Month: January 2016

Top Five Direct Mail Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

Posted on by

Direct mail marketing can greatly boost the success rate of your marketing campaign, but with many organizations sending out thousands of pieces of direct mail every day, it can be hard for you to stand out, especially as a small business. Not only that, but it’s hard to get people to even look at your marketing piece, due to the fact they are receiving so many of them from many different sources every day. How do you make people stop and read your specific piece? Follow these top five direct mail marketing tips to get your campaign noticed.

direct mail

Make it eye-catching

If you’re sending out a postcard, a brochure or even something inside of an envelope, the first thing your recipient sees needs to be eye-catching. People receive these types of mail items every day, and are used to just tossing them in the trash without even blinking an eye. In order for someone to stop and pay attention to what you’re saying, you need to add detail. Use color and font that pops. You don’t want anything too loud, but you want to include something that is going to make an impact. The correct use of photos can also make all the difference in grabbing a reader’s attention. For example, if you work for a small animal shelter, include a picture of cute animal, or an animal in a cage waiting for his forever home. You need to appeal to the interest and emotion of your recipient.

Introduce a call-to-action

More often than not; readers want to be told what they need to do. Too much information that beats around the bush can become confusing for a reader and they will quickly lose interest. If you want the recipient to donate, put that on the front. You want to tell them right away what you are looking for.

Tell a story

Again, you need to appeal to a reader’s emotions. By telling a story and making it interesting you will more likely be able to get a response. A recipient will be able to become more emotionally involved if there is some kind of back-story that appeals to them. If you don’t have a story, then provide testimonials. Whether they are testimonials from people your organization has helped or testimonials about how great your business is, this will help your reader become invested.

Keep it short

No one has time to read through paragraphs of copy. People want to skim through a sentence or two of information and be able to understand exactly what it is that you are asking for. Too much copy will only drive a reader away. Keep it short and simple and you will be successful.

Use a direct mail company

Many organizations have the option of sending out mail themselves which can sometimes lead to complications. If you want your direct mail campaign to be successful, hire a direct mail company that will be able to customize and mail all of your pieces for you in a timely manner.

For your direct mail marketing campaign needs, or for help with your direct mailing, contact us at iti Direct Mail today.

7 Real Estate Direct Marketing Tips to Boost Response Rates

Posted on by

Real estate direct mail marketing is an affordable and effective way to get noticed, leading to more leads and opportunities for sales.  Here are some real estate direct marketing tips to boost response rates for a better ROI.

1.  Experiment with Real Estate Letters Versus Postcards

Should you use letters or postcards to conduct a real estate direct mail campaign? Answering this question is one of your first steps before launching your campaign.

Unfortunately, one way or the other isn’t ideal for all campaigns, so you may have to experiment. A postcard may work best for specific properties for sale but won’t be as effective if you have more information to share.

2.  Use a Simple Message with Clear Benefits

If you only use one tip from this, make sure it’s this one. This key takeaway is vital for direct mail marketing campaigns. Your marketing message has to be simple enough so readers can see the benefits right away. They probably will not spend more than five seconds reading your message.

Answer these two questions quickly: What are you offering them and what are the benefits?

Real Estate Direct Marketing

3.  Tell Your Readers What to do Next

When it comes to real estate direct marketing your message should steer them to the next step. Perhaps you want them to contact you to find out more information about a listing or list their home with you if they are looking to sell. Make it clear.

4.  Don’t Ever Make Guarantees

Never guarantee that a property will be available or that they will get a specific amount of money for their property. If your campaign involves a mortgage special make sure you follow the guidelines of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the FTC.

Although you can explain the benefits of a special mortgage, never tell people they will be automatically approved.

5.  Guide Your Readers to a Specific Section on Your Website

When using direct mail you don’t always have the space you need on your mail piece to communicate all of the relevant information regarding your products and services, especially if you’re using a postcard. This is why you need to send readers to a specific page on your website. Make sure the webpage is both informative and relevant to your message.

6.  Establish a Direct Mail Control and Try to Beat it

Control in direct mail marketing is the first piece of mail you create that makes a profit. It is a prototype of sorts. Measure your response rate and ROI for this control; and then try to beat it.

You can do this by changing one element at a time.

7.  Learn From the Real Estate Direct Marketing Experience of Others

We mentioned at the beginning of this blog that direct mail marketing is affordable and can get you noticed and help you find more leads. Learn from others with marketing experience.

At iti Direct Mail, we know how important affordability and looking professional is to the real estate industry. We are your one-stop shop and solution for direct mail services. To find out how to put these real estate direct marketing tips to boost response rates to work for you, check out our direct mail services on our website and get a quote for custom services.

Print Custom Postcards While Saving on Printing Costs

Posted on by

A Postcard Says a Thousand Words

You may be wondering: what is the value of sending a custom postcard rather than a letter, flyer, or brochure? For starters, postcards are a unique and novel way to generate customer interest and keep in touch with existing clients. Who doesn’t like receiving a postcard in the mail? Sending custom postcards is an interesting and creative way to show prospective and pre-existing clients that your company is a cut above the rest, innovative, and unique.

Because postcards are one-sided, they are less likely to make their way into the trash or recycling. A lot of people don’t even bother to open mail if they perceive it to be “junk mail.” With a postcard, however, your message is front and center; you can guarantee people will at least look at it before discarding it, which is more than can be said for other forms of mail. If you’re planning to advertise an event or product, custom postcards are a great way to generate customer interest, as they stand out from the regular run-of-the-mill flyers and brochures.

Green Savings

One of the major benefits of sending custom postcards Custom Postcardsto clients and future customers is that postcards are far less inexpensive to print than other forms of direct mail marketing. Plus, by printing postcards instead of large flyers or letters that require envelopes you will be cutting down on paper waste and saving money.

Because customers are becoming increasingly concerned with eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable business practices, wasteful advertising tactics will only project a negative image of your company to environmentally-conscious people. By sending custom postcards while saving on printing costs, you can demonstrate to your loyal customers and prospective clients that yours is a company that cares about the environment as much as the bottom line. You can even print your custom postcards on recycled paper! Make an impression with custom postcards!

Tips to Print

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to invest in a postcard campaign. Here are some tips on how to avoid high printing costs:

1.  Use large cards

By printing large cards you will have far more success attracting business than if you were to print on small cards. Large cards are more noticeable and less likely to be thrown away. In addition, printing large custom postcards won’t cost you much more than printing on smaller stock.

2.  Buy and Send in Bulk

For all orders that are not time sensitive, custom postcards can be bought and sent in bulk. When you buy in bulk and use bulk/standard shipping, you will save on printing and postage costs. At iti Direct Mail, all of our postcard sizes require the same postage, so if you decide to send postcards of different sizes, it won’t cost you any extra.

3.  Opt for a High Gloss Finish

When printing your custom postcards opt for a high gloss finish, as this will help your postcards stand out and ensure your postcards have a professional and stylish look. A glossy finish will also help the colors and designs of your postcards appear brighter and richer.

If you want to print custom postcards while saving on printing costs, give us a call today!