These Four Things Will Make Your Direct Marketing Successful

Direct marketing is built on four things. The other way to look at it is that when you think direct marketing is not working only one of four things can be wrong. Let's look at each.

1. The Target ? This is who you are sending your marketing to. The target is your list and the list is your market. These are the people most interested in what you have to say, what you have to offer and what you have to sell. These are interested prospects, hopefully, that will want what you have to sell. If this group does not want or need what you have then your target needs changed. Your target does not represent your market in this case.

When working with list brokers, you can specify what your ideal target, ideal client or market should be. This is where most people think of demographics. How big a company is, what the income is or sales level is, where they are located, their age, their family size, etc. All of this defines your target and the tighter the definition of your target, the higher the probability of success.

TO-DO: Write out the description of your ideal client. Contact list brokers and see how many of these there are. Make sure to specify geographical areas. Determine the cost of such a list. Buy the list and start mailing to it over and over and over on a frequent, consistent basis.

2. The Vehicle ? This is what you are sending to your list. In the world of direct mail its pretty simple: A letter, A postcard, A catalog or a three dimensional package. Professional companies like letters. People that are on the run, multi-tasker entrepreneurs may prefer postcards. C-level officers buying high ticket items may prefer a package. Consider this when determining your direct marketing campaign budget and base it on what you think your target market will want.

3. The Message ? This component of direct marketing is what you are saying to your market; to your audience; to your list. This is also where you develop and communicate the offer that you are seeking a response to. Your job with the message is to communicate benefit oriented information and advantages that will motivate the prospect to take some type of action. The action might be a sale, a phone call, a visit or a web-site visit.

Think of a coupon. That is a response mechanism. The prospect sees the value and product offering on the coupon and visits a place of business and redeems it, all conforming to benefit communication and motivation to action.

4. Frequency ? So many times people try direct marketing and give up because of low response. They typically give up before giving the campaign enough time to work. We are inundated with marketing messages everyday, therefore it takes repetition and consistency of delivering that message to match up with timing and desire to the point where the prospect will take action.

The rule of thumb is 6-8 times will create the top of mind awareness in the mind of your prospect so that they think of you, your product or service when their need or want arises.

Concentrating on just these four marketing components will help you develop the highest probable direct marketing campaign for your products and services.

Get a free 7 step PR plan by sending a blank email to prplan@market-for-profits.com or get a report on how to instantly add 50 people to your network by going to http://www.market-for-profits.com. Also visit http://www.directmailmarketingsuccess.com for over 300 tips, techniques and tactics on direct mail.

Al Lautenslager is a speaker, author, business owner, consultant, a certified guerrilla marketing coach who helps businesses and professionals increase their revenue through focused marketing and an increased client base. He is the bestselling co-author of Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days and a featured business coach for entrepreneur.com. He can be contacted through his website, http://www.market-for-profits.com

Free Marketing Tips

Dumb Excuse #1"I'm not sure I want to invest any... Read More

Marketing Tips- Who Are You Competing With?

Before you can market, you need to know who you... Read More

Sell Big Ticket Items Now! - 1 Simple Step To Keep Your Fears From Holding YOU Back

First, some background on today's topic. I've had a terrible... Read More

How to Booste Your Profit Quickly

There are so many competitions by running business. So you... Read More

The 30 Incredible Ways To Sell Your Products Now and Sell More

How to sell more and sell quickly online for your... Read More

Get Personal: Letters vs. Direct Mail

One of the reasons direct mail works is the personal... Read More

Selling To Your Affiliates

While success with any internet marketing program falls on the... Read More

Knowing When To Charge More and To Charge Less

More And MoreIt was notable that when I started my... Read More

Marketing Through Associations

©2004 Jeffrey DobkinIf you're in direct marketing, you're continually looking... Read More

Identifying, Creating and Using Your USP?

What's your USP? Don't know, or worse still, you've never... Read More

Top 5 Kick Butt Marketing Requirements

Cinch your success with 8-second leaders! Step into the saddle... Read More

Viral Marketing

Viral marketing involves the use of surf-exchanges, and if you... Read More

Is Your Company A Member Of The Community?

One particularly hot south Texas day, I was making a... Read More

Marketing For Just Cause

Cause marketing is a relationship between a for-profit and a... Read More

Sage Advice from a Marketing Expert!

An international hair-cutting chain opened a new store directly across... Read More

Wooing Women With Packaging

In just one month three California vineyards have introduced new... Read More

Flesh Eating Spiders And Other Marketing Horrors

After a friend was bitten by a spider, I decided... Read More

First Steps to Developing a Marketing Plan

Direct Mail . . . Newspaper . . . Radio... Read More

Business Card Design - How to Stand out and Get Noticed

One of the most powerful, yet over looked weapons in... Read More

Where to Find Cheap Brochure Printing

Whether it is for is a real estate listing, a... Read More

How to Win a Price War

Any economics student can tell you that price is a... Read More

Niches - The Path to More Profits

Hey, as business owners we CAN'T be all things for... Read More

Marketing as a Spiritual Practice II: Unearthing Your Potential

Marketing as we know it is over. Done. Finito.People the... Read More

Whats In It For Me?

Sometimes, one of the most difficult things to teach beginning... Read More

Radio Ads That Get Results

Radio advertising can be a small business's best friend. It's... Read More