Open with a Proposition
Consumers have short attention spans. Instead of building excitement toward your value proposition, open with it. This will attract the recipient’s attention and force you to see if your value proposition is worth sending to other potential customers.
Direct Mail vs. Email
80-90 percent of direct mail gets opened, only 20-30 percent of email gets opened on a good day. The response rate to direct mail pieces is 3.7 percent, as opposed to 2 percent mobile, 1 percent email, 1 percent social media, and 0.2 percent internet display, per Direct Mail Marketing Statistics for Small Business (Jan 10, 2017).
5 Marketing Ideas to Connect with Seniors
- Participate in community events
- Connect through local radio
- Get listed on both online and print directories or even the local Senior Newsletter
- Sponsor your own event and include a take-away info packet they can refer back to
- Get published, establish authority to show your expertise by writing an article or blog post on Medicare.
What’s in a Name
Engage your customers by giving a Name to your guarantee, discount or service program. It adds oomph to your message, costs you nothing and strengthens your branding, setting you apart from your competition.
How to Retrieve a Letter Mailed by Mistake
File a “Sender’s Application for Recall of Mail” with the Post Office. The service is free, but your chances are best if you file before the mail is collected from the mail box.
Social Login
More than 2 billion people (about 1/3 of the world’s population) use social networks. Allowing customers to register using one of their social IDs such as Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin can help make your opt-in experience faster and better, something that’s critical given the increase in engagement on smartphones, where filling out forms can be cumbersome.
Test New and Old Ideas
Test adding customer reviews to your landing page. Test emphasizing your guarantee on your website or in your next mailing campaign. Test adding the word “Free” to your advertisements. Testing ideas will show you which of these “little things” can make the biggest difference in your marketing efforts.
Establish Rapport
The longer the sales cycle and higher your product’s price tag, the more likely it is that you will need to invest more effort in establishing rapport. Ultimately, it helps you gain your prospect’s trust. That is why it pays to send a series of messages offering something of value such as an industry article, link to a podcast or YouTube video. Become your prospects ally first, and then ask for the order. Remember people buy from people . . . necessarily companies. And when all things are equal (price, quality, guarantee, etc.), people buy from the person they like the most. This is why establishing rapport is so important.
Ask to Be a "Back-Up"
It probably sounds counter-intuitive to most marketers, but when prospects already have established relationships with competitors, there is value in asking to be their second choice or back-up. Sooner or later, they will need one.
Differentiate Yourself
Help new customers comparison shop by differentiating yourself from your competitors and communicating the differences. Use comparison charts, customer comments and survey results to explain and support what makes you different.
Share Customer Review
Provide credible customer reviews that mention both pros and cons, not just glowing testimonials. People pay more attention to reviews that provide solid insights that will help them make more informed buying decisions.
Eliminate Stumbling Blocks
If you are doing one-step selling, make sure you know your prospect’s top three buying objections and address them … sooner rather than later. This will get their attention and secure the sale for you.
Highlight Your Guarantee
A rock solid money-back guarantee is important because it means you stand behind your product/service. Your guarantee is particularly important to prospects because it eliminates the financial risk for first timers.
No Obligation
These are powerful words. Remind those responding to your lead generation message that there is no obligation to buy, just an opportunity to let them know you have a solution to help enhance their well-being.
Ask for Referrals
Don’t be shy about asking your customers for referrals. Birds of a feather really do flock together. Referrals are much more likely to respond than cold prospects. Ask for permission to reference the person making the referral.