MAKE BUSINESS STRONGER!
Effective advertising depends on communicating the right message, to the right market, in the right manner, at the right time. To optimize business, your marketing strategy must be based on multiple pillars. By applying a three-pronged advertising approach, you'll be able to increase your effectiveness and make your business grow. STEP #1 - DEVELOP YOUR MAILING LIST If you want to boost your sales while you drive down costs, you should be using direct mail.
It is one of the most targeted, measurable and cost-effective ways to sell merchandise.
You can deliver your message directly into the hands of a specific individual.
You never have to "guess" about the results. Your cost per respondent is easy to evaluate.
You can build an information base of customers that have a need for your services.
It is flexible because you control the size, the quantity, color, and timing. Personalized Mail Has Many Advantages:
It can be distinctive
It can be highly selective
It provides a captive audience
It is cost-effective
Direct Mail is Cost Effective: At a cost of about 40 cents a letter, you'll spend around $400 on a 1,000-letter mailing. If only 5% (50 people) respond on your opening day with an average purchase of $50, you'll gross $2,500 on your $400 outlay - the first day alone. Bottom Line: Based on a very conservative figure -- with a mere 5% customer response, you'll gross $2,500 for every 1,000 letters you mail! You Can Acquire A Customer Mailing List By:
Asking every shopper who comes into your store to fill out a preferred customer card so you can update your mailing list.
Add names by acquiring membership lists of local organizations, clubs and churches.
Copying names and addresses from customer's checks.
Purchasing qualified names from mailing list companies. Experience shows us that retailers who have their own customer mailing lists receive the best results. It is better to have 500 to 2,000 qualified names rather than 5,000 to 10,000 non-qualified names. STEP #2 - ADVERTISE IN YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPERS Newspapers are a valuable medium for advertising. An effective ad should be hard-hitting and contain the following features:
Be easily recognizable
Have a dominant headline
Let the white space work for you
State percentages and range of prices
Create customer urgency
Ads can be placed and/or changed on relatively short notice. You should know that newspapers could assist you in preparing copy as well as layout. Often they are able to furnish standard illustrations or cuts for a more effective presentation.
A good ad can run over and over again, only until you become bored with it.
A good ad can also be re-printed and used as fliers, hand-outs, mailers or even enlarged and used as posters.
STEP #3 - USE POINT-OF-SALE, DISPLAY AND WINDOW SIGNS Eye-catching signs and banners are the most effective "sales aids" you can use to create urgency and make your store stand out to attract new customers:
Store signs can significantly improve your store image
Store signs can enhance the value of your merchandise
Store signs can increase your average sale transaction
Store signs create the urgency for customers to Buy Now!
These three simple but effective advertising techniques are based on the results of years of research, effort, and practice using methods that are fun, exciting, and profitable. They have worked for countless others and can work for you too. Your advertising may be entertaining, it may be informative, and it may keep your name before the public, but its primary purpose is to bring customers into your store. The objective is to sell - sell - sell!
Make your advertising efforts memorable.
Make your advertising efforts cost-effective.
Use innovative techniques to create excitement.
Always make constant offers to promote your business.
Remember, marketing can be one of the most rewarding and profitable things you can do, provided you have the know-how to make it a success.