Marketing Alternatives:

• Marketing in Local or national radio stations
• Advertisement in local or national newspaper
• Commercials on local or national TV
• Advertisement on billboards and posters
• Direct Mail marketing via local flyers, postcards, brochures etc
• Direct sales marketing through telemarketing
• Business to Consumer communication via SMS & mobile communication

1. Target Advertising - most important benefit is the targeting a specific group of customers.
2. Personalization of Marketing Message - tailored to your customers specific needs based on previous transactions and gathered data.
3. Optimization of Marketing Message - Because of its direct accountability, direct mail marketing can be tested to find the best address list or customer target group; the best product offer; the best timing for your sales or marketing campaign (and many other factors). Then the winning tests can be rolled out to a wider audience for optimal results.
4. Secific data collection on customers - Responses (and non-responses) can be added to the database, allowing future mailings to be better targeted.

1. Define PRIMARY PURPOSE of your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign

• Information regarding launch of your newly established company
• Increase sales and customer contacts
• Decrease customer churn
• Increase profitability from existing consumers
• Counter on competitor activities and product offerings
• Advertise your company’s new products / services
• Advertise a promotion and limited sales campaign
• Brand building for your existing product line or company
• Others marketing purposes not covered in this article

• Marketing Message – What and when do you want to communicate and to whom?
• Total cost for the campaign; e.g. marketing material, advertisement costs, purchase of address information, distribution costs, and follow up costs such as telemarketing.
• Sales targets – What is the total number of shipments, the number of responses, and the average order value per response?
• Effect on churn levels on existing customer base – before the direct mail marketing campaign and after the direct mail marketing activity.
• Hit rate, i.e. number of customers that you expect to respond
• Break even for this campaign, i.e. what sales revenues are required in order for your direct mail marketing campaign to become positive.

A very important aspect of effective direct mail marketing is understanding which customers to contact. Logical starting point for understanding how to construct your customer target group is to analyze your current customers. When you understand existing customer base you can effectively expand your customer target group by identifying similar companies that are not your customers today.

• What revenues do different customer groups generate to your business?
• Which of your products shall the customers purchase?
• What industry segments are your customers active in?
• Geographical distance from the customer to your stores?
• Your potential customers turnover and sizes?
• Timing - when should you activate your campaign? When is this customer group most likely to accept a sales proposal?

• Test group - order or collect approximately 500-600 customer addresses
• Divide these customers into 2-3 small target groups
• Test different marketing messages or product / service offerings on each group of customers
• Observe customer response, hit rate, number of sales and effect on revenue

• Did you reach your primary purpose defined under section 1.?
• If your purposes where not reached find our why?
• What communication message and was most effective?
• What print material (flyer, brochure, postcard etc) and was most effective?
• What sales channel was most effective?
• When and how did the customer contact you?

6. Take very good care of all CONTACTING CUSTOMERS

• As a general rule - the more response alternatives your give your customer (Internet, mail, coupons, fax, telephone, SMS, in-person visits) the better is the hit rate.
• Assign responsible person on your company for managing the customer responses.
• Consider server capacity for peak in incoming traffic generated by contacting customers?
• Secure mail server access on your company to the people involved in handling the customers response
• Secure proper storage of the incoming customer mails?
• If the direct mail marketing campaign involves coupons, take decisions on the in-house vs. external outsourcing? Remember to store the customer coupons are stored for sales and tax purposes.
• Make sure your company’s telephone can handle simultaneous calls, a “call back” solution perhaps?
• Customer contacts vary over the week and during the day. Peak for customer contacts are often in the beginning of the week and around lunch hours, but draw your own conclusions and be prepaired.

• What message should be communicated to your target group?
• What product offerings or services should be in focus?
• What customer segment/-s?
• What response channel/-s should be presented to the target group?
• Where can you purchase or get free access to the customers’ addresses?
• Make your product offering or service stand out from your competitor!
• Size format of the print material
• Text format of the add or sales message
• <
  Simple and Fun Sorority Fund Raising Ideas
  There just seems to be a shortage on funding in all schools these days. Even our college campuses don't have the money they need for necessary teaching tools or repairs so it has become necessary to come up with creative ways of raising money. Sorority fund raising can be a blast and a way of providing necessary funds for needed repairs or updates to furnishings and or supplies. With the energy and excitement a sorority brings, you can come up with many great ideas for raising money and it shouldn't be too hard to initiate the help needed to make it all happen. This article will give some simple and fun ideas for sorority fund raising.Sorority fund raising is a great way to bring a group of young people together with one purpose in mind. It can be a lot of fun incorporating their youthfulness and excitement into raising money for a project of some sort that they will all benefit from. One type of sorority fund raising can be to hold a community type event like a carnival with booths, face painting and clowns, a dunking booth in which you can persuade town officials or people of importance to be the ones that would be dunked and then y
  dded to the database, allowing future mailings to be better targeted.
Successful Direct Mailing Campaign in 8 steps:

1. Define PRIMARY PURPOSE of your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign

• Information regarding launch of your newly established company
• Increase sales and customer contacts
• Decrease customer churn
• Increase profitability from existing consumers
• Counter on competitor activities and product offerings
• Advertise your company’s new products / services
• Advertise a promotion and limited sales campaign
• Brand building for your existing product line or company
• Others marketing purposes not covered in this article
2. Marketing decisions based on UNDERSTANDING YOUR CUSTOMERS
• Marketing Message – What and when do you want to communicate and to whom?
• Total cost for the campaign; e.g. marketing material, advertisement costs, purchase of address information, distribution costs, and follow up costs such as telemarketing.
• Sales targets – What is the total number of shipments, the number of responses, and the average order value per response?
• Effect on churn levels on existing customer base – before the direct mail marketing campaign and after the direct mail marketing activity.
• Hit rate, i.e. number of customers that you expect to respond
• Break even for this campaign, i.e. what sales revenues are required in order for your direct mail marketing campaign to become positive.
3. Consider the following CUSTOMER CHARACTERISTICS

A very important aspect of effective direct mail marketing is understanding which customers to contact. Logical starting point for understanding how to construct your customer target group is to analyze your current customers. When you understand existing customer base you can effectively expand your customer target group by identifying similar companies that are not your customers today.

• What revenues do different customer groups generate to your business?
• Which of your products shall the customers purchase?
• What industry segments are your customers active in?
• Geographical distance from the customer to your stores?
• Your potential customers turnover and sizes?
• Timing - when should you activate your campaign? When is this customer group most likely to accept a sales proposal?
4. TEST your direct mail marketing assumptions – GO LIVE
• Test group - order or collect approximately 500-600 customer addresses
• Divide these customers into 2-3 small target groups
• Test different marketing messages or product / service offerings on each group of customers
• Observe customer response, hit rate, number of sales and effect on revenue
5. ANALYZE the Direct Mail Marketing Test, draw your conclusion and Decide
• Did you reach your primary purpose defined under section 1.?
• If your purposes where not reached find our why?
• What communication message and was most effective?
• What print material (flyer, brochure, postcard etc) and was most effective?
• What sales channel was most effective?
• When and how did the customer contact you?
= > Decide on final direct mail marketing message and product offering = > Decide on the timing for the direct mail marketing campaign.

6. Take very good care of all CONTACTING CUSTOMERS

• As a general rule - the more response alternatives your give your customer (Internet, mail, coupons, fax, telephone, SMS, in-person visits) the better is the hit rate.
• Assign responsible person on your company for managing the customer responses.
• Consider server capacity for peak in incoming traffic generated by contacting customers?
• Secure mail server access on your company to the people involved in handling the customers response
• Secure proper storage of the incoming customer mails?
• If the direct mail marketing campaign involves coupons, take decisions on the in-house vs. external outsourcing? Remember to store the customer coupons are stored for sales and tax purposes.
• Make sure your company’s telephone can handle simultaneous calls, a “call back” solution perhaps?
• Customer contacts vary over the week and during the day. Peak for customer contacts are often in the beginning of the week and around lunch hours, but draw your own conclusions and be prepaired.
7. DECIDE on FINAL STRUCTURE for your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign!
• What message should be communicated to your target group?
• What product offerings or services should be in focus?
• What customer segment/-s?
• What response channel/-s should be presented to the target group?
• Where can you purchase or get free access to the customers’ addresses?
• Make your product offering or service stand out from your competitor!
• Size format of the print material
• Text format of the add or sales message
• Medical Encounters of the Third Kind
  Regarding your Service Encounters of the Third Kind, how do I apply that in my medical practice? The first and second kind are no problem. But how can I use the third kind in medicine? How do I ask, ‘What do you want to become?’ to my patients?Thank you for that great question!Service Encounters of the Third Kind in medicine moves the doctor/patient relationship beyond ‘What’s wrong or what needs fixing?’ (an encounter of the first kind), beyond ‘Which therapy or style of treatment do you want?’ (an encounter of the second kind), to a dialogue focusing on your patient’s preferred choice of lifestyle: nutrition, exercise, bodywork, stress release and emotional well-being included.This is a proactive conversation about changing behaviors and practices to create and achieve intended health objectives. It’s not a traditional (often remedial) conversation about what’s wrong and what needs to be, or can be, fixed.In medicine these third-kind discussions are usually seen as preventative in nature, and often aren’t easy to broach given the intense pressures of time most doctors face, and given the traditional view most pa
  direct mail marketing activity.
• Hit rate, i.e. number of customers that you expect to respond
• Break even for this campaign, i.e. what sales revenues are required in order for your direct mail marketing campaign to become positive.
3. Consider the following CUSTOMER CHARACTERISTICS

A very important aspect of effective direct mail marketing is understanding which customers to contact. Logical starting point for understanding how to construct your customer target group is to analyze your current customers. When you understand existing customer base you can effectively expand your customer target group by identifying similar companies that are not your customers today.

• What revenues do different customer groups generate to your business?
• Which of your products shall the customers purchase?
• What industry segments are your customers active in?
• Geographical distance from the customer to your stores?
• Your potential customers turnover and sizes?
• Timing - when should you activate your campaign? When is this customer group most likely to accept a sales proposal?
4. TEST your direct mail marketing assumptions – GO LIVE
• Test group - order or collect approximately 500-600 customer addresses
• Divide these customers into 2-3 small target groups
• Test different marketing messages or product / service offerings on each group of customers
• Observe customer response, hit rate, number of sales and effect on revenue
5. ANALYZE the Direct Mail Marketing Test, draw your conclusion and Decide
• Did you reach your primary purpose defined under section 1.?
• If your purposes where not reached find our why?
• What communication message and was most effective?
• What print material (flyer, brochure, postcard etc) and was most effective?
• What sales channel was most effective?
• When and how did the customer contact you?
= > Decide on final direct mail marketing message and product offering = > Decide on the timing for the direct mail marketing campaign.

6. Take very good care of all CONTACTING CUSTOMERS

• As a general rule - the more response alternatives your give your customer (Internet, mail, coupons, fax, telephone, SMS, in-person visits) the better is the hit rate.
• Assign responsible person on your company for managing the customer responses.
• Consider server capacity for peak in incoming traffic generated by contacting customers?
• Secure mail server access on your company to the people involved in handling the customers response
• Secure proper storage of the incoming customer mails?
• If the direct mail marketing campaign involves coupons, take decisions on the in-house vs. external outsourcing? Remember to store the customer coupons are stored for sales and tax purposes.
• Make sure your company’s telephone can handle simultaneous calls, a “call back” solution perhaps?
• Customer contacts vary over the week and during the day. Peak for customer contacts are often in the beginning of the week and around lunch hours, but draw your own conclusions and be prepaired.
7. DECIDE on FINAL STRUCTURE for your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign!
• What message should be communicated to your target group?
• What product offerings or services should be in focus?
• What customer segment/-s?
• What response channel/-s should be presented to the target group?
• Where can you purchase or get free access to the customers’ addresses?
• Make your product offering or service stand out from your competitor!
• Size format of the print material
• Text format of the add or sales message
• Why You Need a Translation Service
  Getting a translation done can be a serious business. Maybe not if you are only having a brief email translated, but definitely so if you are dealing with business documents, reports of anything that will be printed. Many people however approach translation too lightly believing it is an easy, quick and straightforward process. This is far from the truth.Translation is a complex affair and needs to be approached sensibly in order to avoid poor results. Before starting a project that involves translation, consider the following common thoughts people have about translation services. Do you think the same?I know a foreign language, I can be a translatorThis is perhaps the most common misconception about translation. Being able to read, speak and write a foreign language does not give anyone licence to undertake translation work. Firstly, a translator needs to have a proper, in-depth and fluent understanding of at least two languages: a foreign language and a mother tongue language. Secondly, translating is a skill. You must be able to write well and have an excellent command of linguistic nuances. Thirdly, language
  into 2-3 small target groups
• Test different marketing messages or product / service offerings on each group of customers
• Observe customer response, hit rate, number of sales and effect on revenue
5. ANALYZE the Direct Mail Marketing Test, draw your conclusion and Decide
• Did you reach your primary purpose defined under section 1.?
• If your purposes where not reached find our why?
• What communication message and was most effective?
• What print material (flyer, brochure, postcard etc) and was most effective?
• What sales channel was most effective?
• When and how did the customer contact you?
= > Decide on final direct mail marketing message and product offering = > Decide on the timing for the direct mail marketing campaign.

6. Take very good care of all CONTACTING CUSTOMERS

• As a general rule - the more response alternatives your give your customer (Internet, mail, coupons, fax, telephone, SMS, in-person visits) the better is the hit rate.
• Assign responsible person on your company for managing the customer responses.
• Consider server capacity for peak in incoming traffic generated by contacting customers?
• Secure mail server access on your company to the people involved in handling the customers response
• Secure proper storage of the incoming customer mails?
• If the direct mail marketing campaign involves coupons, take decisions on the in-house vs. external outsourcing? Remember to store the customer coupons are stored for sales and tax purposes.
• Make sure your company’s telephone can handle simultaneous calls, a “call back” solution perhaps?
• Customer contacts vary over the week and during the day. Peak for customer contacts are often in the beginning of the week and around lunch hours, but draw your own conclusions and be prepaired.
7. DECIDE on FINAL STRUCTURE for your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign!
• What message should be communicated to your target group?
• What product offerings or services should be in focus?
• What customer segment/-s?
• What response channel/-s should be presented to the target group?
• Where can you purchase or get free access to the customers’ addresses?
• Make your product offering or service stand out from your competitor!
• Size format of the print material
• Text format of the add or sales message
• Marketing 101 for Beer, Wine, and Spirits Retailers: How to Drive Customers to your Front Door
  Everyone knows that a carefully selected wine can make an ordinary meal into a dining experience. But oftentimes relying on common knowledge isn’t enough to drive sales to your door. Beer, wine, and spirits retailers must be as aggressive and innovative in their marketing techniques as any other retailer—and sometimes more. Consumers frequently see beer, wine, and spirits as commodity-level products, and as such focus on details such as proximity to home or office when choosing a retail location. In order to drive customers to your front door you must, 1. Speak to a specific audience, 2. Draw customers to your door with an enticing offer, and 3. Give them a reason to return.Speaking to a Specific AudienceImagine moving to a new town. Chances are your move is the culmination of an extended process that includes finding a new job, finding a new place to live, and leaving familiar routines behind. New movers are typically excited, but often arrive at their new homes tired, frustrated, and confused. Unpacking is tedious, they are unfamiliar with their surroundings, and they often feel out of touch with both their f
  er access on your company to the people involved in handling the customers response
• Secure proper storage of the incoming customer mails?
• If the direct mail marketing campaign involves coupons, take decisions on the in-house vs. external outsourcing? Remember to store the customer coupons are stored for sales and tax purposes.
• Make sure your company’s telephone can handle simultaneous calls, a “call back” solution perhaps?
• Customer contacts vary over the week and during the day. Peak for customer contacts are often in the beginning of the week and around lunch hours, but draw your own conclusions and be prepaired.
7. DECIDE on FINAL STRUCTURE for your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign!
• What message should be communicated to your target group?
• What product offerings or services should be in focus?
• What customer segment/-s?
• What response channel/-s should be presented to the target group?
• Where can you purchase or get free access to the customers’ addresses?
• Make your product offering or service stand out from your competitor!
• Size format of the print material
• Text format of the add or sales message
• Distribution format of the print material
• Timing of the shipment (preferably Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday)
8. IMPLEMENT
• Depending on the distribution volume of your campaign, try to negotiate with your local distribution companies in order to achieve a better pricing structure.
• Season variations or vacations: Are your customers in any way affected by the season, and will this affect your Direct Mailing? Are your customers at home or on some holidays?
• Last minute changes: Have there been any large changes in the circumstances since you tested your hypotheses? For example, changes in competitors prices, marketing campaign from your competitors, bad publicity and so on? Will this require you to change anything in your campaign?
FOLLOW UP and draw learning’s from your direct mail marketing campaign!
• Which customers did actually respond?
• What did the customer purchase?
• When did the consumer of your product or services make the purchase?
• Average Order Value compared to estimations
• What did they not buy?
• Industry segmentation based on customer response and
• How did customers respond? Via what response channel?
Who did some customers not respond?
• Why did customers not respond? Contact a small group of customers.
• Industry segmentation – can you identify any trends?
• What would the customers like you to offer them in order to close the sale pitch?
GOOD LUCK WITH GROWING YOUR BUSINESS AND REVENUES!