How can you develop money making business ideas? I like to mix concept development lessons in with real life opportunity. Here's an example of how I like to spot opportunities and brainstorm business ideas. A few weeks ago some friends invited my wife and I to go with them to a comedy club. As we were sitting at the table having a drink, our conversation turned to a … [Read more...] about How to Make Money with Direct Marketing: Brainstorming a Business Idea
Direct Mail
How Effective is Your Direct Mail Envelope?
You're at work and two mailshots land on your desk. One envelope has a handwritten address; it's of a good quality and you notice it's lumpy. The other envelope by contrast has a label affixed at an angle; the sender has graced it with incorrect details and to add to this ignominy it's one of those tatty brown envelopes you associate with bills and final demands. It's flat as a … [Read more...] about How Effective is Your Direct Mail Envelope?
Direct Mail Promotions: Experiment to Find What Works
Direct mailing will be around as long as there are products to sell. Your goal, therefore, is for your mailing promotion to be able to catch attention and rise above the “junk mails” that people receive. Just about all consumers receive magazine subscription mailings every year packed with contest offerings, product offers, catalogs, and stamp sheets. So make sure your … [Read more...] about Direct Mail Promotions: Experiment to Find What Works
7 Print Newsletter Design Tips to Get Your Newsletter Opened & Read Every Time
You spend a considerable amount of time and money producing your monthly client print newsletter. Having it tossed in the trash along with the 'B' pile (junk) mail is the last thing you want. Yet this happens every day to small business owners just like you. In fact, it's probably happening to you right now. Why? Because most monthly client print newsletters are not put … [Read more...] about 7 Print Newsletter Design Tips to Get Your Newsletter Opened & Read Every Time
How Greeting Cards Can Be a Powerful Marketing Tool for Your Business
In business as in life it is valuable to learn that the only constant is change and a business that is not constantly changing and adapting to the changing environment will have difficulty surviving. In the past 18 months I have completely changed my marketing strategy for my business (1-800-PLUMBING INC). I realized that many of the tactics I used are no longer cost … [Read more...] about How Greeting Cards Can Be a Powerful Marketing Tool for Your Business
How to Use the 3 Most Common Direct Marketing Measurements
John Wanamaker, a 19th century entrepreneur, once famously made the statement, "I know that half of my advertising is wasted, I just don't know which half." Fortunately for today s marketers, there are scientific ways to determine which half is wasted, and which half is not, through the use of common direct marketing measurements. Advertising is, and has always been, part … [Read more...] about How to Use the 3 Most Common Direct Marketing Measurements
Lillian Vernon: A Catalog Business in the Age of the Internet
(Editor's Note: This interview with Ms. Lillian Vernon was first published on June 17, 2003. In 2003, she sold the Lillian Vernon Corporation). "The best way to predict your future is to create it." This quote from an unknown author best exemplifies Lillian Vernon, the remarkable founder of a mail order catalog business that bears her name. Lillian Vernon started her … [Read more...] about Lillian Vernon: A Catalog Business in the Age of the Internet
Postcard Marketing: How Often Should You Mail?
In postcard marketing, the old saying goes, "consistency is key." To reap the biggest rewards from a direct-mail campaign, you should follow-up your initial mailing with several others, on a carefully planned timeline. But then the question becomes: how much is too much? To that, the simple answer is: whatever is within your budget and makes sense for the message you're … [Read more...] about Postcard Marketing: How Often Should You Mail?
How to Start a Handwritten Letter Service Business
Are you are looking for a home business idea? If so, why not start a handwritten mail business? In the digital age, real handwriting is more special than ever. As it becomes increasingly rare, the opportunity for people with nice handwriting grows. I’m not referring to calligraphy, just neat handwriting. The market is huge, not only for handwriting personal invitations, … [Read more...] about How to Start a Handwritten Letter Service Business
Rules for a Successful Direct Mail Campaign
Direct marketing is not as simple as typing a letter, adding an address and stamp, and popping it in the mail. There are some key golden rules to making your direct mailings work effectively. That doesn't mean that you have to spend more money in order to succeed. Far from it. In fact, you could find yourself spending less -- or at least spending more strategically -- than you … [Read more...] about Rules for a Successful Direct Mail Campaign
