| One of the most powerful tools available to small | | | | cards that you can punch whenever they buy |
| businesses is direct mail. By this I don't mean | | | | from you (or just visit your store) with the |
| electronic, Internet-based mail, but the | | | | promise of a free something after 10 or 12 |
| old-fashioned kind that requires a stamp and a trip | | | | punches. Naturally, they have to register for the |
| to the post office.Why is direct mail such a | | | | card and viola! You have their names and |
| powerful tool?It's a way for small businesses, | | | | addresses.Last, and most expensive, you can buy |
| especially retailers, to separate themselves from | | | | a direct mail list targeted toward your best |
| the big box stores such as Best Buy and | | | | prospects. Chances are, there is at least one |
| Wal-mart, and to compete successfully with the | | | | company in your area selling lists of prospects by |
| Amazon.coms and Ovestock.coms of this | | | | criteria such as recent home buyers, camera |
| world.The power of direct mail, if done right, is | | | | buyers, child care customers, etc.Once you have |
| that it's like getting a letter from your sister, | | | | captured enough names and addresses (maybe |
| mother or aunt. The postman brings it to your | | | | 100 or more) to begin a direct mail campaign, you |
| home. It's addressed to you personally. And when | | | | have a couple of alternatives. One, you can input |
| was the last time you received a letter from | | | | the information yourself. Or, two, if you're |
| Best Buy, Wal-mart, or any Internet retailer? If | | | | strapped for time, you should be able to find a |
| so, it was undoubtedly via email and designed to | | | | local high school or college student to input the |
| be read by hundreds of thousands of customers | | | | information for you. He or she can use either a |
| - not much personalization there.The first thing | | | | word processing program or a database program |
| you need to do to start an effective direct mail | | | | to build the list. It's just simple data entry and you |
| campaign is capture the names and addresses of | | | | might offer $0.5 or $0.10 for each name/address |
| your customers. This is easy for service | | | | input. I like to use a word processing program |
| organizations like carpet cleaners, auto repair | | | | because once the list has been built; it's fairly easy |
| firms, instant printers, and the like. They already | | | | to create personalized letters, etc. using the |
| have their customers' names and addresses. All | | | | program's mail merge features.What do you then |
| they have to do is put them together as a mailing | | | | mail customers? I like newsletters a lot. They can |
| list. Retailers such as jewelry stores, antique | | | | be as simple as a single page printed on both |
| dealers, liquor stores, restaurants, etc. have a | | | | sides or as complex as four to eight pages. |
| tougher time because they don't have an easy | | | | Another good alternative is personalized letters. |
| way to capture their customer's names and | | | | Just make sure that whatever you choose to |
| addresses.There are a couple of answers to this. | | | | send your customers is important and meaningful |
| One is the old fishbowl gimmick, where you ask | | | | and always include an offer designed to bring |
| customers to deposit their business cards in a | | | | them into your store or to call you for more |
| fishbowl with a prize to be given away in a | | | | information or to make an appointment.It takes |
| drawing at some later date. I personally think this | | | | time, money and dedication to develop and |
| has been overdone. Plus, I have heard stories of | | | | implement a direct mail campaign. But it's a |
| unscrupulous sales people cleaning out the | | | | powerful tool that can pay for itself in just a few |
| fishbowls themselves and using the business cards | | | | months and then keep paying off for years to |
| as sales leads.A second alternative is to post a | | | | come.For more information on creating an |
| "guestbook" somewhere near your cash register | | | | effective newsletter, be sure to look for my |
| with a sign offering a free newsletter to all those | | | | article, "Small Business Power Tool: Customer |
| who register. To make this work, you and your | | | | Newsletters."Here's a good tip. If you're looking for |
| employees have to be kind of aggressive in urging | | | | a great place to vacation, choose Denver. Denver |
| all your customers to sign up, and you can expect | | | | is unique in that it offers the best of two worlds |
| that many will not. However, persistence is a | | | | -- the fun things to do and see that you find only |
| virtue and if you keep this up long enough, you | | | | in a big, sophisticated city, plus the breathtaking |
| will capture enough names and addresses to | | | | scenery, unforgettable vistas and amazing wildlife |
| make the effort worthwhile.I also like the idea of | | | | you find in our nearby Rocky Mountains. To learn |
| offering customers some small reward for | | | | more about the best Denver vacation, just go to |
| providing their names and addresses. One version | | | | Just go to Hanna is a long time marketing |
| of this that seems to work well is a "frequent | | | | executive and the author of more than 120 |
| diner," "frequent buyer," or "frequent customer" | | | | articles on Internet marketing and family finances. |
| card. Give your customers small, inexpensive | | | | |