Connecting Your Direct Mail Piece with Social Media

One fact that everyone can be sure of in today’s society, regardless of the industry they’re in, is that social media is here to stay. About 20 percent of women who are online use Pinterest, 100,000 tweets are sent per minute, and over 1 billion users are registered on Facebook. Now, it’s time to mix the old with the new to create a truly successful marketing campaign.

By combining your direct mail piece with social media, you get a high conversion rate and ROI as well as the addition of more qualified leads, increased traffic to your website and social media sites, and overall added exposure to your business. Plus, you’ll also learn a little more about your customers.

There are a few ways to combine social media and direct mail initiatives.

Add a call-to-action: Many companies are already in the practice of this, but offering incentives like discounts or coupons by simply “liking” your Facebook page can pay off big. It also allows potential customers to see that you want to build a real relationship with them.

Include a QR code: Including a QR code that links people to your YouTube videos or your Facebook page, or any other social media site means instant connection.

Social badges: An easy task but one that’s critical is to add badges to all of the social media sites you are on such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. The only way they’ll know you’re on those sites is if you show them.

Does Your Big Data Deliver Results?

Having big data is sexy and cool, but just sitting around staring at data won’t do much for you (or your company’s bottom line) if it doesn’t actually deliver results. When you’ve got googly eyes for your significant other, is he/she able to bring it? Or do you get the cold shoulder, the claim that he/she is too tired or has a headache?

You’re looking at all your data. Oh yeah, you’ve got the googly eyes. You are in the mood to make some magic. And you just know that if your big data was up to task, you’d be in heaven.

But those googly eyes may just make you so distracted that you’re
Parajumper Jakke failing to see the big picture. And big data is supposed to help you, not distract you. It’s easy to get into the whole “Ooh, shiny!” exhilaration that accompanies having all this data at your fingertips and eyeballs. You want to try this. You want to try that. You want to experiment left and right. But experimenting can be the death knell in your big data relationship. Sure, you don’t want to be “boring” and play it safe. You want to have some fun. But if you try Parajumper Jakke Oslo out a little too much, a little too often, you’re going to kill the mood and misuse your big data. And once you get burned by the big data, it’s easy to get scared off from giving it another try later.

Another issue is if your big data just isn’t up for the task. It’s there. It’s ready (supposedly) to go. But if you don’t have the right software to really warm it up and get things going, then you may just be spinning your wheels. You need the platforms in place to help you get the most out of the information you have. This is not time for a limp noodle and your data is only as good as your analysis and usage. You need the information and you need it in a way that can benefit your business. Make sure to evaluate various tools at your disposal and choose what will fit your needs. Don’t just get blinded by what you hear all the other marketers are using.

In the end, if you look at your big data with a healthy amount of love and adoration, without getting sidetracked by the “shininess” of it all, you can make sure that your big data produces the end results that you want and need. A guaranteed smile on your face with great marketing results.

Big Data: Dating or Committed?

When you’re dating, there is still this sense of the noncommittal. You can say “Yeah, we’re committed.” But, especially early on in a relationship, you can still have your eyes wandering about and making sure that you’re not missing the Next Big Thing.

Data can be like that. When you’re “dating” your Big Data, sure, you’re cozying on up to it. You’re checking it out. It’s new. It’s exciting. Who doesn’t like to look at new data and imagine all the possibilities?

But there comes a time when you have to decide…are you going to make a commitment to this data? Are you willing to make decisions and plan out long term strategies and goals using this data?

Think about that date with the man (or lady) who seemed a little off kilter. You weren’t sure why. You couldn’t put your finger right on it. But after a few dates (maybe more than a few) you just knew. You knew that this person wasn’t for you. Maybe you look at your data and it’s not making sense to you. You can’t quite figure it out. Or it’s just not clicking. And when that happens, you shouldn’t force it. Like any forced relationship, it will fall

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apart eventually. So if your Big Data isn’t grabbing you full in the face and bringing you to that “yes, I want to be with you” moment, then it’s likely time to take a step back.

It could be an “It’s me, not you,” scenario. Have another member of the team work with your data. Not every marketer is cut out to be a big data dater or mater. And to force such a situation can possibly wreak havoc on your marketing efforts.

Another team member may look at your big data differently. Different strokes for different folks, right? So if you’re not the right person, don’t assume it’s time to toss the big data out the window. Look for the marketer in your group that might be the right fit. Because there’s somebody out there for everyone.

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And your team member might just click with the big data and know how to work with it.

Once you have the “right fit,” it’s imperative to shoot for long term commitment. If you only dabble and fool around with the big data, you won’t really see any long term benefits from it. And that’s the end goal – creating lasting strategies and basing decisions and goals off of big data analysis. This isn’t about a temporary high or a feel good marketing campaign that brings in a few sales here or there. By committing to the data and developing on-point marketing campaigns, goals and other business decisions, you will find that the cultivated relationship will bloom and business will boom.

Improve the Effectiveness of Your Sales Process

When it comes to the worlds of sales and marketing, there are always items that we can look at to improve our effectiveness.

In marketing, it may be that we want to increase brand awareness and acquire more leads. Or, it could be that we want to do a better job of attracting leads that are more qualified before they are handed off to the sales team.

But when it comes to Sales, one of our goals, that should always be high on our priority list, has to do with our follow-up process.

Here are four tips to help increase the effectiveness of your lead follow-up process:

  1. Do your research: If we want a sales call to go smoothly and turn into a success, we must take the time to learn what we can about each lead before we call them. We don’t need to go overboard — but in today’s world, we can quickly find out key details about most of the people that we may be interacting with. We should look at the data on social networks and in our contact history records. That data can help us to deliver a relevant and compelling message to each lead.
  2. Be ready to get to the point: Are people busier than ever before? While I don’t know the answer to that, I do know that this is true: people have more communication and technology options at their fingertips than ever before! Thus, we must ensure that we can deliver our key message to people in a short period of time. Sales reps should have a catchy “elevator pitch” ready so they can quickly start the follow-up conversation and get it moving down the right path.
  3. Recognize the difference between pushing and being too pushy: While sales does rely on doing what it takes to close deals, it is important not to come off as too aggressive or rude. Nowadays, people are quite apt to air their grievances or complaints about a company on their social networking profiles. If you are outsourcing your sales follow-up needs, or perhaps using someone with limited experience, help them to understand the consequences of their actions during the follow-up process. However, we must strike a balance. We need revenue to survive — and that doesn’t happen simply because we’re nice. We need to find ways to ensure that our prospects understand the importance of looking at our products and/or services.
  4. Be happy and passionate: People like interacting with someone that enjoys what they do. They also will be more willing to listen if they think
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    you truly believe in the product or service that you are selling. The tone and content in our follow-up efforts can certainly leave a big impression on other people when they think about our brand.

These are just a few tips to help improve the sales lead follow-up process.

I hope that you find them helpful!

Easy Does It: What A Hit Song From 1981 Can Teach You About Drip Marketing

Do you remember 38 Special’s 1981 hit Hold on Loosely? It goes, “Just hold on loosely, but don’t let go. If you cling too tightly, you’re gonna lose control.” For business owners, those words couldn’t be truer. Often overworked, business owners stretch themselves thin trying to run every aspect of their business instead of delegating responsibility—either because they don’t have the resources to do so or are micromanagers who aren’t ready to trust others.

One question you probably asked yourself many times when feeling overwhelmed is “Am I ready to let go of my marketing?” Most business owners would say “no” or be very hesitant. So, what do you do? Continue wishing there were more hours in the day and going crazy? Not if Pel Hughes can help it.
Introducing Drip Marketing, one of the best options to keep you in touch with your marketing while giving you the flexibility and freedom from it that you desire. Drip marketing can smooth out the ups and downs in your business by prompting continuous cash flow. If you’re unfamiliar with Drip Marketing, it is a communication strategy that sends, or “drips,” a pre-written set of messages to customers or prospects over time. These messages often take the form of email marketing, although other media can also be used. Drip Marketing is distinct from other database marketing in two ways: (1) the timing of the messages follow a pre-determined course; (2) the messages are dripped in a series applicable to a specific behavior or status of the recipient.

Committing to marketing for the long-haul will give you a great chance of having primed customers available when you need them. But making that commitment is difficult for most businesses. To help, Pel Hughes can completely automate and manage your Drip Marketing plan, from strategy to execution. How? First, we sit down with you to develop a personalized Drip Marketing plan. You decide how often you want to “drip” and with what sort of media you want to use (direct mail, email, SMS, or any combination of these and more). These drips can be as simple or complicated as you want. We can easily send a direct mail piece to your customer and be done. But, we can also trigger an email as soon as that direct mail piece is delivered, telling them to check their mailbox. If you have their phone number, we can shoot them a text too. Plus, we can add links to all of your social media sites on any marketing outreach. We can even make those links in the form of QR codes for easy integration.

There are two general categories of drip marketing plans—nurturing existing customers and generating new leads. When it comes to nurturing, the key is to have all of your previous customers think of you first when they’re ready to do business again. To do that, it’s important to constantly stay in front of them, reminding them of your message and your value. This kind of Drip Marketing is focused on building customer loyalty and generating repeat business. Previous customers are easier to convince than brand new ones, and automated Drip Marketing can help you hold onto them.
Lead generation is all about gaining new customers. Sales people always need new leads, and a lead generation plan is a great way to fill their pipeline. This kind of Drip Marketing is focused on capturing customer data, and their business. You want to try and learn as much about these prospects as you can so your Drip Marketing will become more and more relevant as you continue the conversation with them.

Regardless of which plan you focus on, once you confirm your schedule, we handle it from there—allowing you to finally take that breather you’ve been wanting. You have full transparency into our system, so you don’t have to worry about what’s being done, you can just log in and see for yourself. You can easily see what’s in progress and what’s coming up.
So if you’re ready to hold on loosely, but not completely let go, contact us at 1.800.253.0249 to discuss how we can create a Drip Marketing plan for you.

You’ve Got Better Mail

Imagine this: You hop into your car right now and travel from one side of the United States all the way to the other—on just a single tank of gas that costs a whopping 14¢. Think that would be amazing? Well, that’s essentially what most mail delivered by the United States Postal Service does every day.

As you may know, the Postal Service has been having a rough past few years. From huge budget shortfalls to layoffs and cutbacks, things have looked extremely bleak for the nation’s 236-year-old mail delivery system. But recently, they’ve revamped their approach, developed new, innovative services and are now poised to make a serious comeback. The United States Postal Service recently introduced “Every Door Direct Mail,” an incredible program that makes it easier and more cost effective to get your message out to consumers. In short, you use the USPS’ online tool to target areas you want to saturate with your mailing, choose routes by neighborhood, ZIP Code or city and then your mailing is delivered by their Letter Carriers to every mailbox along the chosen routes with the day’s mail. Best of all, you spend as little as 14.2 cents per piece on postage. Incredible.

This service has great potential, and if its initial roll out is any indication, it will easily become one of the most valuable tools for direct marketers. The most frequent users of this new service are mainly companies trying to enhance their Direct Marketing efforts. Direct Mail continues to be one of the most effective ways to reach customers and has taken a leading role in communicating with consumers as a sophisticated science of personalization that delivers what they want. Brands now are able to hone and narrow down their message to precise specifications, engaging targeted recipients with content that is not only relevant to them but also useful in their day-to-day lives. “Every Door Direct Mail” aims to more fully satisfy business owners, who are always on the lookout for the most cost effective way of delivering their message to consumers. Although this service is a great way to begin maximizing your money, Pel Hughes can take that efficiency, and your dollar, even further. Some of the methods we utilize include:

Track Your Mail – Think UPS tracking with each of your mailed pieces. See when each mail piece reaches its target and how the Post Office is performing after we deliver your mail to them.

Postal Rate Optimization – Along with the “Every Door” mailing, we can save you postage costs with any method you want to mail (standard, first class, nonprofit, etc.). We optimize every mail file for automated processing to assure you are getting the best postal rates available.

Latest and Greatest Lists – We keep your lists clean and

updated by utilizing the National Change of Address system, greatly reducing the number of “return to sender” or non-deliverable mail.

Purls & QR Codes – let Pel Hughes help you add the latest response mechanisms to your direct marketing efforts so you can dramatically increase your response rates and more accurately track & measure your efforts.

Direct Mail can be one of the most beneficial options for businesses trying to reach current and potential customers. It is a key component in any cross media campaign. And when you combine the “Every Door” service with our multiple add-on options, we can provide an even greater return on your investment. Don’t forget to measure the campaign, gather critical data and analyze the effectiveness. The USPS has found a way to reinvent themselves and get back on track. Now are you ready to send more effective direct mail? If so, give us a call at Pel Hughes at 1.800.253.0249 to discuss how we can give you more bang for your buck.

A New Code of Conduct: Direct Mail, Personalization & QR Codes

Mailers have come a long way from the dinosaur days of junk mail—when messages were sent out in suffocating waves aiming to hit any and

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everyone. Often, these mailers would have no connection to the recipient or were even sent nondescriptly to “Resident.” How crummy of a way is that for someone to receive mail? That’s basically saying we don’t care who you are or what you need, but here’s what WE want you to want. Now that’s a great way to connect with the consumer!

Today, direct mail has taken a leading role in communicating with consumers as a sophisticated science of personalization that delivers what they want. Direct mail is exactly that—direct. Brands now are able to hone and narrow down their message to precise specifications, engaging targeted recipients with content that is not only relevant to them but also useful in their day to day lives.
Pel Hughes’ utilizes personalized marketing and advanced tools to produce some of today’s most eye-catching, targeted and relevant variable data printing and visuals. All of these pieces add up to an incredible, personalized message that consistently wins big sales. For instance, companies can use PURLs (personalized urls for the recipient) on their direct mail to collect and update contact information from their target market as well as provide mini-surveys that identify their interests, purchase timing and other vital insight. This allows the brands to target their content, offers and messages right to the needs of individuals.

One of the latest technologies to gain traction are QR codes, or Quick Response. These codes are bar codes primarily used by smartphone users to get more information on the product or service being advertised. The camera portion of the phone reads the bar code and acts on the information placed within it. A QR code usually takes the user to a web page that has more actionable functions like order processing and data collection. The bar codes can drive personalized landing pages, shopping cart functions, automated social networking and any other functions coded in the web pages themselves. You could also direct them to phone numbers, texts or emails since they are already being scanned by phones.

Direct mail QR codes add a new dimension of interaction and is the least expensive new technology being used today. All you need is a QR code reader app for your smartphone to scan them. These codes bridge the gap between offline and online media, making direct mail more interactive. That coupled with the fact that marketers can target prospects in key neighborhoods gives businesses a better chance to grow market share while maintaining efficiency.

Want to give QR Codes or some other direct mail technology a shot? You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain! Contact us at Pel Hughes to see how we can integrate the latest technology into your current or upcoming campaign.