Your Brand Needs to Represent the Three Ps
- Positioning – the place a product occupies in consumers’ minds relative to competing products.
- Perception – how your clients and prospects understand their awareness of you.
- Purpose – the reason or objective for your business.
Emails are Scanned by Recipients, Not Read
Engage those scanners with:
- headlines
- sub-heads
- bullets
- photo captions
- sidebars
Online Branding
Prospects are making online comparisons between you and your competitors. Service, quality and price are often what decisions are ultimately based upon – but usually only after a good first impression. Ensure your website is not hindered by a poor first impression.
Common problems found in this area include:
- out of date content
- bad layout/design
- no mobile optimization
The CEO of the USPS' ad agency states
“In a world in which people are endlessly bombarded with electronic messages, direct mail is now the most welcome house guest.” He said a study found the average American spends 25 minutes a day with their mail.
Informal Delivery service is projected in 2017 by the USPS
Informal Delivery (ID) is a free app which sends people visual notifications of what is being sent to their mail box. Letter sorters take pictures of envelopes (not catalogs or packages yet) and emails them to subscribers. Marketers will be able to create an early impression of a mail piece.
Beware of digital volume
Technology has made it easy to distribute digital content to prospects. As it increases, only the best promotions will get noticed. Be judicious in your digital advertising so you’re not perceived as a spammer of junk email.
Keys to Telemarketing
- Place a follow-up call to every prospect
- Tell the prospect you’re responding to their inquiry
- Cover expected objections before they’re asked
- Be honest in your presentation
- Leave at least three messages before considering the lead to be worthless
Emails
80% of consumers across all demographics unsubscribe from emails they no longer wish to receive, according to Adestra. Make sure your email is read by having a good offer, i.e. free report or new announcement, not just an advertisement.
Programmatic Direct Mail
This is the term used to describe direct mail that follows up with someone who has looked at your website. According to PebblePost, sending a postcard follow-up within 24 hours to someone who has just viewed your website has been exceedingly successful. Of course, you must have their mailing address.
Direct mail spending
Almost 70% of businesses responding to Target Marketing magazine’s survey are holding direct mail spending steady or increasing it in 2016.
How to Promote Yourself
- Make your message clear
- Provide examples
- Keep repeating your message
- Establish yourself as an expert on something
Traits of Success
Successful people can handle failure and not feel sorry for themselves. No matter how successful you get, don’t stop looking for opportunities.
People do business with experts
It used to be that experts wrote books. Now experts write blogs. Focus a weekly blog on product topics you know well and can potentially sell.
Print Advertising is Making a Comeback
Print advertising is making a comeback compared to email:
- It stands out more because of email clutter
- Its physical nature makes a greater impression than email
- It often generates more response than email. Eight out of ten young adults (millennials) say print advertising makes them feel more connected than digital advertising.
Hook’em with headlines
80% of viewers will read the headline of your emails and ads, but only 20% will continue reading. Headlines are critical to draw in your prospects.