The Cold Hard Truth About Why Your Marketing is Not Working

My company designs and prints hundreds of thousands of postcards and other types of direct mail. The majority of the time our clients are extremely excited about getting their mailer designed and out in the mail.

I am going to be blunt here for a moment. Many times, I would say 85% of the time our clients are their worst enemy when it comes to getting a good return on their direct mail.

Example: Joe wants to promote his HVAC business. He buys a 20,000-piece direct mailer and wants to reach new customers. He even signs up for LeadRX, our service that combines Google with Facebook (an excellent way to boost your direct mail response by 40% – 60%)

We design a kick ass postcard for Joe, based on years of experience and best practices for getting results.

Joe, being excited shows the proof to his office manager, his wife, three of his service guys… And surprise every single person who has seen the proof offers a suggestion “to make it better”. Yet none of these people, while meaning well, has any design or marketing experience. Joe is quite resolute in making the changes to the card his people suggested.

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The result is a postcard with too much verbiage on it, with a message that is watered down and is confusing to the reader and that gets no results.

In the end, we can and will make suggestions to help you. Our only interest is that you get a great return from your mailer. At the end of the day – you are the customer and we will do whatever you want us to do, even if it is suicide for your results.

The next area that can cost you sales is not having a good landing page or website. You see today that 90% of the people who have an interest in your product or service after receiving your postcard will, as a first step, go online and check you out. Yet, 96% of the folks that go to your website will leave your website without taking any further action; they don’t fill out a form, they don’t call – they just leave. Gone!

There are some things you can do to capture more business from your website:

1) Make sure you are sending them to a landing page with information about the product or service you are promoting. If you are sending people to your website make sure on your home page there is information about the product or service you are promoting and is clearly visible. Don’t make them hunt for it because they won’t.

2) Include our LeadRX program with your mailer. It uses Google and Facebook as a follow-up tool and will generate dramatic sales for you.

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3) On your website have free downloads. Offer them something of value in exchange for their contact information. 80% of all sales occur after the 5^th – 12^th contact with the prospect. So follow up and follow up on your follow up.

4) Utilize a live chat service on your website. Most people who go to your website are seeking information. These people are hesitant to fill out forms or do a lot of clicking around to find what they want. If they can’t get their question answered quickly they are out of there and go to the next business on the Google search list.

There are many live chat services, that can be linked to your smartphone and/or desktop so you will never miss an incoming lead. They offer people an easy and safe way to ask questions. Having a chat service on your website will allow you to have a conversation with a HOT prospect and you will sell more as a result.

5) Realize that when someone calls you in this day and age, they are hot prospects. Most people do not call, they just do a Google search and shop around to find what they need. Make sure whoever answers your phone handles callers professionally and gets them the answers the prospects need or transfers the prospect to someone who can help them.

I had one client recently who had a receptionist answer calls, when the prospect asked a question, she directed them to the website to download a pamphlet…bad, bad, bad, did I say, BAD mistake. When they call they are hot, they are reaching for service and the receptionist blows them off to the website. Answer their questions never ever send them back to the website – you can email them a brochure – but talk to them, try to close them on your service.

You have to talk to the prospect. You have to follow up with the prospect. You have to follow up some more, and again and again with the prospect.

1) Very few products or services have little or no competition.

2) It is easier than ever for people to shop for you and your competition.

Follow-up is vital for your marketing to succeed.