on Monday making it easier for your email to get lost in a sea of other emails. By Friday, most people are just trying to hurry and finish up before the weekend, making it less likely that your email will actually be read.

A final note, make sure your employees understand and reflect your message and brand and are familiar with your direct mail and email marketing campaigns.

As always, we are here to help with any of your marketing campaigns. Contact us for help with your email or direct mail marketing projects!

Why Hire a Marketing Company?

Marketing is an indispensable part of any business. Marketing makes your product or service recognizable, it increases awareness about what makes your company unique and helps potential clients to feel as if they know you. If people don’t know who you are or what you do, they aren’t going to buy from you. They also need to feel that they trust you. A marketing company can help convey this.

Creating an effective marketing campaign takes time, experience and creativity. Creating an effective logo, stationary package, advertisement, etc. requires the same. It may seem that trying to do your own marketing in house saves you money, but does it really? Say you spend 5 or 6 hours creating a marketing piece. Is that piece really as effective as it could be? If it isn’t, not only have you lost the time you spent, but also any costs incurred with printing, mailing, ad fees, etc. In a nutshell, you’ve lost money. Would that time have been better spent meeting clients and closing sales? Yes. If you hire a marketing company, you can have them handle your marketing needs while you handle your business. Hiring the right marketing company can help make your business successful by saving you time, stress and money.

For more information, or answers to any of your marketing questions, contact Donna at CWI Marketing & Printing.

To Grow or Not to Grow? THAT is the Question.

When I decided to start providing marketing and printing to the New River Valley the goal was simple; provide small businesses with the marketing tools they need to be successful and compete with the “big fish.” I am so happy that this goal has been met. The goal with this business was never to make tons of money. I know a lot of people start businesses with the goal of making big bucks, not me. Being able to help contribute to family finances, help small businesses in the area in order to help the local economy (in some small way) and also having a creative outlet are the motivating factors for me. I love doing graphic design, the personal interaction with my clients and actually helping small businesses compete, grow and succeed. That is what makes it worthwhile.

Many of my small business clients were previously unable to market themselves effectively due to the fact that they didn’t know how to or did not have the necessary funds. Because CWI Marketing & Printing is a small business, there is very low overhead and I can offer exceptionally affordable pricing. Now, my clients are proud of their logo, brand and marketing campaigns. That makes me extremely happy for them.

The problem I am now facing is a good one, a problem that I am so very thankful for. There are some “big fish” clients (yes, more than one) who want to hire CWI. They have seen my work, spoken to past and current customers, met with me and really liked my ideas and what I can bring to the table. I have to admit, it’s a great feeling to know that people really like my work. It is also extremely satisfying to know that my customer’s are happy. However, if I move forward with these “big fish” isn’t that going against my original goals? Am I saying to all of my current, very loyal clients that I’m abandoning them to move on to bigger and better things?

Another concern is time. I’ve worked in the corporate world where 60+ hours per week was not at all uncommon. When you don’t have a family of your own, that’s easier to manage. I now have a husband, two kids and a dog and I love them all very much. They are my priority. One of the reasons I like keeping my business small is that it’s easier to manage. I don’t want to grow to the point that my children are spending more time without me than with me. If I take on the “big fish,” it will take more time away from family.

I could hire employees or contract out the work and that is something I am considering and researching. There is a lot to think about and I’m thankful to be facing this dilemma. Stay tuned!

2010 Marketing Trends

Another year has come and gone and what a year 2009 turned out to be! With all of the financial fall out, there have been some definite changes in marketing trends. If you are wondering what some of the top trends are for 2010, keep reading:

• Consumer Opinions - Consumer's listen to other consumer's. Whatever your current client is saying about you will impact your future clients. Have you heard of Google's Sidewiki? The Sidewiki allows web visitors to leave feedback on any website for others to view. This trend is continuing to grow, so stay ahead of this trend by connecting with your customers and listening to what they have to say by soliciting their opinions and feedback for yourself. At the same time, monitor your web presence, go out there and see what others are saying about you.
  

• Value is more important than ever - Value has always been important. Now it is more important than ever. With the economy being the way it has been, people are more cautious than ever and want more "bang for their buck." Find out what needs are not being met for your clients and meet them. In 2010, customers are going to expect it.
  Social media - Of course social media isn't new, but in 2010 social media is a must. Facebook alone has over 300 million users and almost half log on EVERYDAY. Social marketing was at first thought of as a novelty, but is now considered a reliable method for businesses to engage customers. Customers are looking more and more to Twitter, Facebook and other social sites to gather information and other consumer opinions.
  

• Email marketing - Direct mail is declining and email marketing is on the rise. For either types of marketing to work, it's imperative that you collect customer data. You have to know your customer to effectively market to them. Data collection is becoming more important and as the data is collected, reaching out to customers via email is proving to be the preferred method.
  

• Offering your knowledge, tips and advice for free - Again, the economy is another reason for this trend. FREE attracts attention. If you are a web designer, offer free tutorials. If you are in real estate, offer free advice to buyers via a blog to help them get more out of their sale. Show people that you are an expert in your field and build good will by offering free advice.
  

To be a successfull company, make sure you stay ahead of the trends. It's counter-productive to play "catch up." Blaze a trail, stay ahead of the curve and you will make it through the difficult times.

"Nowism" Have You Heard About the Latest Marketing Trend?

Even if you haven’t heard of it, chances are you’ve experienced it. The instant-gratification consumer. You know, the guy or girl who wants what he wants when he wants it. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, not five minutes from now. NOW! They want real-time services, features and products provided to them. There are such a growing number of consumers requesting these real-time services that we now have what is known as the “Nowism” movement.

People are feeling more of a pinch than ever on their time and want a better life-work balance, so anything to help them achieve this is going to be successful. Surveys have shown that people are willing to spend more if it saves them time. What can you do? Here are a few things to help:

• Be prepared to provide instant attention to a client. Even if they just “pop” in, don’t put them on the back burner and take a day or two to get back to them. If a clients calls, emails or texts just as you are preparing to go into a meeting, answer them. You don’t have to go into an in-depth conversation. Take a few seconds to let them know you are there, they are important and find out what their call is in reference to so you can be prepared when you call them back (saving time).

• Twitter. As you may have guessed, Twitter has been called the “Poster Child” of the Nowism phenomenon. If you aren’t on Twitter, you are missing an easy way of becoming a part of this trend. You are also missing an opportunity to reach Nowism consumers. Even Google founder Larry Page stated that "Twitter has done a great job of real-time search. I think we’ve done a relatively poor job of... things that work on a per-second basis. I’ve been telling our search teams for some time, you need results for every second. They laugh at me. I don’t think they understand this. I think we will do a better job of some of these things now". (Source: Wired, August 2009.)

• Instant advertising. Think about Krispy Kreme donuts. Okay, stop drooling now and focus. They were on top of the “Nowism” trend. They have a bright neon sign in their window and as soon as the donuts are hot and fresh from the oven, the neon sign turns even brighter with the words “Hot Now.” How many times have people pulled into pick up a nice, warm, soft, donut because they’ve seen that sign turned on? It’s okay, you can admit it, we’ve all been there. If you are a restaurant, think about doing something along those same lines with email or Twitter. Around noon, send out a tweet or email describing your delicious, warm special soup of the day (especially if it’s cold). Or in the middle of August, let people know what that new tasty ice cream flavor is that you just got in. Offer a discount to people when they come in and tell you they received your Tweet or email so you can track the effectiveness.

• Go mobile. Who hasn’t heard someone say, “Hey, I have an app for that!” Thanks to the Blackberry, IPhone, etc., just about everyone is online almost all the time. Familiarize yourself with these portable devices and have a presence. Make sure you are listed in real-time search engines, alerting services, etc. Check out the Top 50 Real Time Web Companies for a more complete list.

There is so much more to the “Nowism” trend, but being that we are all pressed for time in today’s world, send me a tweet at CWIMarketing, drop me an email or give me a call 540-295-5139, I’d be happy to discuss the topic with you further and help you get on board the “Nowism” train.

Don't Be the Itsy-Bitsy Spider

So, I’m wearing my marketing hat again. I know what you’re thinking; what does the itsy-bitsy spider have to do with marketing? Glad you asked. I was thinking about this children’s song yesterday when I found a frozen spider on my deck. No kidding, he was frozen solid inside of his web. This spider didn’t make it back up the water spout. I’m sure you all know the song about a very small spider that climbs up the water spout, until the rain comes. The rain washed the spider away, but when the sun came back out, so did the spider. Great, the spider was persistent, but only persistent when it was comfortable for him. He was only persistent when the conditions were perfect.Let’s pretend the rain is our current economic times and the water spout is your company’s marketing. Don’t wait until the rain (current economic times) ends to start back up that water spout (marketing your company)! Studies have shown that once you cut your marketing budget, it takes an enormous effort to get your marketing back up to snuff and your branding back on track. Branding yourself is like tending to a garden. If you consistently take care of it, it will provide you with sustenance. This sustenance will save you money, since you won’t need to go to they grocery store to buy it. But, if you stop watering your garden (especially during a drought), it won’t produce. Now you are stuck spending more money in the long run and getting produce from the grocery store that may not be as good as if you had continued taking care of the garden, even during the dry spell.Don’t be the itsy-bitsy spider. Don’t wait until the weather is better to climb back up that water spout. Be consistent with your marketing, even during these economic times so you don’t lose all the hard work you have already put into branding your company.

Time Changes Everything - Even Marketing

I was just thinking about how much time changes things. We all know the effects time has on us in everyday life. Be it your memory, that extra little ache you may feel in the morning that you didn’t feel a few years ago, or that (gasp!) gray hair that has seemed to pop up overnight.
Time doesn’t just effect how we feel or look. It also has effects on how we think and get things accomplished. Take the phone book, for example. Ten years ago, if I needed anything from a plumber to a doctor to someone to bring me a hot meal, I’d go right to the phone book. Today, I looked under my phone table and found two phone books from the last two years that are still in their plastic wrap and have never even been opened. At first I started thinking about what a waste of paper. Think about all the poor trees that were cut down so that my phone books could collect dust (which made me realize that ten years ago, I never would have thought that much about the environment, either). Then I realized that, like me, phone books are suffering the effects of time. I wonder how long it will be until they no longer exist in paper format? Most people today just look things up on their computer or cell phone. I know I do. I hope that everyone who has an ad in the phone book has also invested advertising in other mediums. If you haven’t, I can just about guarantee you are not getting the most from your advertising dollars. I’m not saying don’t advertise in the phone book, I’m saying make sure you advertise in several different places in order to get the most bang for your buck. By just sticking to print, you are missing all of those who do research online and vice-versa. Another advertising medium that has suffered the effects of time is newspaper advertising. In today’s online and environmentally friendly world, most forms of print advertising are on the decline. Again, if you only do print advertising, you are missing a large number of potential clients. Review your marketing, make sure you are keeping up with the times and spread your marketing out among several different mediums such as the web, television and radio. Just think, 10 or so years ago many small businesses and professionals couldn’t have imagined the importance of having a web site or blog and now they couldn’t imagine going without it. Stay on top of the trends, only time will tell what the best advertising medium will be for you 10 years from now.