Postcards Save you Money!

On May 11th our postage rates rose again. That means more costs for your mailing, more expenses that will cut into your ROI and more money out of your already shrinking budgets. What does that mean for marketers like you? Yep, once again you will need to turn to your trusty Marketing Medical Bag for your postcard mailings. Postage is going up two cents for postcards as well as for First-Class™ mailings. Now is the time to begin looking at your lead generation lists, your past offers, renew your copy and then of course, run your names through CASS and NCOALink® processing to ensure that they get the new Intelligent Mail® barcode for better delivery and tracking services.

Why should you dust off the trusty postcard? Because they work, that's why.Postcards take your business or services and products to a new level. You can do a postcard from your creative brief to the mailbox in just days. Since you can do a relatively simple postcard with some bells and some loud whistles about you and your company, this is the way to go in these trying economic times. Attention-grabbing postcards offer you tremendous marketing chances and opportunities to small and large business marketers, Just like you!

Last time I checked, there were approximately 25,000 direct mail response lists and approximately 50,000 compiled lists currently on the market. Among all of these lists, you’ll find hundreds that work for your product or service.Actually, you likely won’t find them. Locating the best names for your mailing is complicated and best left to an experienced list broker. A list broker is a specialist who researches and recommends lists for you, and manages all the paperwork and other details of acquiring the list.

Marketing List Brokers

Here is a great article about list brokers. You do need one :)
http://mailinglists-info.com/direct-mail-list-brokers/

Finding The Right Mailing List For Your Business

I read this article today and found it very informative. Enjoy!

http://www.melissadata.com/enews/listadvisor/articles/0730/3.htm

Attention Ad Agencies/List Resellers

I am running a special offer for September ONLY. If you purchase $1,000 in lists within the month of September, I will send you a FREE Dell Mini. If you purchase $500 in lists within the month of September, I will send you a $100 Amazon gift card.

Great Testimonial from one of my clients

"The list Sharon helped me find in early 2009 for my refinance mail campaign was right on! To give you an idea - my net revenue from only three mailings to about 300 people each was excellent at $18,591.51 with a total marketing cost of only $1710.18. That's what I call a targeted list!"

Bill Zimmerman

Branch Manager, Mortgage Consultant

Summit Mortgage Corporation

http://www.foridahorealtors.com/

http://www.zimmermanloans.com/

208-939-0002

NCOA - Beware

I recently had a client who wanted to clean up her mailing list of approximately 500 clients. This was my first NCOA order. We both learned a lot from it.

#1) Just because the address that you have comes back through the National Change of Address file that the postal service updates, does not mean that your client is still at that address.

#2) Some of your clients may move without filling out a forwarding address card. If this happens, the postal service will not know and not catch it.

My client put her file of approximately 500 clients through the National Change of Address file to avoid costly postage and printing costs on returned mail. The file had 32 address updates which did save some money but the cost of processing is $75.00. She ended up having approximately 45 returns even though these addresses came back as valid through the National Change of Address file.

This was definitely not cost effective for my client since the printing and postage of the 45 returns cost her approximately $80.00 in addition to the $75.00 processing fee and since the process only caught 35 records and changed them, it really only saved her about $65.00.

I would say in conclusion that it would not be worth the money unless you have a client file of around 2,000 or more since the bigger the file, the more returns you will get and the more records that may be matched and changed.

If you have any questions about the National Change of Address file or just want to learn more, contact me.

The New Arrival

On 7/7/09 our new grandson arrived. He is 8 pounds, 9 ounces and 21 inches long. He has a full head of hair and is oh so cute. I am really looking forward to receiving offers from local companies now. Hopefully I see some soon.

Grandparents are a great target market. They are willing and able to spend more than the parents in most cases. Photographers would make a killing marketing to them since I know personally that I want lots and lots of pictures. I can't wait to spoil little Christopher!

Get creative in your marketing by thinking of different niches out there that can use your goods and services.