Archive for September 2010
Using The SRDS To Pick A Good Mailing List
September 12, 2010 | 
Author Picking a good mailing list for your direct mail campaign is an integral part of your success. Picking a good list can mean the difference between hitting the mark on your target and missing it completely.
When picking a list to mail to, you never want to select a group of people from a phonebook. This list may reside in your local area, but if they aren’t targeted and aren’t looking for what you have to sell – then what’s the point? You’re losing money if you do this and there are other ways to reinvest your cash to make your campaign profitable.
I used to be heavily involved in direct mail marketing so I am speaking from first hand experience here. I used to compile names from a phonebook and mail my offer out to people in my local area. I had the philosophy that since they live close by, they will buy my product because they are like a neighbor to me. I was dead wrong.
No one responded to my offers and it took me a while to learn that I shouldn’t mail to people from a phonebook. Believe it or not, I wasted thousands of dollars on this little experiment, and until I got some good direct mail advice, my mind was in the blue. You don’t have to end up like me. If you’re currently mailing to names out of a phonebook, you should know that there are better lists available to you.
Profitable mailing lists can be found in something called the SRDS. The SRDS stands for the standard rate and data service, and it’s a collection of customer mailing lists from people all over the country. This valuable manual can be found at your local library and you should know that you will have to pay for this kind of list.
When picking your list, you should strive to get it as specific as possible. What I mean by this is that, you want to target your list by gender, state, age, income, and etc. A list like this will cost you more, but it will be almost guaranteed to get you the return on investment that you are looking for.
The SRDS is 4-inches thick, and no matter what you sell, you can be sure to find the list that’s right for you in this book. You would be amazed at how many lists are in this book and it’s almost a sure lock that you will find something in here that relates to what you are selling.
A list that you find out of the SRDS is called a “direct response list”. All this means is that the people in this book has bought something from their list owners. This is a very valuable list to attain and it is much better than a compiled list. A compiled list is just what it sounds like – a list that you go and compile from out of a phone book for example.
Compiled lists are highly inferior to a direct response list and is something that you should stay away from. There is one kind of list that is better than a direct response list, and this list if your own customer list. Your own customer list is a list that knows you and likes you, and who wants to do business with you. If you’re not marketing to your own customer list, you’re missing out on a vast group of people that can make you very profitable.
By Adrian Hargray
Posted in 
Professional Mailing Services – Marketing Your Way To Success
It’s a fact that most businessmen know nowadays – direct mailing is one of the most effective marketing techniques that any business owner ought to undertake. There might be a couple of great marketing strategies that anyone can try but mailing has surely made its own spotlight. In the beginning, businessmen had the responsibility of doing mailing; as time went by though, they saw the opportunity of hiring seasoned mailing services from the very companies that offer them as a core service. Most of these companies offering mailing services provide other services as well. Take bulk mailing, for instance. And a lot of times, these companies can give their clients the total package, from printing up to delivering the mailers to the target market. This truly translates to convenience for most businessmen.
Outsourcing your mailing services at present is a wise decision because it primarily helps you stretch your budget and smartly administer your time. Keep in mind that your time, when managed wisely, can be spent on other business concerns that call for more attention. As you read this article, you will find some gains you can have when you allow a mailing services company undertake direct mailing for your business.
The very first gain of contracting mailing services out is that the job gets done proficiently. You are absolutely assured of expert direct mailing because it is what the mailing services company primarily specialize in. Also, they boast of modern printing facilities that you yourself wouldn’t think of purchasing if only for this activity. Moreover, they can provide you support as you create the design of your mailers. Truly, with their help, your direct mailing can make a big impact. Check out the other special features that they can do to your mailers such as printing barcodes. Wouldn’t those barcodes make your stuff more credible?
Another advantage of outsourcing your direct mailing is that it allows you to reach out to a broader market without much ado. Discover how your mailers can be quickly distributed to a lot of places. This strategy could be a more formal way of conveying your marketing message but it sure is a faster and simpler technique than visiting every household to market your product.
Moreover, farming out your mailing services is a cheap venture. It can even make you generate more income because of straightforward advertising to the right and previously identified audience. It may not be always possible to get countless positive responses but you are guaranteed that your market will remember your business at all times. Truly, direct mailing allows you to directly reach out to your target market.
When you get a professional company to undertake your mailing services, this company can also provide you with a wide array of services that can fulfill all your direct mailing requirements. Web-based mailing services and mailing list rental are just two of the many services they can offer.
You’re also able to save finances if you get a well-experienced mailing services company to do your direct mailing. Keep in mind that these companies do direct mailing almost 24/7; therefore, they can definitely provide you with a great deal that can stretch your financial plan.
Certainly, direct mailing can be a successful means of generating more profit. But it calls for picking a trustworthy company that provides impeccable mailing services. If you wish to find the best companies, just go online. Once you find the greatest company, entrust your direct mailing to them and watch how they market your business to success.
By John Ray Daniels
Promote Your Local Business With Live Skype Presentations
A great technique to promote your business is to hold presentations given by famous or well credentialed individuals. You can easily hold them at your place of business. This technique can be used for authors, local politicians, celebrities, athletes, etc. Anyone who wants a platform to interact and will get customers to visit your store is a possible candidate.
I originally discussed this technique for holding presentations at your local business in my book “Finding Your Place: How to Increase Your Local Bookstores Ranking in Google”. It was written for bookstore owners but it applies to any business that has a physical location. Here is part of that section.
I am sure that at one time or another you have had an author do a signing at your store. The author gives a short talk on their book, answers the audience questions, and signs his or her book that the customer has purchased at your store. It’s a great way to promote a book and a well established practice.
An author signing is great, but it can cost money. The author only has so much time available to travel and attend a book signing at bookstores. And the more famous the author, the less likely you are to book him or her for a book signing. It just isn’t worth their time.
The solution? How about a video presentation using Skype.com? Skype was originally developed with the consumers use in mind, mainly for international calling of friends and family, but many businesses and schools are using it now as a video conferencing tool. Skype is free, online, and uses video, audio, and chat to connect its members. All you need to connect with an author and hold a half to one hour presentation for your customers is a laptop, and a big screen TV or digital projector. The author will need a computer and a webcam. Simply contact the publicist or author directly, and schedule a time for the Skype call. The author never has to leave his home, office, or hotel room. Be sure to schedule far enough in advance so that you can promote it and ensure a big turnout.
Cost to Implement
You probably already have a pc or laptop. In addition, you will need to;
-Install Skype on your computer.
-Have an external microphone ($30) so the audience can ask questions
-Have a digital projector ($300 used, $600 new) and a screen or blank wall to project on to. Or you can use a big screen TV. I recommend at least a 52 inch LCD TV ($850). This is big enough for a large group to be able to view it and light enough to lift up onto a table or stand if you do not have it wall mounted.
-Cables to connect the TV or projector to your computer ($60)
Record the Event
If you want to record the presentation, there is a free program called Vodburner. Download and install.
Equipment Setup
Most of the questions I receive when I talk about this technique are about how to set up the equipment to conduct the presentation.
First, make sure the individual being interviewed has downloaded Skype and knows how to use it. The will need;
* A computer (desktop or laptop)
* A webcam
* A microphone (USB with sound card works best)
* Skype installed
You can conduct a trial run with them if it is their first call with Skype by simply calling them. If you can see their video and hear them in your Skype window, then they are set to go.
On your end you will need to do a little bit more.
If you are using a TV, be sure that the computer you are using has the correct outlets to connect to it, like RCA jacks, USB ports, S-video, VGA, etc. Make sure that you have the right cables to connect the TV to the computer. The same applies if you are using a digital projector.
Set up your computer for an external monitor.
* Right click on the desktop screen
* Select Properties
* Click on Settings
* Click on Display #2
* Check the box “Extend my desktop onto this monitor”
* Click Apply
* Click OK
You should now see the background image of your desktop on the TV or projector, and your mouse pointer should be able to be seen as you move it over to the external monitor/screen.
Next, enable Skype. With your mouse, left click on the upper border of the Skype window and drag it over to the external monitor/screen.
Now, you are ready. Test your setup by video calling someone, either the person being interviewed or another contact.
When you have that person on the line, click on the maximize screen button on the Skype video window and the video of the person you have called should fill the whole screen.
And there you go! You are all set do to a remote interview/presentation.
Be sure you have selected the external microphone in Skype. You can then use it to have the audience ask questions at the end of the presentation. That is lot more effective than trying to use the computers installed mic or the webcam mic if it has one.
By Jack Heape
Marketing Strategy With Persoalized Pencils
We’ve all seen personalized pencils with their embossed lettering. Until now, I never realized what a great marketing tool they can be for small businesses. These pencils can do a whole lot more than just state your name of your company. If you are creative, these fun little give-aways can really add to the bottom line. I will tell you about three effective marketing strategies using personalized pencils for your business.
Coupon coding the pencils is a great strategy. Simply put a statement on the pencil such as “show this to redeem _.” Along with this statement, put little tracking codes on the pencils to determine conversion rates and your return on investment. With this coding you will be able to determine what venues are best to give away the pencils as well as what promotions are the “stickiest.”
Mix it up. Be sure to vary the color and messages of your pencils. You will find that people come back to see what the new design looks like. I saw a local business have a new design every month, each created by a customer. This is a great way to be interactive with your audience.
Know your customer. If your customer is young families, why not supply a local school or club with pencils? If your customers are wood workers, how about designing raw wood pencils? As you can see, you can personalize these little marketing vehicles specifically for your customer. A common mistake is to design them based on your taste, be sure to avoid this by putting yourself in your customers shoes.
All three strategies above using personalized pencils are easy to execute and are a relatively small investment which could ultimately increase your bottom line.
By Randy D. Spence
Ho Much Do Vehicle Graphics Cost?
After one year of driving you find that the car or truck graphics have faded, the design has worn and chunks and pieces have fallen off. Now after one year you have to go back to that company and pay them $795 again to put on the design for the next year. And imagine that happens year after year.
Now imagine instead of paying what seems to be a low price of $795, you paid the other company $1,595. But imagine that the other company laminated the wrap for you. Imagine they applied it with precision and care. Imagine that the wrap will last on your vehicle between 5-7 years.
In this case the cost of your graphics have gone down tremendously, while the price seems high. How is that? Over a 5 year period, if you had to replace your vehicle graphics every year, at the “cheaper” company you will end up paying $3975! while if you went with the guys who only charged $1595 up front, you would have saved $2,380!
So while the price up front often looks cheaper with the cheaper companies, look at the long term cost dependent on what kind of material they use, how they apply the vinyl, if it’s laminated, and do they have the experience to apply it correctly. If you are aware of the long term cost verses the short term price, you can save yourself a lot of money and hassle of replacing your San Diego vehicle graphics year after year.
Vehicle graphics in San Diego range in price. The price depends on a number of different aspects. The first aspect that determines price is the size of the vehicle. Larger vehicles like vans, trucks and semis are more expensive than smaller vehicles.
Another aspect that determines price is whether the vehicle is fully wrapped, half wrapped or just vinyl lettering. A half wrap is when the the vehicle graphics company only applies half of the vehicle with graphics and half of the vehicle with vinyl lettering. This option looks awesome, attracts a lot of clients and is around half the price of doing a full wrap.
The third and final aspect that determines the price of vehicle graphics is the quality of the material used on the vehicle. When using San Diego vehicles it is important that the material used is high performance vinyl laminated with a protected coat so it can last a long time. If cheap vinyl is used it will be a cheaper price up front but a long term cost in the end. So make sure that the company that is doing your car wrap or vehicle graphics is using high performance vinyl and make sure they are offering you the best service available.
By Nate Crane