Dec 19 2011
Postcards – Picture Perfect Promotion
This is a simple but almost mystical law of promotion and marketing and their relationship refers to the amount of business generated: business will be to the extent that your message, promote people to know that advertises there, write to the people to call people, e-mail people and generally communicate with customers and prospects.
It is so easy to record and track almost to the belief in the rule until you’ve seen one and working in different companies and organizations (like me).
This law is on the market, competitor activity, acts of terrorism, the time of year, the alignment of Mars and Jupiter and all the millions and an explanation that is often left behind when things are slow. All these conditions may be present, but there is a way to rise above them, only to provide the frequency and severity companies increasingly come out. It never fails.
It’s almost a natural instinct when times are a little more closely and reduce fiscal spending to slow. You hear about tightening belts. Too often, the first number of companies try to reduce their marketing and advertising dollars, and this is a mistake, a guarantee of contraction. You must be strengthened to promote, not cut. The trick is to find out how to find the maximum performance at minimum cost, but never to save and promote less. This is suicide. Here is a promotional opportunity to increase and reduce costs.
You still have to open a postcard!
We have more and more riders on the tour are high quality, full color postcards, as the best form of direct marketing. It’s time to focus on information for those who have not discovered this inexpensive way to spread the word and industry to obtain a passport
This is especially appropriate, since the national council of Anthrax fear – if you believe in giving or not – has resulted in a degree of caution when opening envelopes from unknown sources. A major advantage of the card is that you should not open – there is nothing to hide and nothing to fear.
Aside from the angle of Anthrax, the fact that a card does not open another advantage: it has the opportunity to convey their message before it is released into the trash, “junk mail” drop. An envelope in the trash without opening them, so no chance the forceful promotion will be launched as part of his message.
The chances are pretty high that if you have a color chart on the front of the card will be enough to attract attention, to get a first impression. If your headline is good, and invites more interest, your card is read, and have managed to get your message. If the reader is interested in everything to try what you sell, you can also receive a visit or phone call.
Costs!
Despite the need to support more than ever, since the economy is sticky or business is slow, does not mean you can reduce the cost in the process.
Many brokers believe that a full color postcard with the correct message from previous clients (financing, for example) or potential borrower, the explosion of advertising money from any form of promotion will be sent when announced in the press, radio and television, writing in the sky, whatever.
You can pre-order a postcard to 4 1 / 4 inch x 6 inch E-Mail premium from 17.5 to 19.5 ¢. This is cheaper than the lowest offer is 19 ¢ is – 24 ¢, standard, the higher the rate is not first class. If you are the right company to a 5000 high-quality, color, laminated cards for less than $ 400 are printed.
Warren Financial Corporation of Dunedin, Florida, is an example of a company that is completely in the cards (and references) for new businesses. “It’s funny postcards that I am human, I will post the 6 or 8 months, sent to say:” I have one of his letters and kept it. , ‘”Says Jim Warren, entrepreneurs. He bought 6000 cards at once and sent monthly to 400 very specific mailing lists. It shows the back of the card blank so you can have a message printed on the label when it is ready for sending. This allows the interest rate changes and other time-critical messages are sent at the time of the printed cards.
It uses very simple, postcards in black and white of your local printer to work, but has now gone four full color 4.1 “x 6″ cards (the largest size that can be sent over e-mail) their response has improved. “I have a gun instead of a shotgun approach to marketing,” he says. “So I call the four-color postcards are perfect.”
An example …
Sun Pacific Mortgage in Santa Rosa, California has been in business for 14 years, specializes in lending to people who become elsewhere. Forest owners Tardibuono came a series of management technologies in 1997 and has since increased its revenue by 900% and still rising. One of the principles, the forest and really learned in practice that if you want to create more business or new business, you should be promoted. “We have a huge marketing machine,” he says. “We promote safe and easy task for the representatives of loan to obtain the loans. The sale is easy.” The company employs 14% of gross income in the promotion. With annual revenue of nearly $ 2,000,000, which is a full budget for advertising. But it is also an important factor in its growth.
Pacific Sun ordered from 50 to 60.000 cards at the same time with a selection of images on the cards. You must provide an agreement with the local title company sending lists Pacific Sun printed form and address label to use for free as an incentive for the mortgage company for the title of the work. They offer these labels as often as necessary and as close as a necessary and specific. For example, the forest owner asked a particular zip code (one that demonstrated gains in the past) and the search for specific categories to ensure that the house of distribution is limited. Mailing labels in tax-free accounts for a substantial savings.
Pacific Sun will be mailed from a few thousand postcards or twice a month to current and former customers and other potential borrowers 3-4000 a week to the process of post house. Use a large (4 1 / 4 “to 6″) full color, laminated cards, which are very attractive.
“We went to a couple of years, postcards, because I got sick of mass mailing envelopes,” Forest. Folding letters and envelopes is very laborious. Postcards cost less, and mail costs are lower.
Forest attributes complete 20% of its activities in the postal mailing to most of their spending on print advertising / promotion for the year. “The magic formula is important is in relation to postal and other forms of assistance, the walk, we have the results of all sides,” he says.
Outsourcing:
The above example has networks with the title company and deal with large mailings in the house, but that’s something to work, if you do it this way. Few mortgage brokers have their own marketing department and can be long and overwhelming in all these aspects of the cards of existing employees are already busy with loans and paperwork will be sent.
A good postcard company to process the entire email and save you money in the process. They earn their money from print postcards, not consulting, sales of mailing lists, mailing labels, and so on. So they can get better deals on these other services as needed.
After the postal mail has an additional advantage of the savings in shipping costs. The impression is quite heavy and transport 10 000 postcards around the country is not so cheap. If the postcard sent by the shipping company to avoid this.
Sharp Mortgages Inc Jacksonville postcards began in 2001, used with another form of advertising and sales promotion. They sent two first shipment of 10,000 postcards and ordered another 50,000 to operate than it should. “We let the company take in the mail,” says Bill Sharp Snr. handles advertising. “With all the other things we have to do, we find that it is easier to let them manage mail on our time here together.”
We’ll let the thought of all the extra work so intimidated employees that already occupied. In the long run can save you a lot of money to pay a little extra for the postal service to ensure you have the whole process from design to shipping and printing.
Working with postcards.
Therefore, on the basis of the postcards are the way to go, where do you start?
A. Look for a postcard company to help.
This company should:
First Specializing in cards, not just postcards among other works. You get better service and a better product. It costs much less, because the pressure of the card along with postcards and many other clients can “gang print” that many cards printed on a large sheet of card and that means a single topic.
Second Have some marketing knowledge and experience. You should be able, on mailing lists, design, quantity, and advise others. The revised offer to help a wide range of services, consulting and design photography, printing and postage.
Third must (laminated) Postcards UV coated to produce full color, 4 1 / 4 “x 6″, so that the maximum size card to find the lowest price e-mail, and they are really good. If the UV coating is essential to a high shine that really makes the card stand out and attract attention.
Fourth Above all, you need to know that you will get results. Part of the reaction is not the true measure of success, as it varies from industry to industry and region by region. What do you want to determine the return on investment. If you spend $ 2500 all inclusive for sending a mail 10000 and receives 200 calls as a result, although 10 of them in the purchase mortgage, the shipment was a great investment. Therefore, one should try to control the scenario and the results in terms of return on investment.
When choosing a company for gripping postal mail, it is a good idea to have some names and phone numbers are your customers and give them some first hand information about how well the company is to always: They provide good service and value?
Once you have the right provider (no place – the best work at the national and transactions with companies in the U.S.) get their advice on the production of the postcard. They will help you every step.
B. Decide if you want them to handle the mail for you (see section on outsourcing).
C. Decide if e-mail to current customers or mailing lists of potential customers or both.
The purchase of mailing lists is an important point. Sending postcards to 10,000 homeowners will not go through the same zip code as the shipment of 10 000 postcards to qualified homeowners and class that you specialize in (conventional first sub, refinancing, etc) to respond. You can buy mailing lists that are very specific. Your biggest expense is shipping. Worth a little extra money to ensure that your message will mortgage to cover the possible qualified in the desired category.
The postcard company should be able to help with the selection and purchase of mailing lists.
D. Decide on the content of the card. Again, a good experience with the postal company and can offer valuable advice. They are probably related to mortgage brokers, and knows what works and what does not.
E. Get produced the map. Send you a test. Get the necessary corrections so that you are satisfied with them.
F. Get it by mail.
G. Lean back and take full advantage of the response.
H. Plan your next post and repeat the steps.
Once you have a couple of items that have a better idea of ??what works and what you can do to improve your campaign.
This is a proven method and practices to increase sales through direct mail postcards in color.
