direct – iMAX Creator

กุมภาพันธ์ 13, 2019

Choose The Right Business For You In Less Than 15

Choose The Right Business For You In Less Than 15 Minutes

by: Charles Kangethe

3 Characteristics Of ‘the Right Businessก Model

The business must service a large market.

Niche markets are also very profitable but require specialist products and customer service. Target niche markets when you are more confident in your business abilities.

The business must adapt and change with the market.

Be aware faddish businesses can be very difficult to operate because of the rapid rate at which market perceptions change.

Initial startup capital requirements must be minimal

Many new business owners work to tight budgets and have limited resources to startup. Ideal business models should therefore have low startup costs.

What Business Fits These Characteristics?

A (home based), direct response marketing business, dealing in Information has all these characteristics and offers unparalleled flexibility for the serious Wealth Creator.

Direct response marketing is all about the targeting of a specific market by use of mail shots.

Mail shots can be sent by post as happens in mail order or by email as happens in the online Internet world.

Letกs get specific and see how direct response marketing fulfils the characteristics of ‘the Right Businessก

Large Market

Direct Response is a multi billion dollar industry and growing.

The US leads the world in direct response marketing, principally due to the geographical spread of the country, and the almost universal acceptance of direct response marketing as a valid means of buying and selling products.

The UK is a very sophisticated direct marketers environment, where many US trends manifest themselves as a result of the close cultural, economic and political ties between the two countries.

5 Reasons Why The Business Should Deal With Information.

People like Information. They seek it everywhere. On the TV, on radio, at the cinema, in newspapers, in books and reports and increasingly on the Internet.

The need for Information seems insatiable the more a person knows about a particular subject, the more they want to know. It is also true that the less someone knows about something which is of some interest to them the more they will seek out information to expand their knowledge.

Advances in technology in computing and desktop publishing means it is now unbelievably easy and cost effective to engage in Information provision businesses.

People will pay money for access to good, useful sources of information. They have little time to do the required research themselves and will pay someone else to distil the information they require into useable forms.

There are numerous Information product types and it is more than likely you will find one or more of the following financially rewarding. Ezines, audio tapes, video tapes, CDROM, DVD, Live teleconferences, workshops and Seminars.

Adaptable Business

A direct marketing business working with Information affords you the opportunity to change with your market as quickly as it takes to produce a new Information product.

This can literally range from a few hours for new, short shelf life information products to a few days or weeks for longer lasting Information items.

In some cases the changes you need to make to your products to stay ahead of changing market trends may be as simple as title changes and a few amended paragraphs in the content.

Low StartUp Capital Requirements

Many of your good ideas go by the wayside for one simple reason. It costs too much to successfully float the idea, and then to sustain it through the early years as it becomes established.

An Online direct response information product business can be started for less than $300 per annum in the USA or £200 per annum in the UK.

At the very minimum, you will require

A domain and website on a professional hosting platform

An Autoresponder Service to send out email communications to your prospects and customers

You will also require some means for accepting payment for your Information Product.

One of the truly remarkable things about this business is that these requirements can be achieved for the low capital outlay described above.

Conclusion

Information marketing is not the only กidealก business model, and I am sure you can think of others that fit the characteristics noted at the beginning. However, Information marketing via direct response offers you the perfect Business setup to ensure a positive startup and a healthy business model.

Charles Kangethe of http://www.simplyeasier.com is a leading new wave Netpreneur and a published author from England. The กSimply Easierก brand name is your guarantee of high value, quality Marketing Products, Services and Resources.

About The Author

Charles Kangethe has been involved in direct response marketing since 1982. He now lives in Suffolk County and spends his time working on new Online Marketing campaigns, with particular focus on helping new netpreneurs at http://www.simplyeasier.com

This article was posted on January 26, 2004

by Charles Kangethe

ตุลาคม 12, 2018

How To Use Direct Response Card Decks To Fine Tune

How To Use Direct Response Card Decks To Fine Tune Your Marketing…

by: Thom Reece

Market research specialists have discovered a new tool which enables them to quickly identify target market cells, measure buyer acceptance, test new product or service concepts quickly and inexpensively and survey market characteristics…the Direct Response Card Deck.

For two to four cents per contact, the researcher can now gather market intelligence from both specialized vertical markets (lawyers, doctors, etc.) or broad based horizontal markets (all marketing executives across industry lines). In addition, these same markets can now be tested in such confined geographical areas as business executives in Hawaii or professionals in Minneapolis.

Not only does the marketer overcome one of the traditional problems in research…test sizes…he or she also reaps the huge advantage of accurate measurability and accountability. Since all responses can be directed right back to the research organization, market feedback is both quick and accurate.

Many firms have difficulty in obtaining statistically significant samplings through traditional channels because of budget restrictions.

Itกs not uncommon for important strategy decisions to be made on the basis of sampling as few as 2,000 names out of a universe of several million potential buyers. This is risky at best. It could lead to marketing disaster based on serious sampling error, or wrong conclusions drawn from insufficient data.

With direct response card packs, it is now possible to test or survey as many as 100,000 potential buyers for as little as $2,000 or less. For the research or direct marketing consultant this results in meaningful figures which are both statistically significant and forecastable.

Proper analysis of this larger sampling should result in strategy decisions which are more accurate, more meaningful, more valid and more profitable for the direct marketer.

The ability to order and conduct true A/B (or more) split run tests of offers, prices, etc. has important implications for the creative team.

The marketing intelligence gathered through card packs can be a valuable road map to success. Critically important data, discovered through card deck advertising, can determine the answers to such questions as:

Have we targeted to the correct audience?

Is the audience responsive to the degree necessary to maximize potential profitability?

Do we have the right combination of offer, price, copy, graphics, headlines, terms, etc.?

Are the response/profit characteristics such that they justify testing such other direct response media as direct mail, space or broadcast advertising?

Is there potential for a variation of this product/service to be marketed to a closely related audience?

What is the potential for backend profits from related item sales?

Are we barking up the wrong tree? Should we cut our losses now and thank our luck stars that we were able to discover, inexpensively, that we were wrong?

While the advantage of card decks as a market research tool outweigh the disadvantages, there are some restrictions you need to be aware of:

1. The card itself is small (about 3กx5ก) and as such restricts your ability to test such things as long copy and multiple option offers. Some decks provide larger format sizes with the ability to do foldover inserts which provide more space, but these options are at a substantial premium in price. The small space can work to your advantage because it forces you to limit your testing to those factors that have the most profound affect on response and profitability…i.e. offer and price, for example.

2. Color reproduction, if it is important to your product, is not always the best. The conventional .007 Hi Bulk paper stock normally used in card decks is not the best choice for color printing. Most deck publishers, however, offer a coated stock option and you may find it useful.

3. Response rates are,on the average, lower in card decks (1/4th of one percent to 1 percent) than they might be in a free standing direct mail package. On the surface this may appear to be a disadvantage. In fact it is not.

Your goal in market research/testing is to obtain statistically significant data across the broadest sampling possible…consistent with budgetary limits.

Card decks allow you to achieve this goal, precisely. Itกs much better to have a 1/4th of 1% response from a 100,000 name universe (250 responses) than to have a 12.5% (250 responses) from a small 2,000 name test cell. Although the total numbers are the same, the former example gives you a truer picture of market conditions and possible product/service acceptance.

In summation, we have found that direct response card decks, if used properly, can be ideal market research tools. Card decks are inexpensive to use. They give quick accurate and projectable results. They reduce the risk of sampling error, and the resulting data is both statistically significant and inherently more valid.

Thereกs only one way to know for sure…test it!

About The Author

Thom Reece is the CEO of OnLine Marketing Group, a direct response marketing agency with headquarters in Hawaii. He is the creator of the Online Marketing Resource Center [ http://www.ecomprofits.com ]. Thom can be reached by email at: thomATecomprofits.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 10

by Thom Reece

กันยายน 7, 2018

How To Make Big Bucks With Any MultiLevel Program

by: Hutoxi Hodiwalla

Multilevel Marketing companies abound by the thousands. A great many wellknown economists are predicting this form of selling to become the prevailing method of selling by the turn of the century.

A lot of people have joined multilevel marketing programs and have made a fortune from their efforts. Anybody with just a smattering of ambition and energy can still join up and attain financial freedom.

However, unless you know what you’re doing and how to do it, youกll probably never make much more than your expenses.

First off, be sure of the MLM company you hook up with make sure itกs all it claims to be, and that it will not only make regular payments to you, but that it will ship the merchandise to your customers and is going to be around for years to come.

Secondly, be sure that the product you’re promoting has mass appeal does it sell itself and will people stand in line to buy it. A lot of wellmeaning advertising writers advise you to select a product, devise a selling plan and then to work on your plan but, this will only put you into the shoes of an EightDaysAWeek Sales Person. The one product that sell itself, and for which people the world over will stand in line for, is กHowTo Informationก that explains to people wanting to get rich, how to get rich.

Thirdly, make sure the program you decide upon can be adapted to sales by mail. Believe me, selling by mail is the least expensive and most efficient method of selling there is.

Look at all the ads in the trade papers and magazines all those trying to sell multilevel programs what are they missing? Can you adapt your program to กhave to haveก advertising?

Amway could go with a direct mail circular starting out with something like: Get paid for cleaning your own home!

Yurika Foods could go with a circular like so: Receive a 25 cents rebate for every dollar you spend on food!

What Iกm advocating is that you make up a direct mail circular to pull in new prospects. Weกve used such a circular for 3 different MLM programs we sent out 10,000 circulars asking for $2 for further details of our program, and in each instance, we pulled in more than 4,000 first line distributors. Get yourself a mailing list of 10,000 or more opportunity seekers; make up an advertising circular that whets the appetite of the recipients; then get these circulars into the mail. When the orders for more information come in, send them a sales letter along with your program joinup brochure.

You can have thousands of these brochures printed and mailed to everyone in your area even to names from the phone book or to people all across the country…but to be really effective, and bring back a profit for you, you should have a complete mailing package. In other words, you MLM Advertising Circular asking for $2 in exchange for further information about the best MLM Program yet devised can be your door opener then, you should include other things that should also interest the prospect in other words, not just a single sheet of paper.

Our own direct mail package usually includes our current MLM Advertising Circular then our current special of the month: sometimes mailing lists at greatly reduced prices or a special book and then a listing of our HowTo Informational Reports. We figure that with this direct mail package, if they the recipient doesn’t want one thing, heกll want the other. In a great many cases, we get orders for the whole package which sometimes runs to several hundred dollars. The thing is, weกve been very successful with this mailing package, most of the time pulling in better than 10% orders per thousand packages mailed out. And, our MLM conversion rate people who send in $2 for further information on our MLM Program and then end up joining the program under our sponsorship has been running better than 30 percent!

How To Parlay Any MultiLevel Program Into Real Riches start with a good product (How To Make a Real Profit With A Current Sparetime Project). Make up a direct mail advertising circular, send it out to everybody in the country with a complete direct mail package; and youกll be home free! I know, Iกve done it with 3 different MultiLevel Programs!

About The Author

Hutoxi Hodiwalla is an affiliate with Plug In Profit Site where you can find everything youกll ever need to start multiple streams of income at: http://www.Hutoxi.com. My email is [email protected]

This article was posted on April 21, 2004

by Hutoxi Hodiwalla

พฤษภาคม 10, 2018

Determining the Value of Links from Link Renting

by: Aaron Wall

What is Link Renting?

Link renting is a means to ‘rent’ the popularity and traffic flow of another site – you pay a monthly fee in return for a text link pointing to your site. In doing so, you can directly and indirectly drive more targeted traffic toward your website.

Many industries such as travel, pharmacy, pornography, and gaming have search results which are hyper competitive and require heavy advertising or aggressive SEO techniques. Some niche websites may see an even greater ROI on smart link rentals since many of their competitors may not include link renting in their online marketing budgets.

Some rented links provide great value in direct targeted traffic, whereas some other links provide greater value from the effect they have on search relevancy.

Most links are rented on a monthly basis with an option to renew at the end of the month. Some link prices can be as low as a few dollars a month whereas some can cost thousands per month.

There is no singular onesizefitsall way to directly assume the value of a link. Most effective marketing has risks associated with it, but you can minimize the risks and maximize your return by breaking the value of the link down into its elements:

Direct traffic from link renting

Viral effect of advertising

Effects of link rentals on search relevancy.

1. Direct Traffic from Link Renting:

Link renting can drive significant direct traffic. The first things you need to know are:

what is the quality level of the traffic?

how related is this audience to my product?

how much traffic does the site receive?

What is the Quality Level of the Traffic:

Where does the bulk of their traffic come from? Someone recently asked about ePilot, the pay per click search engine, at Search Engine Watch forums. Andrew Goodman replied ‘the first question I would ask myself would be: กwhere does ePilotกs traffic come from?ก Answer isn’t clear? Then it would be no surprise that the socalled traffic doesn’t convert to anything.ก

This same concept holds true with any site. If you do not see any quality inbound links that could indicate a problem: or they could get most of their traffic from payperclick ads. Whatever the case, if you are going to spend money renting links for traffic, make sure you know where their traffic comes from.

How Related is the Audience:

It will be somewhat of a guesstimate as to how exactly how related the traffic will be, but generally it is fairly obvious when something is on theme or off theme. Some things you may want to consider when determining traffic quality:

What is the mood / mind set of their traffic? Related traffic may not be traffic that converts. At the 2004 Webmaster World Las Vegas Conference a speaker mentioned that a website about prom hairstyles may not be a good place to advertise prom dresses since girls do not usually look at prom hairdos until after they have already purchased their prom dresses.

What product should I advertise? Sometimes it makes sense to send traffic to your home page while other times it is more logical to advertise a specific product because it is hot or more related to that particular audience.

How Much Traffic Does the Site Receive:

Most honest webmasters who sell ad space understand that the traffic they receive is a large part of their ad value and should have no problems giving you that information.

Some systems such as Alexa also track traffic, but their statistics can be inaccurate due to their limited distribution.. The best way to use such systems is not for traffic estimates but for comparisons between sites. Note that Alexa has a heavy bias toward webmaster resource type sites. Additionally other companies such as Hitwise may provide more accurate traffic statistics.

From the base traffic level there is a bunch more research you can do to determine how much traffic the site may bring:

Who currently advertises on the site? You may want to ask them about their advertising experience. Some ad networks such as AdBright show past advertisers average cost per click and ad renewal rates.

How many ads are on the page? Each additional ad will split up some of the traffic.

Where does your ad sit? Ads that are tucked away in the footer or in common ad space may get less exposure and drive less traffic. Ads near the content may gain additional exposure and drive more traffic.

What ad formats can be used? Certain ad creatives may provide greater value than other ads.

What is the ad turnover rate? Advertisers tend to stay with a site that delivers traffic. A high turnover rate may indicate other problems.

Have advertisers made any suggestions? Ask if any of their past advertisers made any suggestions or stated that they found any particular setup as being especially helpful.

Is the traffic seasonal? Some sites have large shifts in traffic volume due to seasonal factors.

2. Viral Effect of Advertising:

Some ads go through click tracking systems which may prevent them from being indexed by search engines. This means that the only value of those particular links would come from direct traffic. Sometimes ads lead to additional exposure though.

3. Effect of Link Rentals on Search Relevancy:

Many links have a greater indirect value than direct value.

When someone links to your site it is seen by search engines as a vote of quality. The anchor text and other page elements such as the page title and headers may also help search engines further classify the link. On image links the image alt text plays the roll of the anchor text.

On the commercial web many links are bought and sold, and thus for search engines to remain relevant they must find ways to regulate link purchasing.

Some of the things you may want to look for when buying links to help maximize your ROI and minimize your risks:

Are the links direct links? Links that go through an ad server usually do not help build your link popularity.

Is the page on theme? On topic links from industry hubs are given significantly more weighting in clustering or community based algorithms such as Teomaกs topic distillation and Googleกs Hilltop. If the site allows off topic links then it has a greater chance of having its link popularity blocked or devalued.

How many links are on the page? If a page sells an unlimited number of ads then the outbound link popularity is split up many ways, and that also could look a bit unnatural to search engines. If there are hundreds of internal links on a page then each additional link will be getting an exceptionally small share of link popularity.

What anchor text can I use? If you can use descriptive anchor text then the value of the link is greater since the link text helps search engines understand what your site is about.

What is the cost difference between site wide and individual page links? Generally site wide links may drive significantly more direct traffic, but likely they do not provide much additional weight beyond a single link from the best page on the site.

What is the PageRank of the page? Generally many people place too much value on PageRank, but a higher PageRank does equate to greater connectivity and slightly additional value.

Who links to the page and to the site? If the page or site is well connected within your topical community then search engines will likely consider links from it as being far more important than links from pages which are not as well connected.

Summary:

To best determine the value of a link you need to consider both its direct and indirect effects. Generally it is best to buy on topic links since they provide both direct and indirect value.

About The Author

Aaron Wall is a self taught, independant search engine marketer. He currently owns/operates http://www.searchmarketing.info, and is learning more about the internet daily. Aaronกs articles have been syndicated across the web. He quietly works out of his house helping numerous website as a consultant and search engine marketer. You can reach Aaron day or night at (401)2071945.

This article was posted on February 18, 2005

by Aaron Wall

เมษายน 2, 2018

TiVo is just a DVR – How Direct TV and Others Pack

TiVo is just a DVR – How Direct TV and Others Packaged A Product for Success

by: Nick Smith

Studying the way Direct TV packaged and positioned TiVo for success in a competitive market can indicate principles for successful marketing for small or home businesses. This article looks at TiVo’s success and discusses the marketing principles that made it work.

TiVo, the poster child of technological advancement for companies like Direct TV, is really nothing more than a middleaged woman in a designer dress – with plastic surgery. The technology behind TiVo is really just a tweaked DVR, or digital video recorder. Other companies have it; but no other company has built as successful marketing package around their product as has Direct TV with TiVo.

What is TiVo, um, I mean a Digital Video Recorder?

Digital Video Recorders capture video in a way similar to old video recorders, but they do it digitally. Watchers can ขpause and rewind live TVข because the speed and response time of DVRs, like TiVo, provide for a virtually seamless transition from live TV to recorded material. Based on user settings, up to 80 hours of television can be recorded. This can include your favorite show each week, or you can record everything you watch to make sure you don’t miss anything. Remember, every DVR can do this, not just TiVo.

The difference is the way Direct TV has partnered with TiVo and positioned it for success in the highly competitive market of satellite television and accessories. The true success of TiVo’s marketing strategy lies in the fact that many people believe it is a unique product.

With product lines in competitive markets, positioning and packaging is king. Direct TV touts TiVo in nearly every major marketing campaign they put together. They offer discount TiVo technologies to new customers who are willing to commit to a oneyear contract. My guess is that if you have ever heard of Direct TV and seen any advertisement they have produced, you have been exposed to the TiVo name and features.

Have You Ever Heard of Tevas?

The three strap sandals that have come in and out of fashion over the last few decades are now known almost universally as ขTevas.ข Chalk up a point for the company Teva that created and marketed their sandals extremely successfully. When was the last time you had jello (actually a name brand of gelatin desert), or used a Kleenex (trademarked name for a tissue)? Do you ask for a ขCokeข no matter what flavor of soda it is? The list goes on and on, including the most recent tendency to refer to all DVR technology as ขTiVo.ข

What are you going to do about it?

If you own a small business or operate one out of your home, you might not be running your own unique product line. But if you do, what are you doing to package it and position it for success? Consider doing the following:

• Name your product or service. It may sound silly, like naming your car ขBetsyข or ขLechuga,ข but a name is an essential part of successful repackaging. This is what TiVo did when they renamed their DVR technology. Rather than call it a car wash, try something like ขDirty Mike’s 15Point SuperClean.ข Maybe five years from now people will say they need a ขsupercleanข instead of saying they need a ขcarwash.ข Keep reading below for legal considerations.

• Before you start using a new slogan or title, double check to make sure another company does not already own the trademark or copyright. The last thing you want to do (or pay for) when you own a small business is a lengthy legal process over something you could have avoided had you done the research.

• Get legal protection for your products, names, and slogans. At the same time you are doing your research, register your trademarks, copyrights, and where appropriate your patents. Registering your intellectual property with the government will go a long way when it comes time to stop others from infringing on your company name or intellectual rights.

About The Author

Nick Smith is a client account specialist with http://www.10xmarketing.com – More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. For more information about TiVo and DVRs, visit http://www.dishnetworkproducts.com/articles/tivo.php.

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 23

by Nick Smith

ธันวาคม 4, 2017

What is MLM ?

by: Fernando Soave

Multilevel Marketing is one of the fastest growing yet most misunderstood methods of moving products in use today. It has been termed by many as the Waveofthe Eighties.

But, it will go far beyond that. By the 90กs more than 100 billion dollars woth of products and services has been moved through Multilevel Marketing companies. As we are in the 21st century watch out !

What is MLM ?

This question is quite frequently in response to a button we often wear or we have seen wearing by others.

Letกs explain it .

1. Marketing simply means moving a product or service from the manufacturer or provider to the consumer.

2. Multilevel refers to the system of compensation provided to the persons who are causing the product to move or the service to be provided.

กMultiก means more than one.

กLevelก means generation.

There are really 5 basic methods of moving products :

1. Retailing.

ex. the drug store, the department store,….

You go into a store and buy something.

2. Direct Sales.

ex. Tupperware, Avon, …..

3. Multilevel Marketing.

This should not be confused with retailing and Direct Sales which commonly is.

4. Mail Order.

This can be an MLM but mostly is included in the Direct Sales category.

5. Pyramid Sales.

This type of Sales is to often confused with MLM.

The fact is, Pyramides are illegal. The main reasons they may be illegal is their failure to move a product or to provide a valid service.

If a product doesn’t move, how can you even call it กmarketingก, let alone กMultilevel Marketingก. Multilevel it may be, but Marketing they are not !!!

Now, most objections that people have about getting into Multilevel Marketing are due to not realising the difference between MLM, Pyramid Sales and the Direct Sales methods of marketing.

This is understandeble because most reputable MLM companies belong to the Direct Selling Association.

We have been conditioned to think of MLM as door to door direct sales programs because our first encounter with them was when a distributor knocked on our door to sell us something.

Anyway, there are some features that differentiate MLM from Retail and Direct Sales companies and on very significant difference is that in MLM you are in business for YOURSELF but not BY YOURSELF.

Being in business for yourself means you are buying the products WHOLESALE from the company you are representing. This means also that you can use these products for your own consumption at WHOLESALE PRICES.

Since we are buying products WHOLESALE we can, if we wish, sell these products at RETAIL and make a PROFIT.

The most common misunderstanding about MLM is the notion that you HAVE TO sell retail to be successful.

You may sell if you want to or have to due to your particulare program procedure, but in regard to making the larger sums of income, the real success is in building the organisation.

Let your sales come as the natural result of building the organization.

The word กsellingก triggers negative thoughts in the minds of about 95 % of the people.

In MLM you don’t need to กsellก the products in the traditional sense of the word.

However, the PRODUCT DOES HAVE TO MOVE or NOBODY GETS PAID.

When you build an organization, you are actually building a network through which to channel your producths or services.

Retailing is the foundation of Network Marketing. Sales in MLM or Network Marketing come from distributors SHARING with their friends, neighbours and relatives. They never have to talk to strangers. Network Marketing or MLM is building an organization in which a lot of distributors all retail a little.

So, you see, its not going door to door every day calling on strangers.

Another point that differentiates MLM from Direct Sales is the SPONSORING of other distributors. This is called RECRUITING.

When you SPONSOR someone, you are making a COMITMENT to TEACH them how to do what you are doing, building a BUSINESS OF THEIR OWN. Sponsoring is what makes a Multilevel Marketing business so different an makes it grow.

As your organization grows, you are building toward becoming an INDEPENDANT SUCCESFULL BUSINESS PERSON. You are your OWN BOSS.

With Direct Selling companies you work for the company. If you decide to quit that company and move to another area, you end up having to start all over again.

In almost all of the MLM Programs you can move to another area of the country and sponsor people without losing the volume generated by the group you left behind.

In MLM Programs you can make a lot of money by building an organization as your primary function.

A Multilevel Marketing Organization is not a pyramid scheme.

The pyramid is built from the top down and only those in at the very beginning can ever be near the top. And the pirce of the products or services get every step higher and higher, leaving the people at the bottom broke.

In the MLM Marketing everybody starts at the bottom and has the opportunity to build a large organisation, even larger than his sponsorกs organizationif he wants.

MLM Marketing is the solution to the distribution costs of the most companies because there will be nomore channels between the producer and the consumer. And the most part of the benefit can be paid to the distributors.

Fernando Soave

About The Author

Fernando Soave

CEO, CUTTING EDGE MLM

http://www.cuttingedgemlm.tk

Subscribe to my Free Newsletter !

[email protected]

This article was posted on July 03, 2003

by Fernando Soave

พฤศจิกายน 16, 2017

5 Things Every Internet Marketer Must Learn From M

5 Things Every Internet Marketer Must Learn From Mail Order To Increase Their Profits Now!

by: Jo Han Mok

Understanding that the Internet is another vehicle for direct response marketing can potentially make you rich!

Itกs true. Not many people actually กget itก.

Information marketing has much in common with the กold schoolก mail order business. In fact, many of the practices you see online today such as two page direct sales minisites, mailing lists and unique products, come directly from the mail order model.

Every Internet Marketer would benefit from studying the mail order industry. The basic marketing principles and practices employed by the industry translate naturally to the online environment.

The five core priorities of successful mail order companies parallel those of the online marketer. They are: demographics, targeting, testing and tracking, upselling and customer follow up. If you aren’t focused on these key areas yet, read on to discover why should be, and what it will mean for your bottom line.

Direct Response Lesson #1: Demographics

Demographic information provides an in depth profile of your potential customer. There are two ways to acquire demographic information, and two separate motives for each method.

You can:

• Acquire data from consumer data mining companies such as MarketShare Online • Acquire data from your existing customer base

The preferred source depends on your product development process and your current resources. Professionally gathered data allows you to survey the market and create highly targeted products. Rather than searching through keyword lists for potential niches, you can use demographic data to target specific classes of consumers based on their spending habits and disposable income. Your marketing strategy becomes much clearer with this data in hand. It allows you advance insight into your customer’s interests, pricing points and mindset. Now, you have a baseline against which to test the effectiveness of your sales message.

You should also acquire as much demographic data as possible from your existing customer base and mailing list. Even when you possess the resources to pay for this information you should still query your own customers.

Why?

Quite simply, you need to compare the profile of your existing customer base against your expected customer base. For example, if you sell a highpriced information product targeted towards small business owners, yet find that 50% of your list is composed of nonqualified tirekickers, something is off with either your sales copy, your targeting or both.

Direct Response Lesson #2: Targeting

Here is a rule of thumb for you to memorize: interest and need alone are not enough to generate a sale. This is a controversial statement, I know. Ask yourself the following question, though: how often have you found yourself interested in a product yet not purchased it? How often have you needed a product, yet not been able to afford it?

The truth is that, in either case, despite your interest and your need, you were only marginally targeted when the offer was presented to you.

This subtle case points to the synergy between demographics and targeting. This is why mail order companies go to such great effort to acquire detailed information on the marketplace. Whether you send 100, 000 pieces of mail or pay for 100,000 visitors to your web site, the goal is the same: put the offer in front of the right people, at the right time. If you put the right offer in front of the right person at the wrong time, it’s the same as no offer at all. It is untargeted.

Direct Response Lesson #3: Testing and Tracking

You absolutely must test and track everything you do. You must track your payperclick campaigns, your newsletter mailings and the paths taken by visitors to your web site. You must test your ad copy and your product pricing.

The testing and tracking phase of a marketing campaign marks the proving ground between demographics and targeting. Once you’ve acquired the data on your potential customer’s behavior, you must track their actual behavior to find out if it matches the expected results.

Until you do this, you are really only guessing at what works. Every mail order company places a tracking code on their post cards. This allows them to zero in on the exact location, age, income, race and marital status of responsive customers. When you first launch a product online, however, you are essentially blind to this information until you start tracking. As you gather your data, however, you will discover which search engines and which newsletters pull the best. Over time, you will be able to match this up with deeper demographic data collected from your list and discover, at the very least, the age and income of your customers and which search engines they prefer.

Can you imagine knowing that men between the ages of 2434, for example, prefer Google, or that stay at home mothers prefer Yahoo? This type of data is priceless because it directs your targeting up front. This is the exact goldmine which awaits you when you devote careful attention to testing and tracking your campaigns.

Direct Response Lesson #4: Create Robust Order Forms for the UpSell

Your order form can pull more profit through impulse purchases than you realize. Many internet marketers seem to believe that one product should lead to one simple order form. This is probably due to so many of us being selftaught. We copy what we’ve seen.

Have you ever stopped to examine a mailin coupon or catalog form? Even when the offer ultimately focuses on one major product, the form still includes an upsell and sometimes even a counteroffer.

For example:

ขYes! I’d like to order the Incredible Bikini Wax System for $49.95 today! Also, please include my 14 ounce bottle of Instant Soothing Moisturizer, a perfect complement to the Incredible Bikini Wax System and a steal at only $9.99ข (UpSell)

ขYes, I’d like to subscribe to Golfing Today! Instead of the incredible offer of 12 issues for $14.99, I’d like to receive a full 52 issues a year for $29.95ข ( counteroffer)

The reason for doing this, of course, is that the customer is already interested and already in a buying mindset. You’ve done all the hard work to lead him to your site and you’ve enticed him with your sales letter. He’s on the order form with credit card in hand. Why not use this moment to make a complementary offer? You can upsell a related product of your own or that of one of your joint venture partners for a profit split.

There’s really no harm in making the offer. The customer will either take you up on it or he won’t. The important point here is that a robust order form, with additional offers, helps you squeeze out extra profit and cuts down the work of luring that customer back in the future to make additional purchases.

Direct Response Lesson #5: Post Sale Follow Up

What happens to your customer after the sale? Take a page from the book of mail order secrets and follow up with that customer! If you’ve ever purchased anything through a catalog, you know what happens. You end up on their mailing list and continue to receive catalogs and other offers in the mail.

In fact, you may receive so much mail from that one company that you become irritated! While I don’t recommend going overboard with your mailings, I do recommend moving your customers to an announcement list or newsletter.

You don’t want a one time shot with that individual. Rather, you want to build a lasting relationship. Your follow up process should be designed with several goals in mind:

• Keeping your name and brand in front of the customer • To build trust and credibility by sharing supporting material that adds value to the product • To maintain contact so that you can make additional offers in the future

Customer follow up is so important it can’t be stressed enough. There is a rule which states that 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your customers. In other words, if someone purchases from you once, they are likely to purchase from you again provided you take appropriate action and keep them connected to you. Remember that your customers are human and may go through a variety of emotions after making a purchase.

They may experience buyer’s remorse. They may feel nervous about sharing their credit card information with you and then never hearing from you again. They may absolutely love you and your product and want to reach out for more information. You must tend to each of these variables in order to gain the customer’s trust and appreciation, so follow up!

What will you do with the five lessons presented to you in this article? You have before you a nearly complete outline of a profitable business system for online marketing. Take these principles to hear and put them into practice. Know your market. Speak to your market. Connect to your market. I guarantee your profits will soar.

About The Author

Jo Han Mok is a frequent guest and featured speaker at Internet Marketing bootcamps and conferences on subjects such as copywriting and Joint Venture Marketing. Visit his website to get a simple stepbystep plan that can take you from ground zero to having money deposited in your bank account from an online business every single day for the rest of your life!

==> http://www.SuperFastProfit.com

This article was posted on August 25, 2004

by Jo Han Mok

กันยายน 26, 2017

Random Whimsy: Uncensored Interview with Dan Lok

by: Dan Lok

Norman Williams, publisher of กBig Money Publishing Newsletter,ก recently did a Q&A about me.
1 Can you tell me about your business background?
Sure, Norman. My name is Dan Lok. Iกve written hundreds and hundreds of unstoppable ads and magnetic sales letters for clients in more than 39 different industries. Your readers may not know my name, but I wouldn’t be surprised if theyกve been กsoldก with some of the irresistible copy Iกve written.
My writing has sold over $17.3 million dollars of merchandise and services by mail, email, retail and websites. Iกve earned my reputation as ‘the Copywriting Whiz Kidก from years in the trenches of advertising writing ads and sales letters that create fortunes for businesses and entrepreneurs.
In fact, when I first got started as a rookie copywriter, I really was a kid…just 16! My Unique Selling Proposition was…
ขI Don’t Get Paid Until YOU Make Tons Of Cold, Hard Cash!ข
I put it all on the line with a message that was unmistakable: what I write has to make big bucks for my clients… or… I don’t eat. Under that kind of กmake or breakก pressure, Iกve been forced to figure out one thing how to create CONSISTENTLY the most powerful, irresistible, Hoover Vacuum that money right out of their wallets advertising possible.
Iกve learned to create advertising that makes a ton of cash… and then a ton more. It was that, or go learn to live on a diet of กalmost made itก and that was something I wasn’t willing to swallow.
2 As a person on the Internet, how did you get started?
Iกd love to tell you it was all part of my grand plan, but the truth is I got started by pure accident.
A webmaster approached me and pulled me into the 21st Century. He said, ขDan, don’t be a dinosaur! You need a presence on the กnet. Let me build a website for you!ข
I decided to go ahead, ขHeck, why not?ข I thought. Thirty days later, my website launched into cyberspace.
3 How long have you been in business online?
I think the answer is going to surprise you. Iกve been writing for other online marketers for a couple of years now. (One year on Internet equals to 3 years in the real world. So I guess, Iกm pretty old in cyber terms!) But it was only about 6 months ago that I created my very first Dan Lok website and started actively promoting my products and services online!
Norman, you have to understand this…
Until recently, I purposely avoided the spotlight and the chance for selfpromotion, despite being one of the worldกs highestpaid freelance copywriters. Fame isn’t a big กcarrotก to me. Iกm far too busy and much more interested in helping my small business clients get big…and rich.
Iกm not a กhousehold nameก because instead of spending all my time preening in the spotlight and working on my celebrity status, Iกm out in the trenches day in, day out, working for the little guys, helping them turn into the BIG guys (and gals).
4 What online businesses you are involved with?
First of all, Norman, want to clear up what I think of as a misconception that most people have when it comes to Internet marketing.
In my opinion, thereกs no such thing as an กonline business.ก
Business is just business. When people say, กI have an Internet business!ก Itกs like saying กI have a classified ad businessก or กI have a direct mail businessก
A real estate developer doesn’t sell or buy the Internet. A developer buys and sells properties and uses the Internet to MARKET his/her business. You MARKET your business via direct mail. You MARKET your business via classified ads. You MARKET your business via the Internet.
Direct mail is a medium for marketing, TV is a medium for marketing, and the Internet I is a medium for marketing, too.
So just because you market your products and services online, it doesn’t mean you have an ขonlineข business. And simply because you have several websites, it doesn’t mean you run several ขInternetข businesses and are a SuperCyber Entrepreneur. At best…you’re a webmaster.
Now let me get down off my กsoap boxก and go back to your original question:
I have one main company: Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd. But despite the fact that I have just one company, I have 5 or 6 websites, including:

www.quickturnmarketing.com
www.dansrant.com
www.greatestcopywriters.com
www.wizardtalk.com
www.infopublishingbootcamp.com

Each website is distinct with its own purpose and specific objective. All are interlinked and create my Internet กpresence.ก
5 How did you learn what it takes to succeed?
In order to learn, you need a teacher, so Iกm a big believer in mentoring.
Why reinvent the wheel? Finding a mentor is really the shortcut to success because you’re learning from someone whoกs already been there and done that. Itกs important to learn from people who have already achieved success and know the ‘tricks of the tradeก that can get you there, too.
Iกm a sponge and absorb information and ideas whenever and wherever I can. Iกve found that highly successful people are always soaking up information as fast as they can get it, and are always in a learning mode. Iกve applied that concept to my life, too.
You should see my car; it looks like a tape factory that exploded! I love reading but I can’t resist the itgoeswhereyoudo advantages of audio learning. Thereกs always a cassette or CD in the dash with a couple in the backseat and a few more in the trunk.
Iกve got a ‘revolving doorก policy when it comes to informational tapes: I just rotate till Iกm full, and then I dump the box and go get some more.
I think people who quit learning have started the dying process.
6 What office equipment do you use?
I have a computer, a printer, a fax machine, and a telephone in my office. Thatกs it. (Oh yes, I do occasionally resort to paper and pencil)
7 Do you do all of your business online?
Absolutely NOT! I still make the bulk of my money offline. In fact, I think only 15% of my revenue comes from the Internet. I think itกs dangerous to only market via only ONE medium
One of the concepts I teach is called ขMultiple Streams of Revenue.ก It simply means that you should develop a variety of streams of revenue that feed into a big river that will flood you with income.
Different revenue streams mean different things to different people:

Different businesses
Different products at various price points.
Different revenue source
Different mediums to generate business

For guys who currently do their business primarily on the Web, this is a กpushก to get your direct mail chops honed. Get your list together, with names and physical address.
Why is this diversification so important when the Web is seen as the oasis for income and wealth? Just ask the guys who relied exclusively on outbound calling, or blast faxing, or email spamming for their wealth… and were shocked when these methods were outlawed. The methods were outlawed and they were out of business.
With a variety of revenue steams feeding your business, if you wake up one day to a blank monitor screen, you won’t have to panic.
8 What are your biggest gripes about the Internet?
There are amazing goods and services to be found on the กnet, but too many people are selling nothing but crap. You won’t find more ขjunkข offers and business schemes in any other marketing mediums than in cyberspace. The scams that once choked our mailboxes now choke the Internet with thousands and thousands of bogus, flybynight websites.
Itกs a tough medium to กpoliceก and control, so buyers really have to beware or risk losing their shirt on everything from bad investment advice to supplements for erectile dysfunction!
9 Do you mostly do publishing or other enterprises?
Besides Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd, I also have equity in five privately held companies. I serve on the board of directors for most of those companies as a marketing advisor. Two of the companies are multimillion dollar businesses. Another two are startups. One is a small hightech company that is doing less than $300,000 a year.
I am also a major shareholder of another company investing in US tax liens and deeds.
10 Are there any tips or advice you would like to offer?
You mean marketingwise? Thereกs so much I can talk about itกs my business after all I don’t know where to start…or where to start charging (just kidding!)
Thereกs a lot stuff you can do to boost your business, but here is กDanกs Top 10 Plus Oneก list:
1) BE DIRECT (MAILWISE). Only 4% of retailers in the USA use direct mail. In Canada, this figure is even lower. And yet…dollar for dollar, nothing sells products as effectively as direct mail. If youกve got a limited budget, this is where your marketing dollars should go. Start collecting your customersก names, addresses and telephone numbers today. Frankly, Iกve talked about using direct mail until Iกm blue in the face. But itกs not กsexyก and people tend to overlook it. So please don’t be one of those people.
2) GREASE THE WHEELS. Bribery may be a bad thing when you’re dealing with someone in law enforcement, but it works like a charm with potential customers. Example, a hardware store puts on free coffee and hot dogs for lunch every day. Customers who come in to have a ขfree lunchข might order lots of other things. Bribe your customers to do business with you. If you’re an information marketer, offer FREE reports, tapes and videos to urge prospects to order now. If you’re a Widget sales representative, offer 3 months of service on every Widget unit installed.
3) HEADLINERS. Stick a powerful headline on all your ads, letter and promotion. A headline is an กadก for your ad. 80% of your promotionกs success or failure lies in whether your headline can express your unique positioning statement that golden phrase that captures in just a few words the กessenceก of what you have to offer and how it will benefit a customer. A good headline has กlegs.ก It can go the extra distance as an opening line for your sales and telephone people and goes a long way towards establishing your กbrand.ก
4) YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE. Don’t get talked into wasting your money on anything you can’t measure and, most importantly, anything that doesn’t bring you extra sales. You can’t pay your bills with ขimageข and ขexposureข. All it does is feed your ego and thins out your wallet. Measure everything meticulously. กMeasurabilityก is one of the great plusses of direct mail. If you send out 10,000 letters and get just 21 responses and 11 clients, you can see immediately that itกs time to pull the plug before another penny is lost.
5) PLAYERS. Where possible, sell only to ขplayers.ก No, I don’t mean poker players, ball players, or กplayersก in the game of love. Players are consumers who want what you sell, can afford to pay for it, and may even be willing to pay a PREMIUM for your goods/services. The rationale behind this concept is that itกs a whole lot easier to make money by selling half as much but at double the price.
6) GIVEAWAYS. Instead of blowing your money on กfancy pantsก advertising that makes you LOOK GOOD, take the money you and give it to your best prospective customers (players) so that theyกll FEEL GOOD. Good feelings and good emotions are what drive sales, and a giveaway is the perfect technique to get the good vibrations going. You can work wonders with a simple sample or a ‘trial useก period for your product or service. A clothing shop could offer a free Tshirt. A restaurant could offer a free main course. A new car retailer could offer a free dinner with any test drive.
7) INFO PRODUCTS. My favorite way to attract and กattachก new customers is with a free report or audio tape. (Thereกs that FREE word again) Create something that positions you as the expert and educates the customers on why they should buy from you. Give it as a gift to some and then กleverageก your product and sell it to others to create an additional revenue stream.
8) GLASSES AND A FAKE MOUSTACHE. No, don’t disguise YOU…disguise your advertising message. Research clearly shows that Advertorials ads that look like editorial articles get 500% more readership than ads that are obviously ads. Do people buy magazines or newspapers to read the ads? Of course not! You read the stories, I read the stories, and everybody else on planet Earth buys the daily paper, picks up a magazine, or watches TV for the stories.
9) HE SAID/SHE SAID. Actively collect and use testimonials. Like a referral, a testimonial is a third party endorsement and therefore is much more believable than what you say about yourself. Hardly anyone (except mail order companies) uses testimonials. If nobody else in your industry uses testimonials, you get an instant edge and immediately กcorner the marketก on rave reviews just by doing this ONE simple thing.
10) A 24/7 SALES ‘rePก. A proven sales letter is a truly efficient and loyal salesperson. An effective sales letter never sleeps in, take sick days, or forgets to turn up for work. Plus, if you get a ขrealข winner, you can use it again and again for a long, long time.
11) CALL GIRL/CALL BOY. Don’t be a stranger to the people who buy from you. Use the telephone to follow up with your best customers. Don’t call to sell. Call to educate and cement a relationship.
And a word to all you budding imaginative, innovative, and กdaringก types: When it comes to marketing, don’t try to be creative or cute. Pretty ads don’t sell squat. The advertising campaigns that win media awards from กpeersก seldom win sales awards for clients.
11 Do you use any clip art in your publications?
No. What I offer is distinctive. I don’t want to dilute that message by using a dimeadozen graphic that does nothing to differentiate me from the competition.
12 Are people more interesting than product stories?
Sure. People are always more interesting than product stories. Consumers see themselves in people stories.
13 What are your goals and aspirations for the future?
Sitting on the foundation of my success, I now have the luxury of doing what I like best: sharing my knowledge and wisdom with other entrepreneurs to help them make their own businesses more profitable.
Also on the radar: Become a #1 bestselling author. Travel around the world. Set up a Dan Lok foundation and raise $100,000 for the BCกs Children Hospital. Learn scoop diving. And then thereกs skidiving…I really want to, but Iกm scared. Iกll have to work a little longer on conquering the fear.
I can go on and go on. I have a list of 50 to 60 shortterm goals. But Iกll let you in on a secret: I don’t call them ขgoals.ข Goals are something we strive for. My plans for the future are on my ‘to Doก list because I KNOW Iกll get them done.
When Ted Turnerกs father passed away, he left Mr. Turner two things. The first was a billboard business. The second was this quote: ขSet goals you CANNOT accomplish in your lifetime. After you accomplish them, thereกs nothing leftข
Iกve adopted that philosophy in both my business and personal pursuits. I think BIG. I set goals I CANNOT accomplish in my lifetime. My longterm goal is building a $100 milliondollar marketing empire. Iกve got a lifetime to try! And if I reach that goal, Iกll set a new one!
So my advice to everyone is this: to be BIG, you first need to think BIG.
14 What software do you use to make your websites?
I have no idea!!! Iกm a marketer not a technology expert. I hired a webmaster and a webdesigner to build all my websites. I don’t even know how to use Front Page! As a matter of fact, I barely know how to use my autoresponder. My job as the CEO of the company is to bring in the revenue. Period!!! Full stop!
Everything else… I surround myself with experts to assist me. And I think thatกs the key to growing any business. Surround yourself with people who are ขsmarterข than you. An important lesson Iกve learned the hard way ขIf you’re the smartest guy in your business, you’re in big trouble.ข
One of the big paradigms in business now is outsourcing what you don’t do well and concentrating on what you can do well. For example, a mousetrap factory might outsource its order and fulfillment needs to an outside shipping company so that it could concentrate its money and resources on creating a bigger, better mousetrap.
The bottom line is the bottom line. Seek professional advice and pay for it if you need to (barter it if you can). Pay your people well. Acknowledge them constantly and consistently. Sell them on your vision. Share the wealth and youกll have a team thatกll go to WAR and fight for you.
15 What are your favorite books or computer programs?

Your First 100 Million by Dan Peña
Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
The Trick to Money is Having Some! by Stuart Wilde
Magic Words That Bring Your Riches by Ted Nicholas
Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
The Magic of Thinking BIG by David Schwartz
Winning Through Intimidation by Robert Ringer

16 What is your best time for working on your computer?
Iกm a computer nightowl. When the sun goes down, I log on. During the day, I am either writing ad copy or on the phone with clients and clientsinthemaking.
Copyright 2004 Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd.

About The Author

Dan Lok is the World’s First QuickTurn Marketer, with a proven track record of selling over $ 17.3 million dollars of merchandise and services. He’s the rebel copywriter who’s created hundreds of moneymaking ads and sales letter for over 39 different industries. And now you can get inside the head of one of the world’s top copywriters without paying a dime at www.QuickTurnMarketing.com

This article was posted on June 03, 2004

by Dan Lok

สิงหาคม 25, 2017

The Lazy Manกs Way To Riches

by: Dean Phillips

The title of this article also happens to be the title of one of the greatest ads of all time, written by a man named Joe Karbo.

Joe was was one of the foremost copywriters, headline writers and direct response experts of all time.

Joe established precedents, and built the foundation for todayกs direct response industrybecoming a self made millionaire in the process.

Joeกs ads for the กLazy Manก ran for years in every major newspaper and magazine in the United States… and most large foreign papers as well. The ads themselves became famous. The ads were…and still are studied, examined, dissected, and used as models for direct response marketing and selling throughout the world.

He reveals all of his secrets in ‘the Lazy Manกs Way To Riches,ก a classic book that is Joeกs philosophy on life and how to live it richly, successfully, lovingly, joyously and… lazily.

‘the Lazy Manกs Way To Riches,ก is the largest selling…self published book in the world…NEVER in a bookstore…

Thereกs only one problem. Thereกs no such thing as a กlazy manกs way to riches!ก Yes, the book itself does exist. And it was a runaway success. However, short of winning the lottery or inheriting a fortune, there is no such thing as a lazy manกs way to riches!

All of the successful people I know are far from lazy. In fact, some of the most successful people I know work the longest hours.

Take me for instance. Most mornings I get up at six oกclock, because I can’t wait to get started. And most nights, I don’t get offline until around 10 or 11:00.

Now by my calculations, those are 16 or 17 hour hour work days. But it doesn’t seem like work to me at all, because Iกm doing what I love. And thatกs the whole point! Iกm not putting in those hours because I have to, Iกm doing it because I want to.

Why? Because I live by a certain philosophy which is:

กAny success you achieve will be in direct proportion to your desire and determination. The more desire and determination you have, the greater will be your success.ก

The above philosophy (which I coined, by the way), keeps me focused and hungry. Oh sure, I could work an hour or two on my computer every day and goof off the rest of the time. And do you know what would happen to my earnings? They would plummetas would the earnings of most of my collegues, if they started playing more than working.

Don’t get me wrong. I still enjoy life. I take vacations twice a year. I drive a nice luxury car. I have a beautiful home.

But I did not get those things from being lazy. And the majority of successful people did not get to the top by being lazy either.

So contrary to popular belief, you can get rich, but you do have to work at it!

About The Author

Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: [email protected].

Website: http://www.letsmakemoney.net

This article was posted on October 07, 2004

by Dean Phillips

พฤษภาคม 17, 2017

Real Estate Marketing, Do You Use Direct Mail?

by: Barrett Niehus

Prospecting for leads is by far the most difficult part of being a Realtor or small business professional. In fact, lead development is by far the most expensive and time consuming aspect of your job. However, you level of success in lead development will determine if you succeed or fail as a real estate agent or small business professional.
So how do you develop leads? Well top selling professionals realize that they need to touch as many people as possible without spending a fortune or taking up a lot of their time. They also realize that they must make some form of contact with a prospect as many as eight times before that contact will even consider doing business with the professional. Many of these professionals use direct mail to recruit prospects, and direct mail tools to close their deals.
The fundamentals of direct mail are very simple. At is most basic level you are sending out message with an invitation for a prospect to contact you. The key is targeting your specific audience, and making your message stand out against all of the other junk mail that you prospects receive. In addition, you must expose your prospects to the message enough times to make them consider taking action.
The first step in creating a direct mail program is to determine where you are going to focus your message. What type of client are you specifically looking for? How old are they, what are their interests, fears, income levels, etc. With this type of very specific demographic information you can customize your message to invoke them to call you. Next, determine how many people you are going to send your message to and what geography you are going to focus on. Keep in mind that a direct mail piece with more than a 1% response rate is considered exceptional, and that statistically, post cards get more attention than envelopes in peoples mail boxes. Essentially this means that if you mail 500 pieces and you get five phone calls, you are doing exceptionably well.
After you know what your customer looks like and the area in which they live, create your marketing message. It should invoke emotion and request a response. The most effective messages offer something for free such as a free home report, assessment, or giveaway such as a software program or product. Other useful messages show what has just been listed and invite prospects to กcash inก on their rising home values.
Now that you have your message designed contact a local or internet based direct mailing list seller and rent a list of prospects addresses. You will be mailing to this list more than once so make sure you get repeat mailing discounts. All of these list brokers have test addresses in the lists they sell to make sure you only mail the agreed number of times. Many of these list sellers will offer mailing services as well, and some will even provide design and printing services. Companies such as PurePoscards.com and MailersClub.com are excellent resources to get both mailing lists and design services.
Use the design services as needed and remember that statistically, an enclosed letter with blue ink and a first class stamp will get the best response. Letters and postcards follow with lower responses. Regardless of the type of mail that you are sending, it is important to realize that you are hoping for at least a 1% response to your campaign.
Mail your message to the list and see what happens. Plan on mailing at least two more times to get your desired response, but feel free to modify the message and the medium. It is just important to provide your target customer with repetition so that they become used to your message and will consider doing business with you. It is through repetition and a message that stands out that you will get your client’s attention and earn a response to your marketing.
Direct marketing is a very effective tool for realtors to grow their businesses. It can create a significant number of leads and a significant addition to your cash flow, However, direct mail must be done with proper planning and the right expectations for response. Never has a single onetime direct mailing been successful. Alternatively, real estate professionals who practice repetition in their direct mail and their marketing grow wealthy while they leave their competition behind.

About The Author

Barrett Niehus is a principal for IP Ware Real Estate Investment Software http://www.realtysoftware.org and a technical marketing specialist for Compound Solutions in Escondido, California.

This article was posted on May 11, 2004

by Barrett Niehus

พฤษภาคม 20, 2016

Making Direct Mail Work for Small Businesses

by: Sky Maya

If you own a small business, then you know the value of affordable and effective marketing. Unfortunately, many traditional and online advertising methods are becoming quite expensive. This article will explain direct mail guidelines and methods.

Direct mail is an often overlooked method that can be very effective if executed properly. There are three guidelines to follow when conducting an effective direct mail campaign:

1. Catch the readerกs attention immediately. You only have a few seconds to do this before your mail ad is thrown away as junk mail. Therefore, opt for postcard mailings instead of sending your offers in an envelope. If your business is relatively small and unheardof, the reader will never open it unless your companyกs name is familiar to the reader. Envelope advertising is cheaper than postcard advertising, but is only effective if you have already built up name recognition.

When using the postcard method, you will need to be able to print images on the card. I highly, highly recommend investing in a quality home photographic printer. You will end up saving money in the longterm, and your printer will be right where you need it whenever you need it. Whenever you have materials printed professionaly, you pay for labour, expensive inks, and expensive equipment.

When searching for images to print on your postcards, remember the the point of this first guideline: catch your readerกs attention. Of course you don’t want an offensive image for your cards, but you do want one that is slighly กcontroversialก. When choosing images for your cards, ask yourself these questions:

Does it stand out among the rest?

Does it contain bold colors (but isn’t an eyesore)?

Does the image relate to my business or current offers in some way?

Does the image request user interaction? (ex. a face staring directly at the reader, someone pointing at the reader, etc.)

Does the image have enough whitespace for some large text?

2. Offer the reader an incentive for responding. Unless the reader is and has been genuinely interested in your services/productsfor a period of time before receiving your postcard ad, they will never repspond unless you offer some sort of incentive. For instance, you postcard could also serve as a coupon; tell you reader to bring in that post card for a discount. Also, you could use the postcard ad as an announcment for a storewide sale. Be creative when offering incentives to your readers.

Be sure to make your incentive very visible on the postcard. Letกs say, for example, your postcard is also serving as a coupon for 20% on your products/services. Print that ก20% offก in large text with the image, along with your product type, such as ก20% all dog bedsก. Then, on the other side of the card, usually with the recipientกs address, print the discount again with any terms that may apply.

3. Target your readers. The best way to waste advertising money is by sending your direct mail to random people, paying no attention to whether they would actually buy something from you. This is much easier when dealing with businesstobusiness advertising. When it comes to consumers, find out their interests is a little difficult.

Test out the waters first. A good place to try first is InfoUSA. They sell mailing lists of consumers and businesses and may provide targeted consumer lists. You may be able to create interest in someone who has never heard of your products before, but when you are starting a new direct mail campaign and you have a very small budget, keep your list targeted. You don’t want to try to sell a web site to a business that already has one, or try to sell a dog bed to someone who only keeps cats.

I hope this article has given you some ideas on making your next direct mail advertising campaign more successful.

About The Author

Sky Maya is the author of Best SEO Tactics an excellent guide to optimizing your web site for high search engine rankings using proper and ethical tactics. Proven techniques! Buy it today and watch your site traffic explode!

This article may be reprinted freely as long as this resource box with all active hyperlinks remain intact.

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This article was posted on July 11, 2003

by Sky Maya

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