5 Top Direct Mail Tips

With the rise of email marketing and the focus on environmentally sustainable business practices, Direct Mail has taken a bit of a pounding. Indeed in the US, Direct Mail spending dropped by 3% in 2008 for the first time ever.
Some argue the end is nigh for Direct Mail. We would argue otherwise, you just need to be clever and innovative in how you use it. It can still be an incredibly effective way of communicating with your target market.

Here are 5 top tips on how to use Direct Mail effectively:

  1. Follow up phone call. The statistics don’t lie; we’ve found that following up a direct mail with a phone call can improve results by over 100%. However, compelling your call to action, don’t rely on your targets acting on it. A follow up call is a great way of prompting action and engaging with your prospect.
  2. Make it lumpy. To standout and grab someone’s attention you need to be different. The same goes for Direct Mail. We all receive hundreds of plain, flat, paper Direct Mails, which at worst never get opened and at best go straight from envelope to recycle bin in 1 second flat. Including something engaging in the Direct Mail, not a pen or mouse mat, but something creative and a bit different, will increase the chances of your mail getting opened and absorbed. Unusual ideas we’ve worked with include: airfix models, lego, sweets, teabags, handcuffs and airplants.
  3. Use a hand written envelope. A simple but effective way of getting your mail opened is to hand write it. It makes it personal and doesn’t scream mass mail.
  4. Speak in their language. When writing any text always bear in mind who you are sending it to and make sure you speak in their language. Make your words, syntax and imagery consistent and relevant to your target.
  5. Send it to the right person. Always get the name of the relevant person to send the mail to. If you’ve gone to the trouble of making it an interesting and relevant mail, handwriting the envelope and planning a follow up call, make sure that it goes to someone how is in a position to make a decision.
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Why the recession could be the best thing to happen to your business?

Life is what you make it, or so the saying goes. This principle can be applied to business as well.There is no getting away from the difficulties many businesses have experienced as a result of the recent recession. Some businesses haven’t made it and others have been transformed radically just to stay afloat. Whilst the economy is now growing again (albeit tentatively), many are anticipating a challenging 2010 and with all the doom and gloom surrounding the forthcoming budget, it is easy to overlook the positives. What are they I hear you say?  Well, that the recession could be the best thing that ever happened to your business.

There are a multitude of reasons why, but three of the best are as follows:

  1. We got lazy: A common response to questions about marketing, from many businesses prior to the downturn, was ‘we don’t do any marketing, we are already getting more work than we can handle.’ Whilst this is an excellent position to be in, for many it is no longer the case. This attitude often translated into inefficiencies elsewhere in the business, with resources being used wastefully, a lack of focus on profit margins, no strategy or planning culture and no urgency or hunger to improve and be better. Post-recession this attitude doesn’t fly. The downturn has forced many businesses to reassess their attitude and undertake rigorous analysis of the organisational practices and systems. Out have gone the unnecessary and inessential operations and in has come a new vigour and focus around efficiency, innovation, improvement and growth. The net result in this shift in attitude is a leaner, more efficient and innovative business, built on more stable foundations, going forward into the future. Surely a good thing?
  2. New opportunities: Referred to in a recent Independent article on SMEs, a Shell LiveWIRE survey found that 28% of business owners say the recession has actually ‘inspired them to refocus their business vision’ with 25% believing it has ‘challenged them to identify new areas of growth’. Touching on the innovation mentioned above, for many businesses the recession has prompted them to look carefully at the opportunities available to their organisation and ensure they exploit them fully. The much maligned SWOT analysis is the perfect tool to undertake this and we’d advise ever organisation to implement one at least annually. Innovation through necessity will result in some unexpected and profitable ventures for businesses; it will build long lasting relationships and unusual, yet profitable, strategic alliances and will inspire the creation of new and improved products and services for our clients and customers. This can’t be bad.
  3. Business evolution: The premise of ‘survival of the fittest’, proposed in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, is also applicable to businesses. We can’t avoid change; it is going on constantly around us. No matter how established a business is, it is always exposed to change. Sometimes this results in extinction i.e. Lehman Brothers and Woolworths and other times, to world domination i.e. Facebook, Google and Apple to name three. What is inescapable is that if you do not evolve with the times, you stand a very good chance of being replaced by a new and improved alternative. The recent downturn has removed many businesses from the marketplace, some of them may have been clients and suppliers, but others might have been competitors. Congratulations to you remaining businesses, you are the future and you can benefit from the growth that follows a downturn.

So if you don’t forget the valuable lessons learnt during this period, stay focused on your customers and satisfying their demands, don’t slip back into lazy business practices, ensure you embrace all the opportunities out there and put the fear of change aside, you may just find the recession was the best thing to happen to your business.

 

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Free Public Sector Tender Training

Hampshire business organisation, Southern Entrepreneurs, is offering free public sector tender training to businesses based in Winchester and Eastleigh. The course will help businesses learn how to identify potentially lucrative public sector contracts and put together a successful tender for them.
The workshop takes place on Thursday 5th August. It starts at 17.30 and finishes by 21:00 @ Civic Offices, Leigh Road, Eastleigh SO50 9YN. Tea coffee and light refreshments are provided during the evening.

For more information click here. To register email anne.dawson@eastleigh.gov.uk.

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What is in your marketing budget?

Some businesses complain they don’t have a marketing budget, whilst others religiously put aside an amount of money to allocate towards marketing activities throughout the year.  At TLC Business, we feel that the most efficient way to budget is to make sure every marketing activity in your plan is included to meet a specific objective. It makes for a more efficient and cost-effective investment of your money, rather than putting aside a pot of money that is continually dipped into until it is empty.
We have put together 3 example marketing mixes, for those with no budget, through to those with ambitions to grow quickly.

No budget:
If you have no money for marketing do not despair, fortunately for you, we now have the internet, which affords huge marketing opportunities for those that are willing to invest their time:

  1. SEO: if you have a website, but no budget for paying a professional SEO company to get your site on the front pages of Google, why not consider DIY SEO. You might be surprised at what a little research, keyword analysis tools and some link building will achieve. Oh, and don’t forget to update your content regularly either.
  2. Social Media & blogging: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, online forums etc. There is no end to the different platforms you can utilise to engage with potential customers, enhance your credibility and grow your brand recognition. You’ve got no excuses either. It is free and all it requires is an investment of your time.
  3. Networking: whilst online networking is expanding rapidly, face-to-face networking is still a vital tool for SMEs to get out there and meet potential customers, partners and suppliers. There are an increasing number of free events but choose them wisely, you often get what you pay for.

Tight budget:
If you’ve set aside a marketing budget but have to be extremely careful as to how you spend it (like most of us) then the internet is a blessing to you too. As well as the 3 tips above, consider:

  1.  Email marketing: this is an incredibly cost-effective medium for communicating with large numbers of people. The bit we like and are constantly raving about is that it is the marketing medium that just keeps giving. Not only does it communicate your message to your target audience but it then tells you who was listening and what they are interested in, incredibly useful when managing a tight budget.
  2. Adwords: we feel that advertising is often an ineffective medium for many SMEs. However, adwords is a big exception. Managed correctly, it is an incredibly effective means of communicating with your target audience. Only pay for those people you want to visit your landing page and again, it is entirely measurable, so there is no need for elaborate guess work when deciding if an advert is working.
  3. Telemarketing: love it or hate it, for many businesses this should be a vital tool in your marketing mix. If you can’t stand the constant rejection, get the professionals in. For those B2B businesses out there telemarketing is often a lead generation winner.

Ambitious budget:
For those businesses that really want to make their mark and grow this year, getting the biggest bang for your buck is still important. Including the different media above in your marketing mix is still important, however, to increase impact consider:

  1. Direct Mail: the age of mass marketing has come to an end. With all the customer information available to businesses now, you can target your ideal customers more efficiently. Having built a list of interested prospects through email marketing and adwords, you still can’t beat an engaging and quirky direct mail piece to get them hooked.
  2. Events: they can be hard work and often costly but organising an event for customers, prospects and partners can be a very effective way of generating new business, PR and awareness. To reduce the cost and workload and expand your reach, consider a joint event with a complimentary business partner. Two heads are always better than one.
  3. Advertising: we would caution any SME about taking out adverts in magazines and newspapers without having considered it thoroughly. If you are going to advertise make sure your advert has a clear call to action, a means of measuring its effectiveness (like a quotable promo code) and is not a one-off but instead run as part of a series of multiple issues. If done correctly, advertising is still an incredibly effective means of generating new business. But we stress the words ‘if done correctly’. If not, it is an incredibly efficient way of wasting money quickly!

We hope this has given you some food for thought. There are many more activities you can include in your marketing mix. This is just a taster. So be sure to consider the plethora of activities and opportunities available to your business when putting together your next budget.

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June’s Top Marketing Tips

Top marketing tips:

  1. Conduct a client survey: – Some businesses are reluctant to undertake a client survey in case they don’t like what they find out. For those that are keen to understand their customers better, it might just be the best thing you do for your business. The benefits are plentiful. 1. If clients aren’t happy with some aspect of your service or product, better to find out early and have an opportunity to rectify it. 2. Showing your customers that you care will build loyalty and foster a stronger relationship. 3. Are you struggling for ideas as to how you can improve your service or develop that new wonder product? You customers have the answer. All you need to do is ask the right question.
  1. Data capture tool: – If you are like us, you’ll hate spending time typing in or copying and pasting the contact information of various prospects when building a database. Inspired to find an alternative solution, we stumbled across a piece of free software called Contact Capture. Now all you need to do is highlight all the information you want to gather, press a button and hey presto it is organised into a workable format, ready for exporting into your CRM or database software of choice. It is particularly good when consolidating different excel spreadsheets! You can find a link to this software on tlcbusiness.wpengine.com/cool-stuff.
  2. Consolidate your social media: – for those of you out there that are already hardened tweeters and social networkers you’ll probably know this already. But for those of you that are irritated about having to waste time updating Facebook, twitter and LinkedIn accounts, why not use Ping.FM to update your social media status on these three platforms and more. It is free, easy and saves you time. What more can you want? Enjoy.

 

Hope you find our top 3 marketing tips useful. Do let us know what you think and any areas you’d like more info on.

 

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Free Marketing & Sales Seminar

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Peter Drucker.
Successful businesses don’t happen by accident, they are actively created. The same applies to marketing and sales. Businesses that excel in this area utilise marketing and sales models to maximise their chances of success.

Learn how to create the business you want, through improving your marketing’s effectiveness, generating more leads and converting more enquires. If you are an ambitious organisation keen to break through that £1,000,000 turnover barrier then this seminar is not to be missed.

Learn:
• Why so much of your marketing is ineffective
• Where to spend your money most effectively
• The 5 ways that you can grow your business
• NLP tips to improve your sales conversion rates.

TLC Business is hosting this event alongside Kevin Stansfield, from Action Coach Southampton. Kevin is one of the UKs top business coaches, as well being an experienced NLP and Emotional Capital practitioner.

Price: Free
Date: Thursday 29th July
Time: 10am – 12:30pm
Location: Langdowns DFK, Fleming Court, Leigh Road,
Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 9PD
Format: Seminar followed by buffet lunch and networking.

Places are limited and going fast so book your ticket today.

To register call 01962 600147, email Rob at rob@tlc-business.co.uk or visit TLC Business’ events page.

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Gorilla marketing

Gorilla Marketing is TLC Business’ new marketing concept for SMEs that want to do something different. Whilst there is always a place for traditional marketing activities, ambitious businesses that are keen to standout from their crowded marketplace by being unconventional, creative and imaginative should consider Gorilla Marketing. You don’t need a big budget, just imagination, ideas, energy and hard work and that is where TLC Business can help.Vist our Gorilla Marketing page to find out how you can book your free 1 hour ideas sessionand start benefitting from Gorilla Marketing immediately.

 

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Old Spice is back!

Remember Old Spice? We didn’t even realise it was still around. Their new viral campaign is making waves on the web and has brought the brand back firmly into the public conscience. Here’s why…

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Paul the psychic Octopus and Marketing for SMEs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv3ZeoHICQ0
We’re sure you’ve all heard of the remarkable tale of Paul the clairvoyant octopus, who correctly predicted the winner in all 8 of the matches he was prompted to, at this year’s World Cup.

Whilst his feat is certainly unlikely and many seem convinced of his psychic abilities, the cynic in us here, feels fairly confident that it was merely coincidence.

But what has psychic Paul the octopus got to do with marketing, I hear you ask?

All too often, SMEs leave their marketing success to chance. They might as well let psychic Paul loose with their marketing budget and see what happens. Would you feel confident in putting your marketing fate into the ‘tentacles’ of a clairvoyant Octopus, regardless of his past success at predicting the future?

If the answer is yes, then good luck to you. If it works, you’ll have a great press release on your hands! However, for those of us that would like a more stable foundation on which to make our marketing decisions, there is no substitute for proper marketing planning and preparation.

We keep shouting about it and that is because we believe that investing time, energy and money (sometimes) in this area will reap significant rewards down the marketing road. SMEs are notoriously keen to shun planning and preparation, in favour of pursuing ad hoc business interests. This attitude is a major factor in why many businesses are finding their marketing does not deliver the return on investment they expect and their business needs.

So what can you do about it?

3 crucial areas that you need to know about before you embark on any marketing campaign are:

  1.  What is your market? Not what you think it is, but actually research who your service / products appeal to? You may be surprised at some of the market segments that are interested in what you do.
  2. What are your customers / potential customers’ needs? Why are they buying / would they buy your products or services? What needs are you satisfying?
  3. Who are your competitors and what are they doing? Again, not just those you are immediately aware of. You need to research a bit further, consider your indirect competitors too.

Only once you have this information as minimum, should you consider formulating a marketing plan.

It has been proven that there is a direct link between the long-run profitability of a business and its ability to get a clear understanding of its customers’ needs. It makes sense really, if you know what someone wants and why they want it, it should be fairly straightforward to offer a service or product that meets that need.

The crucial next step is giving them a reason to get it from you. Here’s where knowing what your competitors are up to becomes vital. Armed with this information, you are in an ideal situation to position your company’s offering in a unique and competitive way that creates a compelling case for why your customers / prospects should use you.

As the old adage goes, fail to plan and plan to fail. This can certainly apply to marketing. A bit of planning and preparation will significantly push the odds of marketing success in your favour, giving you facts and figures on which to make your marketing decisions rather than the whim of a psychic octopus called Paul in a German aquarium.

Free Marketing MOT for Hampshire Businesses
As part of our quest to get SMEs planning their marketing more, TLC Business allocate a limited number of free marketing MOTs to businesses based in Hampshire that want to improve their marketing’s performance. Many businesses have benefitted from one already so don’t delay and book your MOT today. Visit our marketing MOT page for more information.

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July’s Top Marketing Tips

We have some great top tips this July: a source of free data, a tool to find out which page on your website your target audience prefer and a free opportunity to review your marketing over the summer.
Top Tip 1 – As many of you know, data can make or break a marketing campaign. It can be very difficult and expensive to source good quality data. Well, the good people at Corpdata have decided to try and help kickstart the economy by giving every business the opportunity to create their own target list of 200 potential customers for FREE. All you have to do is open an account for free, choose the types of businesses you’d like to include in your list, then download 200 records for free. That can’t be bad. Visit free data offer to download your free 200 records.

 

Top Tip 2 – Trying to get into the minds of your target audience can be tricky. Knowing what they like and don’t like can take a lot of time. Well Google have made it easier to work this out when it comes to your website. Their free website optimizer tool allows you to split test different pages on your website so can see which layout, copy or imagery is best received, very useful for improving your conversion rates.

 

Top tip 3 – If you haven’t taken your free Marketing MOT yet, the summer is the perfect time to do so. Many businesses experience slower periods during the end of July and August. This provides a great opportunity to take a look at your Marketing, review how successful it has been and explore areas for improvement. TLC Business’ free Marketing MOT does just that and gives you a whole host of ideas and suggestions on how you can improve your marketing performance. For more information or to book yours, visit our Marketing MOT page.

Hope you find these useful and do let us know how it goes.

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