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direct response marketing, marketing, recession marketing, relationship marketing
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So yesterday I’m yacking with Mike. He’d never considered marketing with sequential mailings.
It reminded me of this great Three Dog Night song:
“One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It’s the loneliest number since the number one.”
.
One isn’t just lonely. It’s the most evil number in marketing. ‘One’ is very, very bad… closely followed by ‘two.’
The ‘happiest’ number in marketing is three… or more. Sequential mailings (three or more) will make you a lot more money.
Most businesses make this mistake: They think marketing with one ad, sales letter, postcard, etc. one time, will work. WRONG!
This is how advertising legend Bruce Barton explained it: “You can’t advertise today and quit tomorrow. You’re not talking to a mass meeting. You’re talking to a parade.”
Bruce’s point?
Repetition is critical to your marketing success.
No single ad will bring in enough customers to keep your business thriving and successful. In fact, it’s been proven repeatedly that most prospects – and clients – do not respond to a marketing offer until several exposures.
Sequential mailings are the weird little trick entrepreneurs never use. It can take a single mailing… and put it on steroids.
Two important points:
1. Create urgency by giving the offer a deadline – and mention the deadline several times in each mailing.
2. You must have a reoccurring theme in each piece – a REASON for the special offer (your birthday, a holiday, the sun came up…)
For example, say you’re an automotive repair shop. You want to drive business by offering a $15.00 oil change special. That marketing hook must be mentioned in each mailing.
Mailing number one describes the phenomenal offer and the reason for it. Number two expresses concern why you haven’t called. Number three tell them they’re about to miss out on this fantastic offer.
Get it? Do this every ten days for a month for amazing results!
This same strategy drives company newsletter marketing. Regular marketing touches over several months will create clients for life.
It’s a vital piece of relationship marketing.
Let’s talk more about it. Click here to schedule your free marketing consultation.
- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”
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Copyright 2010
This post is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this email is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of David Gruttadaurio
Clients for Life, company newsletter, marketing, newsletter marketing, print newsletter, relationship marketing
Don’t worry… berserk violence isn’t required.
People today are mailing less. A lot less.
As Americans turn from paper to electronic communications, the amount of mail handled by the Post Office continues to drop.
From 213 billion pieces in 2006 to 177 billion last year.
BTW: Those numbers are staggering. Now you know why our mail occasionally takes a ‘left turn’ on us. Overall, the U. S. Postal Service is incredibly reliable.
Anyway, this means that your marketing will stand out even more in your prospects and clients mail boxes.
And it will get even better. Volume is expected to drop to 150 billion by 2020.
This is good news, indeed.
Now is the time to step up your print marketing. While everyone is falling back to email-only marketing, your mail will definitely get noticed.
This is why company newsletter marketing is so hot. No one is doing them… including your competitors.
Some biz owners think they’re hopelessly old school. Others may have tried client newsletters and failed (they’re harder than they look).
Most entrepreneurs think of printed newsletters as quaint old things, like handwritten letters or electric typewriters. So while marketing certainly isn’t exempt from fads, client newsletters are absolutely evergreen.
And if you do it right, your customers will actually look forward to getting their client newsletter each month. It’s relationship marketing at it’s very best.
Exceptional Living is now only $1.49 each – printed, personalized, addressed and mailed first class.
Activate your free account and jump in. You can play with the cool editing features, upload images to your account, etc.
You don’t pay a dime until you decide that you want to place an order. In the meantime kick the tires on our free newsletter templates.
If you do choose to order, for less than 18 bucks a year per client, you can keep in touch every month and build your customer relationships.
I’m hard at work on April’s issue of Exceptional Living. It should be ready for viewing in the next few days.
I’ll keep you ‘posted (pun intended).
Taking action just feel right.
- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”
PS: Save $77! I’ll waive your first month’s subscription of Exceptional Living print newsletter!
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Copyright 2010
This post is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this email is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of David Gruttadaurio
Newsletter, client newsletter, client newsletters, customer newsletter, customer newsletters, free newsletter template, marketing, newsletter marketing, newsletter template, newsletters, print newsletter, printed newsletters, relationship marketing
Have you ever been someone’s regular customer and then stopped doing business with them? Anyone ever ask why you stopped?
Probably not.
The average company loses up to 40 percent of their clients every year. And they don’t come back.
Sure, we all lose customers.
But here’s the REAL problem: Most businesses blame the customer for going AWOL.
The truth is, only 5% boycott your biz because they were unhappy with you. The vast majority (95%) of customers had a pleasant experience with your company.
So the fault belongs to YOU. The customer didn’t come back because they were ignored.
Reclaiming a lost customer is actually easier than gaining a new customer.
Studies show a 60-70% success rate selling to a current customer; a 20-40% chance of winning back a former customer; but only a 5-20% chance of turning prospects into customers.
The IPA client is the easiest one to rescue.
An Intentionally Pushed Away customer (IPA) was neglected, ignored or simply fell through the client contact cracks. He or she was profitable. But they were not pursued (or romanced) after the initial sale.
Your best chance of regaining an IPA’s business is through regular client communication and better customer service.
Note: Lost customers do not live in a vacuum. If they aren’t doing business with your, they’ll be doing business with somebody.
These two simple steps can get them back:
1. Ask the customer, “What can we do to win back your business?” Listen closely to what they tell you.
This takes courage.
No one likes to be criticized. And most likely the IPA customer isn’t going to take the blame for not coming back to you. Whatever reason they give, being ‘defensive’ negates the reason for asking them in the first place.
Just listen patiently… and learn.
2. Stay in touch with the lost customer; earn his or her business every day.
This takes discipline.
Finding them and keeping them are two different things. You have to be committed to maintaining constant client contact.
Customer loyalty today is nearly nonexistent. Earning it requires vigilance, dedication and determination.
Who knows, one day an IPA customer could turn out to be one of your top clients.
Brett and I can lend a hand. Click here to get help.
Taking action just feel right.
- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”
Copyright 2010
This post is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this email is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of David Gruttadaurio
client newsletter, customer newsletter, marketing, marketing newsletter, newsletter template, newsletter templates, patient newsletter, print newsletter
Do you have a commodity-oriented biz?
Or…
Think you can’t sell a premium version of your product or service?
Then consider this:
High end toilet paper… well, you know what I mean… luxury tush tissue.
BTW: This info courtesy of DK’s ‘Marketing To The Affluent Letter’.
Andrex is THE toilet paper brand in the U.K. with sales of $550 million annually. Last year they came out with a luxury brand, enriched with Shea Butter (Google it).
This is the product description (you really must read this):
“Offering a multi-sensory experience, this luxurious new toilet tissue has some new and exclusive features that will make you feel truly fabulous… the pack is a deep, rich luxurious brown color, matching any contemporary bathroom design. It feels soft, smells divine and looks gorgeous which will make you feel really fabulous! ”
Yep. This is same stuff we all wipe our butts with.
Now go back and read the descriptives that I italicized. This copy has absolutely NOTHING to do with toilet paper. It’s all about a luxurious [fabulous] experience… while in the loo!
Marketing lesson: No one can ever say they can’t create a premium upsell or product/service option.
If there was ever a commodity product, this is it. And yet, somebody is romancing it, elevating its social standing and selling an upscale version of it.
Surely you can dream up a way to do this in your business.
If you have – or plan to – let me know. I’d love to hear about it.
Taking action just feel right.
- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”
PS: There’s still time to get your March newsletter order in – now just $1.49 each – printed, mailed first class in 6 page, edge-to-edge, full color.
Copyright 2010
This post is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this email is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of David Gruttadaurio
I had an ‘aha’ moment. Boy, if Oprah finds out…
Here’s the skinny: Several month ago, Ms. Multibillionaire sued Mutual of Omaha. The insurance company started a marketing campaign called “the official sponsor of the aha moment.” They also trademarked the phrase.
Oprah was miffed. Winfrey thinks she owns the phrase – apparently she says it a lot – although she’s never tried to trademark it.
Anyway, they settled out of court. No one really knows how it ended.
So… I guess I’ll just have to take my chances.
This is how my ‘aha moment’ happened.
One of my clients called to thank me for sending her the ‘magazine’ this month.
Magazine??? My mind was racing… did I send someone my Sports Illustrated by mistake? No, no, no… she sounded HAPPY to get it.
Then it hit me. She was talking about Exceptional Living customer newsletter – but she called it a magazine!
Huh… I never thought of it as a magazine before. But I can see why she would think that.
After all, it’s printed in full, edge-to-edge-color; and it does have six pages. Perhaps ‘newsmagazine’ could work, too… hmmm.
My ‘aha moment’ was sealed.
Want to know when YOUR ‘aha moment’ will be?
The day your customers start calling YOU about the great ‘magazine’ you sent them. Then you’ll finally believe:
- Exceptional Living is really easy to create - 97% of the work is done for you with our newsletter template that’s made for you.
- Exceptional Living really does bring in more sales from existing clients.
- Exceptional Living really gets passed around and generates more referrals for your company.
Create your own ‘aha moment’. Get started here.
And don’t worry about Oprah; I won’t tell her.
Taking action just feel right.
- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”
PS: You have plenty of time to get your March newsletter in your customer’s mailboxes. Our turnaround time is awesome!
Newsletter, client newsletter, customer newsletter, marketing, marketing newsletter, newsletter marketing, print newsletter
Can one big marketing idea really change your business?
Yep. Just ask Phillip Morris.
The Marlboro brand was marketed for several decades as a ladies cigarette… it was “Mild as May.”
Then a new idea was pitched. It was simple, really. Expand your target audience by changing the marketing message.
That idea was The Marlboro Man.
Love him or hate him; it’s the most powerful brand image in the history of marketing.
How powerful?
In 1954, Marlboro was a $154 million a year brand. Not too shabby, really.
Then, in early 1955, The Marlboro Man went national. By the end of 1955, Marlboro was a $5 billion brand. That’s right… BILLION. A whopping 3241% sales increase.
By 1957, Marlboro’s sold $20 billion.
In 1971, cigarette ads were banned from TV. But The Marlboro Man continued his relentless ride. By 1972, Marlboro became the number one tobacco brand in the world.
Putting our complaints and ethical issues aside, as a marketer, we have to ask:
What made this idea work?
Answer: Phillip Morris was NOT selling cigarettes. They created and sold a desirable lifestyle image. Guys wanted to be like him; girls wanted to be with him.
It’s still being done today. Pay attention to the Starbucks, Lufthansa Airlines, and Polo Ralph Lauren brands. They rarely speak about their products or services. But they always glamorize the people using them.
Big lesson here. Why can’t you do the same? Think real hard how you can make your products or services about MORE than what they are.
This is EXACTLY what we did with our company newsletter, Exceptional Living. Click here to view.
The header features a beautiful beach and a couple lounging under a palm tree. It’s “The Insider Resource For The Art Of Living Well.”
Sure. It’s just a customer newsletter.
But… it’s also promoting a lifestyle promise… it’s presented with style… and most importantly, YOU were the one to send it to them.
In 2010, make this one of your BIG ideas. Send your customers Exceptional Living every month.
I can’t guarantee a 3241% increase in business. But I can guarantee a 300% increase. It’s a promise. Click here for more info.
Taking action just feels… great!
-David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”
Newsletter, customer newsletter, marketing, newsletters, print newsletter
Was it voodoo? Maybe it was black magic.
99% of retailers today are hurting.
So how did J. Crew increase same-store sales a whopping 8% last year AND keep their inventories super lean?
(BTW: Same-store sales are a key measurement of retail performance.)
Hint: It WASN’T the ‘cheap, cheaper and cheapest’ mindset that’s taken over today.
Trading profits for sales makes as much sense as saving the American economy with epic federal spending and massive national debt.
Nope. J. Crew did the unthinkable.
They increased profits by… drum roll please… selling at higher prices!
Yep. They had fewer customers… BUT bigger transactions.
Here’s what J. Crew had to say about this:
“We distinguished merchandise that cannot be found elsewhere, and tailored our customer service.”
Translation: They ‘premium-ized’ their brand even more and then bulked up on customer service.
I got this info from Dan Kennedy. He then mentioned the fatal flaws SO MANY businesses make today:
Here are 4 of the 9 Price and Fee Failures:
1. Pricing by industry norms.
2. Excess concern about competitor’s lower prices.
3. Attracting customers who buy by price.
4. Not offering premium or premium-priced options.
(Want the other 5? They’re in his February No BS Marketing To The Affluent Letter)
Dan Kennedy came to the conclusion: “Decisions born of fear and fragility rarely turn out well.”
It’s easy to panic. Sales have dropped. So dropping prices would seem to make sense. But playing that game has some nasty consequences.
1. If you drop prices now, how to justify raising them later?
2. Plus, can you REALLY afford to lower your pricing now?
Food for thought: 10-20% of consumers will always pay top dollar for what they perceive to be the best. I’m actually one of those people.
Obviously you have to back that up premium pricing with premium products and services and truly outstanding customer service.
It can be done – it is being done – even in today’s economy.
For more info, check out my blog post from a few days ago about this.
We have newsletters ideas that work.
- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”
PS: They’re back! We temporarily ran out of newsletters sample packs. Order yours HERE.
client newsletter, customer newsletter, marketing, newsletter ideas, newsletters, print newsletter
If your customers are not involved, they aren’t going to buy. Period.
Getting them involved in your ads and mailings gets your marketing noticed. And most importantly, it gets it acted upon.
Have you ever opened an envelope and had a paper fall out as you pulled out the contents? It was designed to do that. It got you involved: “Huh… I wonder what this is…?”
Publisher’s Clearinghouse has used involvemnet triggers for years.
Ever wonder why they make you jump through so many hoops to order their freakin’ magazines?
You know what I mean: Take the sticker and put it here. Now take the certificate and… it goes on and on.
They do this because it works! It get’s you involved and literally moves you to action. Placing the order is simply another action to take.
Here are some ways YOU can get consumers involved with your direct mailings.
1. Send a pen in the mail, then give them a quiz, check off list, etc in your letter.
This gets them writing, filling out forms etc. This is especially good if you’re including an order form to fill out and sent back. They’ve already started writing; so they may just fill out the order form, too.
2. Put their name on a list. Send a letter with a bunch of names on a list. Everyone on the list has qualified for the ’special offer.’ They will automatically begin to search for their name. Haven’t you done that yourself?
3. You can use bullet points to ask leading questions:
– Which of these three categories are you in…
– Ask yourself these 5 questions…
– Do any of these 5 situations describe you…
Of course the logical answer/solution to anything listed above is YOU.
Reader involvement is lacking in nearly all marketing. This is painfully obvious with almost any customer and patient newsletter.
Did you know Exceptional Living has EIGHT involvement triggers built in to it? Every one of them is designed to pull the reader deeper and deeper into the client newsletter.
Click here to discover what these 8 triggers are and why they work.
Learn why it gets read… and why it makes you money.
Taking action just feels right.
- David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”
Newsletter, client newsletter, customer newsletter, marketing, newsletters, patient newsletter, print newsletter
I just spent two very full days (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) with 15 extremely sharp and savvy entrepreneurs in the Andrew Lock Magical Mastermind group.
As promised, this is the 3rd of 5 marketing strategies you can use in your own business.
We looked at an ad from 1959… that’s right, a 50 years old ad. (BTW: This Chevy ad ain’t it.)
Why examine past ads? Because marketing is marketing is marketing. It doesn’t matter what you sell. We can learn a lot from the marketing gems of the past.
The 1959 Chevy Bel Air in the ad above was typical of the cars being sold: They were huge; most weighed around two tons. Gas was dirt cheap, so no one cared about fuel economy.
In 1959, you had to make a bold and clear statement that you were DIFFERENT. Your goal was to become the obvious choice.
Check out this famous ad from VW…
VW followed Earl Nightingale famous advice, “If you want to be successful, look at what everyone else is doing, and DO THE OPPOSITE.”
While every auto manufacturer was building land yachts, VW was doing the exact opposite, as showcased in their brilliant ad. (Make sure you read the copy.)
BIG TAKE AWAY: Most of the people in your industry have similar backgrounds and experiences.
You must become a risk-taker. Status quo ads deliver status quo and common results. If you want exceptional results and success… you must DO THE OPPOSITE.
Doing what’s comfortable is safe for you – but boring for your customers. Being boring means being invisible. Being invisible means no sale.
One way to avoid being lumped in the same lame category as your competitors is to send a customer newsletter.
NO ONE does that.
And if your client or patient newsletter is Exceptional Living… then WOW! No sea of sameness for you. You avoid swimming in an ocean of mediocrity.
Taking action just feels right.
-David Gruttadaurio
“The Print Newsletter Expert”
PS: Fight sameness with a vengeance! Click here to check out my FREE OFFER.
client newsletter, customer newsletter, marketing, patient newsletter