Junk mail. Or, as my professors at New York University's direct marketing program called it "unsolicited direct mail" (they refused to call it the "J" word). Consumers have a love/hate relationship with those catalogs, credit card offers, and coupon packages that arrive daily in their mailboxes. "Why am I getting so much? I wish they'd stop wasting trees. Oooh, look, I've been looking for a blue blazer like the one on the cover, let me see that..."
And that's why people love unsolicited direct mail.
Face it, a catalog or two has caught your eye along the way. During its heyday, using unsolicited mail or prospecting via direct mail was a common way to acquire customers. As I like to say when people want to know "why do companies do that?" - it works. With direct mail, everything is accountable and measurable. If it didn't work, companies would stop doing it. Hence the beauty of direct mail.
Based on the most frequently asked questions I get on direct mail from friends and family, here's a brief Q & A on the joys of junk mail.
How do Companies Obtain Names for a Mailing List?
Marketers rent mailing lists and use these to prospect or seek new business. They get mailing addresses from a variety of places. If you've bought something from a catalog company, they can rent your name out to another. Magazine subscriptions, charities, organizations, newspaper subscriptions and others are just a small sample of where your name and address pops up.
Do a test. Call a catalog company or go to their website. Make sure it's a company you've never done business with before. Now ask to receive their catalogs and buy something small from the first one. When you sign up, misspell your name or give them the wrong middle initial.
Copright 2009
Now watch your mailbox and see what pops up 6 to 8 weeks later with the same mistake in the address. Now you know who's buying lists. It's an interesting test, isn't it?
How Can I Stop All Junk Mail?
If you want ALL junk mail to stop, visit DMA Choice. Reputable companies use this list of people who opt-out, or state they do not wish to receive unsolicited mail, and suppress or remove your name from the lists. It won't stop all your catalogs and other mail. If you've ordered from a company, they may continue sending you marketing materials - legal and legitimate. And of course, companies that run shoddy list management practices don't bother with preference lists.
Direct Mail Just Wastes Trees
Less so than you think. Something close to 95% of all unsolicited mail does get recycled - and about that much is just reused into paper products anyway. Most catalogs are now printed on recycled paper with "green" or environmentally friendly ink. The industry is more environmentally conscious than you think. They just do a bad job promoting it.
Catalogs are Sent at Random
Nobody would invest thousands of dollars in rental fees, postage, printing and more to do something randomly. Direct mail lists are acquired based on strict parameters. The best way is to analyze your own database first, develop a customer profile to figure out who is most likely to buy, then look for lists featuring those customers. That's the really simple explanation, but that's how your name ends up on three catalogs for plus sized clothing - someone analyzed your purchase behavior and saw that you're buy 18W sized dresses and knows you're in that size bracket and that you seek professional, contemporary clothing.
As for not working, companies that work their numbers, analyze their data, and rigorously test new lists often get great results. Customers who buy through direct mail tend to buy more through direct mail. If the lists is right for the offer, it works.
Of course sometimes you just get on the wrong list. That's why I keep getting catalogs for cigars.
I'd offer you a light, but I've never smoke a single day of my life, nor do I intend to begin chomping stogies anytime soon.
Making Direct Mail Work for Your Company
I've gone through some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about direct marketing that I hear from consumers as well as business owners. There's one big question that's the elephant in the room; what is a good response rate? To answer that question, please read my Ezine article, "What is a Good Direct Response Rate" which will walk you through the basics of that very important question.
Jeanne Grunert is a well known direct and online marketing expert and the president of Seven Oaks Consulting. For 20 years, she led marketing departments in the retail, financial services, and publishing industries. She helped companies save money and increase response rates - and profits - on their direct mail and online marketing efforts. Today, Jeanne shares her experience through her books, articles, coaching and courses available through Seven Oaks Consulting, focusing on low cost, high results marketing strategies. New clients welcome. For more information and a free consultation, please visit http://www.sevenoaksconsulting.com, or call 434-574-6253.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeanne_Grunert
Monday, October 19, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
5 Ways Your Business Benefits From GPS Tracking
Getting your business to run on 'automatic' is like gold because it allows you to pocket more profits. Reducing your highest expenses drives profit to the bottom line of your business. Sound familiar? These strategies are at the core of business operating principles. And, once the economy improves, it is unlikely that they will change.
In that vein, here are five ways that a business can benefit from GPS Tracking systems which will help increase profits.
Benefit 1: Lowers excess vehicle expenses
Do you suspect that your company-owned vehicles are being driven excessively during off-business hours? Are your employees taking advantage of not being watched closely and are using your vehicles to make daily runs to the grocery store or other locations? GPS Tracking gives you the view that you need to see where your vehicles are located, the direction they are moving and even the speed at which they are travelling. Now you can get instant feedback that can help you reduce costs by keeping a closer watch over your company vehicles. That will save money on fuel and maintenance.
Benefit 2: Lowers insurance premiums
Check with any major insurance company and you will discover a willingness to lower premiums based upon the lower risk associated with outfitting a GPS Tracking system in your business and attaching devices to each of your company vehicles and other moveable assets. The cost savings alone will pay for the units in a short period of time.
Benefit 3: Lowers exposure to loss through theft
Theft not only robs a business of a valuable asset, but also steals productivity to perform jobs based on the loss of equipment. Even several days of 'down time' are expensive. That is why attaching GPS Tracking systems to your largest, most expensive and moveable assets are worth it. With them you can have stolen items recovered in a matter of hours, days, weeks, months, years or even never.
Benefit 4: Lowers need for employees
Managing a number of assets does not require many bodies, just a real-time system using GPS Tracking devices and the proprietary software called NavIQ from Rocky Mountain Tracking. Once in place, you can check up on the location and whereabouts of your assets at a moment's notice. Run a report to show location and hours used for billing purposes. One person with a PC, an Internet connection along with the NavIQ software can easily manage hundreds of units with GPS Tracking.
Benefit 5: Lowers Business Management Activities
You will benefit by keeping a tighter control on your assets while lowering the worry associated with watching your assets go out of the door and wondering if they will return. With a few steps, you can generate inventory reports to give you a snap shot of where your assets are and if they are where they are supposed to be located. As was previously mentioned, one person can manage many, many assets.
It's time to step up to closer, better business monitoring with GPS Tracking. This is a 'no-brainer' decision which will pay off instantly and down the road. Now is the time to grab onto more secure control of your assets and keep your business profitable.
James Neely, Writer and Entrepreneur
...is a freelance writer who writes about GPS Tracking systems. Visit this link: tracking devices to find the right system to meet your needs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Neely
In that vein, here are five ways that a business can benefit from GPS Tracking systems which will help increase profits.
Benefit 1: Lowers excess vehicle expenses
Do you suspect that your company-owned vehicles are being driven excessively during off-business hours? Are your employees taking advantage of not being watched closely and are using your vehicles to make daily runs to the grocery store or other locations? GPS Tracking gives you the view that you need to see where your vehicles are located, the direction they are moving and even the speed at which they are travelling. Now you can get instant feedback that can help you reduce costs by keeping a closer watch over your company vehicles. That will save money on fuel and maintenance.
Benefit 2: Lowers insurance premiums
Check with any major insurance company and you will discover a willingness to lower premiums based upon the lower risk associated with outfitting a GPS Tracking system in your business and attaching devices to each of your company vehicles and other moveable assets. The cost savings alone will pay for the units in a short period of time.
Benefit 3: Lowers exposure to loss through theft
Theft not only robs a business of a valuable asset, but also steals productivity to perform jobs based on the loss of equipment. Even several days of 'down time' are expensive. That is why attaching GPS Tracking systems to your largest, most expensive and moveable assets are worth it. With them you can have stolen items recovered in a matter of hours, days, weeks, months, years or even never.
Benefit 4: Lowers need for employees
Managing a number of assets does not require many bodies, just a real-time system using GPS Tracking devices and the proprietary software called NavIQ from Rocky Mountain Tracking. Once in place, you can check up on the location and whereabouts of your assets at a moment's notice. Run a report to show location and hours used for billing purposes. One person with a PC, an Internet connection along with the NavIQ software can easily manage hundreds of units with GPS Tracking.
Benefit 5: Lowers Business Management Activities
You will benefit by keeping a tighter control on your assets while lowering the worry associated with watching your assets go out of the door and wondering if they will return. With a few steps, you can generate inventory reports to give you a snap shot of where your assets are and if they are where they are supposed to be located. As was previously mentioned, one person can manage many, many assets.
It's time to step up to closer, better business monitoring with GPS Tracking. This is a 'no-brainer' decision which will pay off instantly and down the road. Now is the time to grab onto more secure control of your assets and keep your business profitable.
James Neely, Writer and Entrepreneur
...is a freelance writer who writes about GPS Tracking systems. Visit this link: tracking devices to find the right system to meet your needs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Neely
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