by: Alan Sharpe
The secret to success in business-to-business direct mail lead generation is testing. I have hunches. You have hunches. But testing settles the debate. When you test your package against my package and we measure the results, we know for certain which package performed better.
Assuming your list is good (in other words, assuming you are mailing to people who are likely to buy), the first thing you should test is your offer. Your offer, after all, is the second most important ingredient of direct mail success. And as Axel Andersson says, “If you want to dramatically increase your results, dramatically improve your offer.”
How do you “dramatically improve your offer?” By creating an offer that is different from the one you are using now, and testing both at the same time. Basically, you mail two packages, one with Offer A and one with Offer B. You test nothing else. Then you measure which offer outpulls the other. Here is how you do it.
Test a hard offer against a soft offer
A hard offer asks for an appointment. A soft offer invites prospects to request more information (such as a white paper).
Test a product literature offer against an educational offer
Product literature includes brochures, catalogs, sales sheets and technical specification sheets. Educational offers include white papers, special reports, books and article reprints.
Test one educational format against another
Some prospects prefer their information on paper. Others prefer going online to a special page on your website. Still others prefer watching a video, or listening to a CD.
Test offer descriptions
Should you say “Buy two for the price of one” or “Buy one and get one free?’ Test and you’ll know.
Test a deadline against no deadline
Giving your potential customer a deadline for responding might boost response. And it might not.
Test one premium against another
Offer an Apple iPod in one mailer and a Blackberry in another. Offer a gift certificate to Amazon.com in one letter and a CD player in another. See what happens.
In all your tests, remember to test one thing at a time and to make your tests big. Keep all the other variables (timing, design, list and so on) the same while you test just the offer. When I say “make your tests big” I mean that you should test two very different offers. If the offers you test are too much alike, you will not be able to trust your test results. And that’s not just a hunch.
About The Author
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using business-to-business direct mail marketing. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at www.sharpecopy.com.
Test Your B2B Direct Mail Offers To Boost Response Rates
Does it Pay to take Survey's OnLine?
by: Gary Whittaker
Everyone wants to make money with little effort. There are infomercials, books, magazines, and websites promoting how you can make a year's worth of salary in just one week. All you have to do is spend a week's salary to purchase the material that will change your life!
Get rich quick schemes have been around since Cain slew Abel and will be around until the 2ND coming, there's no getting around it. There is also a saying about there being no substitute for good, honest, hard labor.
We decided to take a chance on the internet's latest version of making big money with little work; taking surveys. We noticed the opportunity on Google Ads and clicked to check out www.paidsurveysonline.com. Sites like the aforementioned paidsurveys charge a price for membership to their exclusive money making club. Sites such as these promise to reward you taking just a few hours a day of your time with hundreds of dollars in compensation, or trips, or other prizes. Very leery of giving out my credit card to any Tom Dick or Harry, we decided to look for scams associated with that site. To no ones surprise, a huge list of sites or entrees were found. In reading some of the commentary, some paid survey victims mentioned that you can found the same service for free, at sites like www.surveyclub.com. So, I spent the next few hours signing up not just to surveyclub.com, but about 10 other free survey sites that are linked with it.
2 days have gone by and I finally got my first free survey pay off. For a 2 week participation on a panel about coffee, I would be rewarded with 20 cups of coffee, and a free coffee grinder. I need only supply my credit card in order to pay for the shipping and handling charges. Too bad for me, I only drink tea.
I will be providing weekly updates on my progress, so make sure to check back.
About The Author
Gary Whittaker
www.TENWEBZINE.com goes under cover. Check out the blog for weekly updates to see if it is worthwhile to spend your time in online money making schemes.
editor@tenwebzine.com
14 Serious Mistakes Of Your Tourism Brochure Marketing Strategy
by: David Kan
This useful article is published for global tourism marketers who want to enhance the travel brochure and Ebrochure marketing. Revise these mistakes for better brochure and electronic brochure marketing result and efficiently entice global visitors.
This is a long article with many parts of interesting skills and knowledge and up to now is the best article about brochure marketing in the world; In fact, it's the first chapter of Advanced Tourism Brochure Marketing Package published by T-IM.com (http://www.tourism-internetmarketing.com/ebook/TOURISM_BROCHURE_MARKETING_EBOOK.htm); therefore, its content is also great for any businesses which have a marketing brochure.
This article is so comprehensive and has 2 parts:
Part 1: The first 7 serious brochure marketing mistakes
Part 2: The second 7 mistakes more to be revealed.
Due to the length of the whole article make difficult to read and remember for reader , I just supply the part 1. At the end of this article, there will have a link to the part 2 and Friendly print version of the whole article.
Keep reading.
Part 1: The first 7 serious brochure marketing mistakes
A well- planed and carefully-designed tourism brochure will indeed increase the services business; especially it is the business of tourism. But many tourism marketers don’t make effective use of their brochure and leave out important elements. That is a cost, a real damage for your business.
If you have a marketing tool to use, you must ultimately exploit its profit; if you can not take advantage of the promotional tool, the money and time of publishing the tool is one of the biggest costs. The second cost is the lost prospects caught by your competitors who use this same tool at its most power. And the third created by the weakness of your integrated marketing plan – you do not know how to use one among many of your marketing tools effectively, how can you use the rest to get the most benefit of your marketing mix.
Mistake 1: Brochure is created as a sole fighter in the battle field of marketing. It is use lonely, separately with no support from other tool of marketing. There is no marketing plan as a base for your brochure. We create the brochure because the other has it, even a lot of it. And second reason is if we do a travel and hospitality business without having a brochure, it seems not to be a tourism business.
- In fact: Any advertising, including brochure, should be a part of the total marketing plan for a business. If your marketing strategy determines that tourism brochure are an effective method for reaching your target audience, then carefully design the best brochure possible.
Mistake 2: The most expensive misconception is that brochure sell- that a prospect will read the entire of the brochure with glowing adjectives, and sign a contract as a result of it.
- In fact: A brochure, in this context, is a pamphlet or booklet that describes an organization and its function, or a hotel with its services… it maybe used to explain all or a segment of an organization or a services supplier.
For example: we can design a brochure about our travel company, includes company’s mission, portfolio and all kinds of services …we supply.
We can also design a brochure about one of its favorite services, such as a special tour-to promote it only!
A good tourism marketing brochure should finish its duty as a good overview of an origination, a destination, a hotel or travel company, inspires the reader to the next step if he (she) is interested in the supplier’s services.
If a brochure catch the eyes of a random visitor or traveler who has no exact determination of buying or using, get him reading and put a good impression on the services supplier’s image, often is the feeling about a professional, it can be perceived as a good marketing brochure, although the reader do not take the next step then- just because he has no demand at that time.
That is the situation when a brochure does its responsibility of branding in the mind of a future client. It is a good job for a normal brochure.
Mistake 3: Another familiar trap in the mind of a brochure publisher is the concept that people read brochure thoroughly and carefully.
-In fact: A brochure, no matter how attractive or thorough, is usually simply glanced at. It maybe read in conjunction with other materials, to get an overall impression of a company. But it rarely devoured like a novel.
Mistake 4: The brochure doesn’t contain all the elements of a competent marketing message.
-In fact: Bit and pieces of information aren’t enough. Your brochure should take your prospects through your message from the beginning to the end. It should provide all the facts and persuasion necessary to get your prospects to take whatever action you want him to take.
Mistake 5: The brochure doesn’t contain a detailed list of services you offer.
-In fact: A prospect often looks at your services list to sees if you provide what they need. It they don’t see what they want, they may assume you don’t provide that services and call another one. Make sure you list all the services your visitor looks for.
Mistake 6: The brochure doesn’t explain how you differ from other competitors. There is no advantage of unique selling position for you. You look like the rest, and the rest is same you.
-In fact: If your prospects don’t know your competitive advantages, they often don’t have a clear reason to use or buy your services than another supplier’s.
(Here I tell you more about your competitive advantage:
A competitive advantage, in nature, is your unique selling position which is the foundation of your marketing strategy. All the marketing tools are used interactively in a period along a strategic plan of marketing your services. This marketing plan originates from many factors, such as the holidays season, the target visitors, the marketing budget, the stander of our services, the market trend, the competitors’ marketing strategy…but the most important is your target group.
Therefore, if you can figure out exactly what your target group of a marketing plan is, focus tourism attract them by a target brochure, you will know how to create the competitive advantages for your brochure marketing campaign.)
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All articles of David Kan published in this website can be reprinted or posted on other website as well as the author 's biography keep intact.
Read the part 2:
Part 2: The second 7 mistakes more to be revealed.
http://www.tourism-internetmarketing.com/brochure_marketing/tourism_brochure_marketing_index.htm
About The Author
David Kan is the CEO of T-IM.com
T-IM.com is the largest global Free tourism internet marketing resources with 57 & more online tools and forum to help tourism business enhance their internet marketing result.
Website URL: http://www.tourism-internetmarketing.com
Quickly join in the Tourism Internet Marketing Forum to enhance your internet sale as well as help other partners.
http://s12.invisionfree.com/TOURISM_MARKETING/index.ph
Do You Want to be Correct or Do You Want to be Rich
by: Stuart Lockley
I was speaking to a business owner recently who was having difficulty growing his business. Turnover had been static for a few years while costs had been creeping up as they do. Interestingly he claimed to have tried every marketing idea going and none of them worked. He had arrived at the idea marketing was a waste of time because nothing worked, nothing allowed him to increase his turnover to the next level.
In one sense I sympathised with him because we have all been in a similar position in our lives. I know I have felt frustrated in the past when nothing seems to work in different areas of my life. With marketing we can sometimes find ourselves in the position where nothing seems to work.
How many people have tried direct mail. They spend large amounts of money preparing a letter, buying a mailing list and sending out the letters. The result they receive is a pitiful response. This is a painful situation, as I know from my own experience experience. Being disheartened they conclude that direct mail does not work. Point out to them that direct mail works for other businesses and they will inform you that it does not work in their industry. They know because they have tried it.
Then they try advertising. They hire a firm to create some expensive advertising. The advertising is run in various media and once again they receive zero enquiries. The advertising agency claims you are building brand awareness but you conclude advertising does not work for you.
Of course if you point out that advertising seems to work for other companies they will assure you that advertising does not work in their industry. They know because they have tried it. So it goes on with trying various methods of marketing and concluding that none of them work.
Of course other companies are growing. Your turnover may be static or only increasing slowly, but other companies have turnover growing at 10%, 20% or even faster so various marketing ideas must be working for them. If you have tried various marketing ideas and they did not work it is time to give up the idea that these ideas do not work in your industry. If you have tried everything and nothing works the more likely explanation is that your execution is faulty.
If you want to grow your business and none of the things you have tried have worked, or you wish to grow faster but do not know how then seek outside help. Ask yourself a simple question. "What is more important to you - being able to say you have tried everything and nothing works in your industry or having a growing business.
About The Author
Stuart Lockley is a UK based Business Growth Specialist. To obtain further great ideas and information to help you grow your business visit http://www.stuartlockley.com and download the “Six Keys to Double the Value of your Business” Free
stuart@stuartlockley.com
Turn Your Business Card Into Something of Value
by: Tom Domin
Have you ever wondered what people actually do with your business card? Wouldn't it be great if you could follow your cards and see where they ended up?
Suffice it to say, it may not be where you intended and, the long and the short of it is, your card may not be working for you. As you know, your business card is an integral part of a good marketing plan. For its size and cost, it's probably the most powerful part of all.
The last thing you want is your card tossed into a drawer full of old, coffee stained, tattered and smudged, stack of forgotten cards with long forgotten contacts. Worse yet, you card could even get dropped into the nearest circular file...and, in an instant, it's gone forever!
So it's especially important that your card be one that is memorable and makes a favorable impression. We have all seen magnetic business cards, laminated cards, letter openers that incorporate a business card, sports schedule/business card combinations, and the old standby, the infamous calendar/business card combination.
As a Mortgage Professional you should always be looking for an "outside-of-the-box" original, fanciful or extravagant presentation which can draw extra attention to you and your message. Remember...creativity knows no bounds - except for the amount of money you wish to spend.
Business Card Note Pad from EMBA, Inc. may just fit that definition. It's new, outside-of-the-box, innovative, simple, refreshing, and affordably priced. Using your existing business card, they spiral bind your business card to the front of a forty (40) sheet note pad with a calendar-at-a-glance on the back side of the pad. The note pad fits conveniently in a purse, pocket, sun visor, or briefcase.
Every time people write a note, they'll see your name and mortgage message. It's like turning your business card into a pocket sized personal billboard. Place a pre-printed label near the back which reads: "Call Joe Smith ABC Mortgage, Inc. (123)456-7890 for a free refill," adding even more value and life to your note pad.
If your note card is going to a Real Estate Professional, add a pre-printed label in the back containing Amortization Factors...they'll love you for it. Adding a simple label with valuable information will make your note pad in demand and indispensable.
You can review he details of this offer and how simple it really is to order by going to the following web site: http://www.businesscardnotepad.com. Check out their guarantee...it's first class.
About The Author
Tom Domin is the author of "Tom's Mortgage Tips" a twice monthly Mortgage Newsletter that is geared for Mortgage Professionals. You can sign-up by visiting http://www.mortgagemarketingtoolkit.com/.
Consumer Styles: Research Review
by: Darrin F. Coe
According to research done by Elizabeth Sproles and George Sproles (1990) in the Journal of Consumer Affairs, there is a significant link between peoples learning styles and their “consumer styles”.
1. The perfectionist consumer style, which describes a consumer that searches carefully and systematically for the best quality in products tend to learn through serious, analysis and through both active and observation oriented learning. These types of consumers are highly goal oriented.
2. The brand conscious, price equals quality consumer tends to be oriented toward buying the more expensive, well known brands tend to find choosing known brands an expedient strategy that replaces thinking and learning in their consumer choices.
3. The novelty and fashion conscious consumer seems to line new and innovative products and gains excitement from seeking out new things. This consumer tends to not be concerned with the implications or consequences of purchasing new or innovative products and services.
4. The recreational shopping consumer finds shopping a pleasant activity and engages in it because it’s fun. This consumer engages in shopping as a social experience or because they like to be involved in their shopping.
5. The price value consumer tends to focus on sales and lower prices balanced against quality. This consumer tends to focus on active, fact acquisition. This consumer tends to shop the market in-depth and do many comparisons to find the proper balance of low price and quality.
6. The impulsive consumer buys at the spur of the moment and are unconcerned with how much is spent. This consumer does not want to be bothered with new information or learning about products or services..
7. The confused-by-overchoice consumer perceives too many brands and stores and experiences information overload in the market. This person is overly detailed and fact oriented in their consumer process and becomes mentally overloaded, especially in a complex multichoice market.
8. The habitual, brand loyal consumer repetitively chooses the same brands and stores. This consumer engages in a serious learning process to find products and services that provide them with positive experiences and then stick with them.
Research Implications
Know thy consumer. This research indicates how important it is to develop a psychological profile of your ideal consumer. You need to know what consumer frequents your market and from this you can begin to develop, first intuitively, then through ongoing research, a profile of your target customer’s consumer style.
For instance if you sell your product or service over the internet you can be pretty sure that you are marketing to people who operate out of a limited number of consumer styles such as the perfectionistic; the novelty/fashion; and
the price conscious consumers. These are all information oriented consumers who engage in seeking information before they purchase.
If you are marketing to other businesses then you’re once again probably going to need to market with an orientation to providing sound information coupled with powerful and relevant benefits because you’ll be dealing with perfectionist and price conscious consumers.
Also, realize that with this information you can work to turn people from one style to another. For instance you may be able to convert a price conscious consumer to one who is brand loyal by providing consistent quality for a lower price. You may be able to convert the confused-by-overchoice consumer into a brand loyal consumer by providing simple, straight forward information combined with quality that cuts through the information overload.
Conclusions
Study your target market and actively work to know how they think and this will open up new marketing creatives that will better target their particular consumer style. This should prove to increase your bottom line if done thoughtfully and consistently.
Sproles, Elizabeth & Sproles, George (1990). Consumer Decision-Making Styles as a Function of Individual Learning Styles. The Journal of Consumer Affairs. Vol. 24. Issue 1.
About The Author
Darrin F. Coe, MA holds a master’s degree in professional psychology and specializes in consumer thinking. His latest report, “The Internet Consumer Exposed” is packed with eye-opening insights about the psychology of the internet consumer at http://consumer-thinking.com/exposed1.
coe@ris.net
Internet Marketing Success
by: Charles E. White
Information products are easily sold via the internet today in such forms as audio, video and ebooks.
In order to be successful on the internet super highway, you must first find a unique information product and find a target market.
Ebooks are much easier and much less expensive to create than a printed book. First, your customer can download the ebook immediately and secondly, there is no shipping cost as in a printed book.
Take action by gathering ideas from such places as magazine ads, tv commercials and searching for hot topics on the internet. Large companies spend large sums of money on print and tv advertising. You can bet they know their target market. So, why not let them help you find that target market.
After finding a niche market, it is time to test market your idea. You will make mistakes and try things that just don’t work, but don’t get discouraged. Learn from your mistakes. You will be amazed at the results that come from the school of hard knocks.
Having your own internet marketing business is exciting and very rewarding and you may even make lots of money.
Good luck and TAKE ACTION NOW!
About The Author
Charles White is an Internet Marketer and you can learn more about internet marketing concepts at http://www.internetprofitmastermind.com where you will be among the first to be part of an awesome project.
atozemail2006@yahoo.com