| There aren't many things in life that you would | | | | 100% deliverability - but they should guarantee at |
| get into with out a plan. Marketing is no different. | | | | least 90%.iii) How often do they update their |
| Your overall marketing plan should cover about a | | | | information? They should be able to answer this |
| six month period, and should be made up of | | | | question and should be updating their information |
| weekly and monthly marketing schedules.This is | | | | monthly.You can get burnt on mailing lists - it is |
| how you do it:1. Figure out how much money is in | | | | the most expensive part of your campaign. Ask |
| your budget.As we all know, marketing of any | | | | friends who own businesses. Don't just purchase |
| kind costs money. How much money you are | | | | from the first person that tries to sell you mailing |
| willing to commit to the cause is going to | | | | lists. Do your research.3. Select what media to |
| determine some key factors about how that | | | | use. (i.e., Direct Mail, Television, Radio, etc.)This |
| money can be best spent. Remember, you want | | | | decision will depend on both your budget and your |
| to be economical but you also need to be realistic | | | | target market. If you have not done a good deal |
| on what it will take to pull in the leads you need | | | | of marketing in the past we recommend picking |
| to close new and repeat business.2. Determine | | | | one media to start. This is much easier to keep |
| your target market.Who is most likely to buy | | | | track of and you will better be able to tell |
| your product? Are they married? Are they | | | | whether or not it is working. Also, since repetition |
| business owners? What is their income level? | | | | is the key to marketing success, using one media |
| These are the people that you want to target. | | | | to begin with will help you reach the same people |
| One of the most common mistakes in marketing | | | | multiple times. If you run a |
| is answering "Everyone" to the question "Who is | | | | newspaper ad and send out a postcard, you run |
| your target market?" It may be that you have | | | | the risk of the majority of the people only seeing |
| more than one target market, but there is no | | | | your ad once. However, if you send out the |
| product in the world that appeals to each and | | | | postcard twice you can guarantee that you get |
| every person. Even Coca-Cola targets different | | | | your message to the same people twice and you |
| people with different messages. Decide who is | | | | will start to build recognition.Once you are getting |
| MOST LIKELY to buy what you have to sell and | | | | the returns that you want from the first media, |
| target them. Your message to teenagers will be | | | | or if you decide that it is not working for you, |
| different than your message to housewives even | | | | you can branch out into another form of |
| if the product is exactly the same. Different | | | | advertising. Over time you will build up a very |
| markets may require different mail pieces or | | | | diverse marketing plan.4. Make a Schedule and |
| advertisements.2a. Using the Right Mailing List.In | | | | Stick with It.Figure out how many people you |
| making sure that your message is getting across | | | | have in your target market. For this example we |
| to the right people - people who are in the | | | | will use Direct Mail Marketing. If you have a mailing |
| market for what you're offering usually comes | | | | list of people in your target market that has 1500 |
| down to finding the right mailing list.There is a | | | | names, figure out how many times per month |
| great deal to know about mailing lists. There are | | | | you can mail a postcard to them and still stay |
| pointers you could follow when buying a mailing list | | | | within your monthly budget. Once you come up |
| that tell you what to watch for in a mailing list | | | | with this number, do it!The importance of having a |
| company to make sure they're reputable. They | | | | marketing plan cannot be stressed enough. Create |
| are:i) Get references. Talk to other people that | | | | one and follow it and you'll start seeing the |
| have purchased mailing lists from that company.ii) | | | | benefits.Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in |
| Do they guarantee on delivery? That means due | | | | 1998; her only assets a computer and a phone. In |
| to the inevitable number of bad addresses there | | | | 2004 the company did close to $9 million in sales |
| are in a list, can they still guarantee a high | | | | and employs over 60 persons. She attributes her |
| percentage of deliverable addresses. That number | | | | explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible |
| should be 90% or better. People move all the | | | | staff and her innate marketing savvy. Now she's |
| time so a mailing list company cannot guarantee | | | | sharing her marketing secrets with others. |