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Atricle Dump - Postcard Marketing Checklist: 5 Things to Consider Before You Mail
How far does your service go? And how much farther can you stretch it?If you serve customers, do you stretch to do it better every day? Are you eager to learn from colleagues and mentors, seminars, books, websites, and a healthy dose of candid customer feedback?If you provide internal service, do you reach across functional lines, or stay stuck inside your departmental 'silo'? Is your communication with colleagues and partners positive, proactive and persistent?If you serve in your community, do you volunteer time and stretch a little more by asking others to join you?<
One of the great things about postcard marketing is that it's fairly simple to track. Compare the number of postcards you sent out to the number of responses you get back, and you've measured your response rate. You can then compare the results of two mailings to see which postcard performs better.
For instance, you might send the same postcard to the same audience but with different offers. The offer that pulls the biggest response wins. The other one goes away.
Question to ask:
* First off, do you have a tracking program?
* Have you considered the technical details of tracking responses?
* Do you know what elements you want to test (headline, offer, etc.)?
* How will you modify your postcard if it doesn’t get the response you want?
Conclusion
As your postcard marketing program evolves, so too will your checklist. Before long, y
Profession of Human Resource Management and Development (HRM & D), call it by any name - HR Operations, HR-Generalist, Recruitment, Talent Management, Training and Development, Employee Relations, Industrial Relations, Organization Development, Performance Management or Compensation and Benefits...they all come under the umbrella of HRM & D. So, let me start with one question for HR Professionals across the globe, why you joined HR Profession? Was it your first choice or you joined because you didn't had any other choice? I like to ask the HR aspirants, why they want to join this profession? Wh
The checklist that follows is not all-inclusive, but is meant to provide a solid enough list to get your postcard marketing campaign underway.
The List
Your mailing list (a.k.a. database) should be the result of asking tough questions and doing some hard research. To build a good mailing list, you need to find out who wants and needs the products / services you sell.
If you're mailing to your customer base, your list requirements are simple -- just mail to your best customers. But if you're mailing to "strangers" in the hopes of making them customers, you'll have more homework to do.
Questions to ask:
* Have you obtained your list from a reputable list vendor?
* If using your in-house list, have you checked it for accuracy, duplication, etc?
* Does your list match your message? Is your message relevant to your list?
The Headline
Direct mail postcards have a major advantage over their enveloped counterparts -- immediate impact, right out of the mailbox. This is where your headline comes into play. The reader will give your postcard a "golden glimpse" during which you have a chance to pull them in. Whether you do so or not will depend largely on your headline.
Questions to ask:
* Does you headline identify your target audience?
* Does your headline promise a benefit?
* Is your headline clear and to the point?
* Did you test your headline to make sure people understand at first glance?
The Offer
In postcard marketing, it's the offer that generates the response. It answers the reader's fundamental questions: "What's in it for me? Why should I bother? How is this worth my time?"
The offer is usually related to the product or service being sold, but it doesn't actually have to be that product or service. A company selling software might offer a discount on the software, a free trial, a free 28-page software buyer's guide, or a number of other things related to what they are selling.
When using direct mail by itself (not in conjunction with TV or radio), it's best to keep your offer related to your product. You're not after "freebie hunters" with no real interest in what you're selling. You're after qualified prospects -- the kind of people who might actually buy your product or service.
Questions to ask:
* Is the offer related to your product or service?
* Does it have enough of a perceived value to generate a response?
* Have you described the value of your offer (dollar amount, time savings, etc.)?
* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?
The Call-to-Action
Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.
If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."
Questions to ask:
* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?
* Does it stand out from the copy around it?
* Does it make responding easy?
* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web address, 800#, etc.)?
The Tracking
One of the great things about postcard marketing is that it's fairly simple to track. Compare the number of postcards you sent out to the number of responses you get back, and you've measured your response rate. You can then compare the results of two mailings to see which postcard performs better.
For instance, you might send the same postcard to the same audience but with different offers. The offer that pulls the biggest response wins. The other one goes away.
Question to ask:
* First off, do you have a tracking program?
* Have you considered the technical details of tracking responses?
* Do you know what elements you want to test (headline, offer, etc.)?
* How will you modify your postcard if it doesn’t get the response you want?
Conclusion
As your postcard marketing program evolves, so too will your checklist. Before long, yo
There is a strong relationship between textile materials and its quality. Quality of textile materials is manifested in different ways such as aesthetic appeal, feel or hand, etc. It is basically judged by how a textile material feels when touched or handled. It is also judged by the comfort experienced. What does comfort mean? The term comfort is described as "the lack of unpleasantness" according to some experts. Comfort is a condition or feeling of pleasurable ease, well-being, and contentment. There is general acceptance that the transfer of heat and water vapor through a garment are possib
Questions to ask:
* Have you obtained your list from a reputable list vendor?
* If using your in-house list, have you checked it for accuracy, duplication, etc?
* Does your list match your message? Is your message relevant to your list?
The Headline
Direct mail postcards have a major advantage over their enveloped counterparts -- immediate impact, right out of the mailbox. This is where your headline comes into play. The reader will give your postcard a "golden glimpse" during which you have a chance to pull them in. Whether you do so or not will depend largely on your headline.
Questions to ask:
* Does you headline identify your target audience?
* Does your headline promise a benefit?
* Is your headline clear and to the point?
* Did you test your headline to make sure people understand at first glance?
The Offer
In postcard marketing, it's the offer that generates the response. It answers the reader's fundamental questions: "What's in it for me? Why should I bother? How is this worth my time?"
The offer is usually related to the product or service being sold, but it doesn't actually have to be that product or service. A company selling software might offer a discount on the software, a free trial, a free 28-page software buyer's guide, or a number of other things related to what they are selling.
When using direct mail by itself (not in conjunction with TV or radio), it's best to keep your offer related to your product. You're not after "freebie hunters" with no real interest in what you're selling. You're after qualified prospects -- the kind of people who might actually buy your product or service.
Questions to ask:
* Is the offer related to your product or service?
* Does it have enough of a perceived value to generate a response?
* Have you described the value of your offer (dollar amount, time savings, etc.)?
* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?
The Call-to-Action
Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.
If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."
Questions to ask:
* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?
* Does it stand out from the copy around it?
* Does it make responding easy?
* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web address, 800#, etc.)?
The Tracking
One of the great things about postcard marketing is that it's fairly simple to track. Compare the number of postcards you sent out to the number of responses you get back, and you've measured your response rate. You can then compare the results of two mailings to see which postcard performs better.
For instance, you might send the same postcard to the same audience but with different offers. The offer that pulls the biggest response wins. The other one goes away.
Question to ask:
* First off, do you have a tracking program?
* Have you considered the technical details of tracking responses?
* Do you know what elements you want to test (headline, offer, etc.)?
* How will you modify your postcard if it doesn’t get the response you want?
Conclusion
As your postcard marketing program evolves, so too will your checklist. Before long, y
You must constantly bear in mind the real function of your exhibit at a trade show and weigh each idea to see how it contributes to reaching your goal. Look at the function of your exhibit. What is it trying to do? What are you trying to achieve through its use? It makes a difference in your design thinking whether you wish to demonstrate a machine in operation to the widest possible audience, or if you expect to limit attendance in your booth to a very few important customers. Will you be doing a hard sell to anybody who stops by?Collect the facts !It is a waste of time t
The Offer
In postcard marketing, it's the offer that generates the response. It answers the reader's fundamental questions: "What's in it for me? Why should I bother? How is this worth my time?"
The offer is usually related to the product or service being sold, but it doesn't actually have to be that product or service. A company selling software might offer a discount on the software, a free trial, a free 28-page software buyer's guide, or a number of other things related to what they are selling.
When using direct mail by itself (not in conjunction with TV or radio), it's best to keep your offer related to your product. You're not after "freebie hunters" with no real interest in what you're selling. You're after qualified prospects -- the kind of people who might actually buy your product or service.
Questions to ask:
* Is the offer related to your product or service?
* Does it have enough of a perceived value to generate a response?
* Have you described the value of your offer (dollar amount, time savings, etc.)?
* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?
The Call-to-Action
Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.
If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."
Questions to ask:
* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?
* Does it stand out from the copy around it?
* Does it make responding easy?
* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web address, 800#, etc.)?
The Tracking
One of the great things about postcard marketing is that it's fairly simple to track. Compare the number of postcards you sent out to the number of responses you get back, and you've measured your response rate. You can then compare the results of two mailings to see which postcard performs better.
For instance, you might send the same postcard to the same audience but with different offers. The offer that pulls the biggest response wins. The other one goes away.
Question to ask:
* First off, do you have a tracking program?
* Have you considered the technical details of tracking responses?
* Do you know what elements you want to test (headline, offer, etc.)?
* How will you modify your postcard if it doesn’t get the response you want?
Conclusion
As your postcard marketing program evolves, so too will your checklist. Before long, y
Company loyalty is dead. That’s what we continuously hear. This crop of employees is not loyal to their company or to their boss. Have you ever experienced this: a key employee quits out of the blue for a “better” job and you wondered, how could she? Turnover is high in your organization and you thought, what’s wrong with these people?Loyalty is dead and study after study seems to confirm this. Today’s employees will have an average of nine different jobs in their career—nine different jobs! That’s a real change from that older generation of workers who joined the company and stayed long
* Does it have enough of a perceived value to generate a response?
* Have you described the value of your offer (dollar amount, time savings, etc.)?
* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?
The Call-to-Action
Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.
If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."
Questions to ask:
* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?
* Does it stand out from the copy around it?
* Does it make responding easy?
* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web address, 800#, etc.)?
The Tracking
One of the great things about postcard marketing is that it's fairly simple to track. Compare the number of postcards you sent out to the number of responses you get back, and you've measured your response rate. You can then compare the results of two mailings to see which postcard performs better.
For instance, you might send the same postcard to the same audience but with different offers. The offer that pulls the biggest response wins. The other one goes away.
Question to ask:
* First off, do you have a tracking program?
* Have you considered the technical details of tracking responses?
* Do you know what elements you want to test (headline, offer, etc.)?
* How will you modify your postcard if it doesn’t get the response you want?
Conclusion
As your postcard marketing program evolves, so too will your checklist. Before long, y
You start by thinking that when exhibiting at a show, to market direct to the public or to trade, you will more than likely be stood within metres of your competition. If you were not exhibiting though, then your competitors will be there anyway so this point should not in anyway affect your decision to exhibit.- In terms of actual exhibiting, you know that you are dealing with a targeted market at exhibitions, with the people who do walk through the door; clearly people have chosen to attend such an event. This would suggest that they have some involvement or genuine interest with regar
One of the great things about postcard marketing is that it's fairly simple to track. Compare the number of postcards you sent out to the number of responses you get back, and you've measured your response rate. You can then compare the results of two mailings to see which postcard performs better.
For instance, you might send the same postcard to the same audience but with different offers. The offer that pulls the biggest response wins. The other one goes away.
Question to ask:
* First off, do you have a tracking program?
* Have you considered the technical details of tracking responses?
* Do you know what elements you want to test (headline, offer, etc.)?
* How will you modify your postcard if it doesn’t get the response you want?
Conclusion
As your postcard marketing program evolves, so too will your checklist. Before long, you'll have a list of things that have worked well for you (as well as those that haven't). And that's a valuable checklist to have!
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