A few weeks ago, I had a fun meeting with a newer business. Laurian Horowitz started Colorado Life Lessons just under a year ago. They provide great services for people, especially teenagers, looking to establish their credentials in life guarding, baby sitting, CPR and First Aid.
Laurian was referred to me to see if I could help her with some of her marketing. After a good conversation learning about all the services she offers and brainstorming a little about the market for each, we started into what we could possibly do.
First, we discussed each of the services to determine which would be easiest to market and most profitable. Unfortunately, those didn’t overlap in her case. We also discussed the work it would require of her for each of the classes to determine how much she could actually handle.
The markets for Colorado Life Lessons overlapped to some extent, but in order to effectively market, we had to get extremely specific, which removed some of the overlap.
As marketing goes, nothing is guaranteed, but when you can either get extremely specific, or hit multiple markets at the same time, you can measure the response. Ultimately, all your marketing should be tracking well so you can evaluate your strategies on a monthly basis and make any adjustments.
The lesson here to to always look for new marketing that complements your existing marketing. While some things won’t work, others will. Your goal will be to find out which methods work and how to integrate them into an overall marketing strategy.
While this blog is not intended to be a sales tool for PinPoint Mailings, if you think direct marketing may be a strategy you’d like to explore, I’d be more than happy to help you determine if it may be a fit for your business.
Several months ago, a few of us decided to partner with the best business people we know in several industries. With a variety of businesses involved in the group, from merchant services to website development, marketing design to insurance, promotional products to information technology, we joined together to become a one-stop shop for small businesses. We became The Small Business Specialists. Our goal is to help start-up and small businesses grow.
Each of us are experts in our own niche. Coming together allows to leverage our knowledge and experience. In running our own businesses, we found it to be most efficient to focus on using our skills and hire or outsource the other aspects of our businesses. Even running our group, we refer to each other for ideas and brain-storming.
An auto mechanic best uses his skills repairing engines, not mopping the floor, filing papers, or running his payroll. Non-profit employees and volunteers should provide their services, not fold and stuff envelopes, or create small give-away items. A veterinarian should be seeing people’s pets, not fixing computers or updating his website.
In reality, any business owner should focus on just one thing: running his business. Everything from payroll and accounting to marketing and office cleaning should be done by a hired employee or an outsourced contractor.
That’s where The Small Business Specialists come in. We provide the essential services to running any business. By working with one group, a business owner can streamline the entire process or selecting other vendors. Due to the familiarity we’ve developed with each other, we can easily work together to meet the needs of the client as quickly and painlessly as possible.
If you are, or know, a small business owner thinking of starting a business, talk with one of our consultants to see if we can help get you jump started. Visit our website or call one of our consultants at (303) 731-4363.
Recently, I started working with an automotive repair shop; Davis Repair. They recently hired a BMW technician. They wanted to reach out to nearby BMW owners to try to lure in some new customers. They weren’t sure where to start…
The shop owner wanted to test direct mail on a small mailing to evaluate if he should make it part of his 2010 marketing plan. We developed a campaign to market to the 500 BMW owners closest to his shop. The campaign was very simple; three monthly mailings of the same postcard to BMW owners.
The first set of cards was mailed in November. About a week after the mailing, Davis Repair received several calls for minor repairs and oil changes. However, they were also able to service one new customer’s BMW with a $3,000 repair. That one repair covered the cost of the entire campaign.
After the experience, the owner called to expand the marketing. He wanted to add the next closest 500 BMW owners. The modified campaign will now run for six months, alternating between the two groups. Since they have already covered the cost of both campaigns, all future business generated as a result of this mailing is profit.
This example shows how a direct marketing campaign should work. We defined the target market of BMW owners, developed a message tailroed to them, and reached out to them multiple times. As a result, new customers have come in, and with good customer service, will become regular customers.
We don’t yet have the Return On Investment (ROI) for this campaign, as it is only about halfway finished. The preliminary response shows promise, and the results have already paid for the entire campaign.
This campaign, though on the small side, shows what a direct mail campaign should do for your business. If you want help developing a campaign tailored to your business. I’d enjoy the opportunity to talk.
Marketing has always been part art, part science. The art component is the gut feel before anything is tried. It’s the mix of colors and shapes; the choice between abstract images and those of real people or items.
The other part of marketing is the science. For every marketing campaign, you should test and track every aspect. One of the easiest changes to track is the offer. Earlier this week, I highlighted the top 5 offers to include on your direct mail marketing materials. Here is a case study of one of my customers:
The client owns and runs an automitive mechanice shop. They do the typical oile changes, service maintenances, and diagnostic checks. On two of the mailings, we tested two offers. The first was a $25 off any service. It could be used for an oil change, so the total due would be $10. The second offer was a $50 off $300 service. The offer doubled, but was limited to a larger repair.
So, which of the two did better? What’s your thought?
Think about it. Would someone want $25 or $50 off their service bill? Would someone want to spend $300 on a service to get $50. Or, look at it as 72% off a $35 oil change versus 16% off a major repair.
So, have your opinion yet? $25 off any or $50 off $300. Which works better?
Would it surprise you to know the $50 off drew more customers? After thinking through it, and asking a few customers, it appears that more people were willing to fix a big problem for $50 as opposed to getting a more routine service, like an oil change.
So, even a single offer, like a fixed dollar off, can be tested against its own variations.
So, does that mean that you have to try every variation to find the best? No, not necessarily. The way to approach marketing is to use your best judgement, talk with your clients, as trust your gut. As you continue marketing, you’ll learn what works better. Each campaign, whether next week, next month, or next year, should be modified, even slightly, to see the affect on results.
And, it may help to consult a professional about where to start, so you can ramp up the learning curve.
Ever wonder why you see the same offers on most marketing? The simple answer is that it works! Whether you call them direct mail offers, sales offers, or calls to action, they should exist on every piece of marketing.
So, what are the offers that get results? Here are the most effective:
In your next marketing campaign, try one of the five offers above to make your direct marketing more effective. These top 5 generate the most response and should generate more sales and/or attract more customers.
You may be thinking these are so traditional, they won’t work anymore. Part of the reason they have been used so much, is they work. Traditions, of any type, become traditions because they work.
When you use these in your marketing, let me know how they work. If you’ve been running your marketing campaigns without any offers, you’d be surprised how much more effective it will become.