Hey Kids! Let’s Do Some Marketing
February 29, 2016   Karen Bartram

Something more important than exigent rates.

We’re kind of postal nerdy around here, but even we are getting bored with waiting to see if rates are going to drop 4.3% in April. We are confident that no company is going to have a triumphant year because their postage dropped by 4.3%.  We are guessing that no company will fail because the rates fail to drop 4.3%.  Those things – triumph and failure – are likely to happen because a company had great marketing – or no marketing. Please note that for most small to medium businesses, the opposite of great marketing is not bad marketing – it’s no marketing, or at least nowhere near enough.  Even kind of bad marketing, if done regularly, is likely to get you some business.  We’re pretty sure that no marketing will get you no business.  And still, we see too many in our industry – the direct marketing industry, for goodness sake – fail to market adequately. So, as a public service to our clients and prospective clients, we are going to give you an assignment.  Put together a marketing campaign to send out in March, and get yourselves a new client or two.  It’s easy – we’ll even help if you need it.  Here you go, step by step:
  • Get a list of prospects – you may have a prospect file in house that you use, or get one from a list broker. If you’re going to promote new services (like, maybe, oh…I don’t know…multi-channel marketing?) you can even include your current clients;
  • Craft an offer. This is easy – what are you going to give your prospects if they reply?  Great service and excellent quality don’t count – it has to be a thing.  Maybe an Amazon gift card.  Maybe an entry to win an iPad.  Too mercenary?  How about a free marketing analysis – but you need to include lunch or bagels for the office.  The best offers are tangible;
  • Create a mail piece. We think simple is best – focus on the offer, not on how swell you are.  Include a clear call to action – what they need to do to get that offer – call this number, go to this web site.  Make it obvious and easy;
  • While you’ve got that graphic artist there, have them do a landing page and email for you, too. Pick a cool domain name for your landing page – it’s easy and kind of fun:  com is taken, but WeRockALot.com is available.  You’re welcome;
  • Test all of the pieces you just assembled – make sure the web links work, make sure the phone number is right, make sure your sales team is ready to follow up. We can help with this – it’s what we do.
  • Mail that thing! Or, as we say at SnailWorks, deploy your campaign.
  • Make sure you are ready to follow up fast as responses come in. Fulfill that offer, and sell yourself.
  • Wait two months.
Look at you!  You’re a marketer!  If you get a piece of mail out there that has any kind of offer you’re already way ahead of your competitors.  Be consistent and be patient – you will build business. Of course putting campaigns like this together is what SnailWorks does day after day.  We know how important it is to make these things easy.  Lean on us to help.

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