Do you waste your marketing time and money on things that don’t give you results? I was recently overwhelmed with the amount of postcards my wife got in the mail over a 2-3 week period before she attended a conference she pre-registered for. Seriously, I could not believe my wife was getting this information advertising various products and services she could experience while in the exibit hall during the conference. Without fail, every single one of them went into the garbage can without giving more than a glance to make sure it wasn’t something more “important”.
Are all direct mail pieces a waste of money? Of course not, but many are. I recently mailed 200 postcards with pictures of custom drumsticks on the back advertising a school fundraising special for various high school band programs. Why did I do this? The answer is simple. I’m the only one doing it. If I were selling insurance, I assure you I would not be doing it. Read more about my recent experience with a State Farm Insurance agent and their garbage can bound mailers here.
*****Here are a few tips for marketing wisely:
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Do something different. Don’t do what everyone else is doing.
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Do something worthy of marketing. Don’t advertise the same thing over and over again if you are not getting results.
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In direct mail, get my attention. Hand written letters, hand addressed envelopes, etc… This is not normal today and it really stands out from the rest of the mail you get on a daily basis.
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Do something that will continue on after the initial launch. Give stuff away. This goes a long way in getting people’s attention. For example, the picture above is a photo of the sticks I made for author and blogger Tim Ferriss. He mentioned on Facebook one day he was headed to drum lessons. I jumped on that and made these sticks in hopes of him tweeting or putting my website out to his followers. The cost for such a tactic is minimal and the payoff could be huge.
Think about how you can be different and set apart from the pack as you market your business. After all, marketing is everything and everything is marketing.
