The RainToday blog recently featured an article from Andrew Sobel, a leading authority on client relationships and the skills and strategies required to earn lifelong client loyalty. Andrew's article "Where Independent Professionals Succeed and Large Firms Fail" explains the reasons why marketing consultants and service professionals from small companies typically outperform their counterparts from large companies.
Sobel's traits of successful independent professsionals include:
1. Create personal brands by building individual market renown.
2. Regularly develop and disseminate intellectual capital.
3. Focus on conversations, not PowerPoint.
4. Try to achieve success, not perfection.
5. Have learned to eliminate non-value added activities.
6. Take responsibility for their personal development.
7. Organize around clients.
8. Truly act like it's their money.
I'll add the following traits of successful service providers such as mailing list brokers, advertising agencies, and financial advisors:
1. Speedy response to client inquiries and questions -- the faster the better.
2. Lifetime commitment to customers -- the same staff works with same clients for several years.
3. Responsibile for actions -- no hiding behind "company policy" or anonymous "others at the company."
4. Tech savvy -- expert at using the latest technology for research, and to present and share ideas.
Whenever you use Excel to create a mailing list make sure that you define the zip code field correctly, rather than having Excel automatically define field as a "number" field. If not, the leading
zeros drop off records.
If the field isn't correctly defined, zip code 00988 will become 988 and zip code 02222 becomes 2222. And none of your mail pieces whose zip codes begin with a 0 will be properly delivered.
To fix the problem:
In your Excel spreadsheet...
a. highlight the entire zip code column, including column description
b. click Format from commands at top of screen
c. click Cells
d. click Special
e. click Zip Code
f. click OK
Hippo Direct clients market to a wide variety of business professionals and consumers using email and postal lists. Last week we helped marketing managers reach these targets for their upcoming promotional campaigns:
* All active US dentists
* Attorneys who specialize in Intellectual Property or Patents or Trademarks
* College professors who teach courses in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering faculty
* College Presidents by enrollment size of their university
* Consumers at home address by age, marital status and household income
* Corporate counsel who specialize in these areas of practice: Corporate Law, Employee Benefits, Labor/Employment, Workers Compensation
* Dentists by year which their military service ended
* Dentists who are practice owners
* Diversity professsionals and senior human resources executives
* Donors to international poverty causes
* Employee benefits executives and senior senior human resources executives who make decisions re corporate wellness programs
* European hospital executives
* Executives at pet food manufacturing and pet food marketing companies
* Healthcare Design decisionmakers such as Architects, Facilities Manager/Planner, Construction Manager/Project Manager, Chief Engineer
* Individuals with hearing ailments
* Licensed Medical Professionals
* Medical School Deans
* Paralegals by state
* Periodontists by state
* Pharmaceutical and biotech executives at companies in Central America, Caribbean, and South America
* Runners magazine subscribers
* Running event participants
We can help you reach your target market, too. Contact Greg Branstetter at gbhippo@hippodirect.com for a rapid response!
An email marketing strategy which re-sent promotions to non-openers of the original offer increased overall click thru rates by 49% for one of Hippo Direct's publishing clients.
This email marketing tactic is featured in a new report from MarketingSherpa called "Marketing Wisdom for 2010: 70 Marketers and Agencies Share Real-Life Stories and Lessons Learned".
For more information and to download the report, visit MarketingSherpa's website. See the Hippo Direct citation on pages 11 and 12 of the report.
The increase in overall click through rate was achieved as part of an ongoing email marketing program to sell paid publication subscriptions to registrants of a free online service.
1. Less clutter in the mailbox = more response for your mailings.
Here are 6 more reasons, per Rod Devar, Manager of Direct Mail at the US Postal Service. Rod's article "Don't Call It a Comeback" appeared in the December 2009 issue of Deliver Magazine.
2. Mail will be even easier to track with new postal services like Intelligent Mail.
3.. Clean lists are eco-friendly and cost-effective.
4. Content marketing is on the rise, which brings more opportunites to cross-promote.
5. Newspapers are suffering, which means that advertisers need to find new ways to reach prospective local customers.
6. Printing and database technology continues to improve, which provides more opportunities to use color and personalization in your mailings.
7. Direct mail is a strong acquisition tool with better targeting than other methods.
The Gilbert Direct Marketing Blog featured a recent guest post from Marjorie Bicknell reminding us why the classic #10 letter package can produce better results than self-mailers such as postcards and flyers.
Marjorie's 6 reasons for choosing a letter package:
1. A letter in an envelope is "real" mail.
2. A letter is still the most effect tool a direct marketer has.
3. A letter package offers privacy.
4. A letter package gives you room to tell your story.
5. A letter package is more personal.
6. A letter package can be more economical than a self-mailer - and provide a higher ROI.
I'll add 4 more reasons why "letter inside envelope" direct mail packages can generate more sustained response than self-mailers:
1. Can include premiums such as bookmarks or imprinted magnets.
2. Can use a "buckslip" to highlight the main element of your offer.
3. Can include your business card as part of the mailing.
4. Can include coupons to stimulate immediate purchases.
The new website www.Marketing2NonProfits.com gives mailers and advertisers one-stop access to the leading publishers and professional associations who market to charities such as hospitals, universities, foundations and social service agencies.
Marketers can learn details regarding marketing programs to reach leading non-profit organization executives, including: development directors, executive directors, fundraisers, marketing managers, public relations and events coordinators.
The site features links to 48 leading sources of marketing to non profits:
* Mailing Lists
* Email Lists
* Advertise in Print Publications
* Advertise in Email Newsletters
* Advertise on Websites
Valentines Day was yesterday. Did you forget to do something for someone?
It's ok. The phrase "better late than never" applies to lots of things in life. Especially new projects for your business.
If you're like me, then you have a few projects that you wanted to do at the begining of January which are still incomplete. Do them now.
In the long run, nobody will remember that your start date for a new program or service was February 16 rather than January 2.
The new website www.Marketing2HigherEd.com gives mailers and advertisers one-stop access to the leading publishers and professional associations who market to administrators and faculty of colleges and universities.
Marketers can learn details regarding marketing programs to reach professors and college admiinistrators such as: presidents, deans, department chairs; plus directors of continuing education, distance learning, fundraising, human resources, information technology, public relations, and student affairs.
The site features links to 35 leading sources of marketing to dentists via:
* Mailing Lists
* Email Lists
* Advertise in Print Publications
* Advertise in Email Newsletters
* Advertise on Websites
The new website www.Marketing2Dentists.com gives mailers and advertisers one-stop access to the leading publishers and professional associations who market to dentists and dental specialists.
Dental marketers can learn details regarding marketing programs to reach General Practice Dentists; and specialists such as Orthodontists, Oral Surgeons, Periodontists, Endodontists, Prosthodontists, and Registered Dental Hygienists.
The site features links to 32 leading sources of marketing to dentists via:
* Mailing Lists
* Email Lists
* Advertise in Print Publications
* Advertise in Email Newsletters
* Advertise on Websites