I am a simple man. I like things that are A to B, simple and straightforward. Technology is changing so fast nowadays it isn’t easy to keep up. What is the best way to advertise your small business? Well, one thing is for sure, marketing and advertising a small business today “ain’t all sunshine and rainbows”.

Have you ever felt like you were throwing money down a flaming pit when you tried to advertise your business? Me too. I’ve been there, done that.

Have things changed that much? On the surface, things seemed to have changed quite a bit. Your prospects are on the move and harder to reach than ever before. Even if you do manage to reach them, they are exposed to a lot of different advertising messages coming at them from a myriad of angles–not only traditional marketing and advertising mediums such as radio, TV, billboards, and magazines but with Google ads, Facebook ads, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and text messages.

The question is how can I get a response? There are two rules I apply to all advertising:

• Will my advertising message reach the prospect?
• How do I want them to respond? (How will they respond really?)

The answer to the first question is direct mail. It is the only medium today that reaches your prospect, directly in their hands. Many people consider direct mail dead. Let me ask you this… DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO DOES NOT HAVE A MAILBOX?

The answer is obviously NO. Pretty much everyone has their mail delivered to their mailbox at least six days a week.

Direct mail is the only advertising medium available to you that has 100% usage by every demographic profile. You can develop a mailing list that targets any demographic group you have or can think of. No other advertising medium available to you can do this–none.

Then why did you not get results?

Why Direct Mail Marketing Fails

1) Your message sucked. Sorry, I’m not sugar-coating it. The message you sent out had one or more of the following problems:

• Too wordy. You tried to over-explain or describe your product/service. People read in short bites, looking for the main jest of the ad to see what’s in it for them.
• You tried to advertise too many products in one mailing.
• The product you advertised was not needed or wanted by the person receiving the mailer.
• There was not a loss leader pricing on the product or service you were advertising. If you could get a better price from somewhere else, would you respond to the postcard?
• There was no call to action on the mailer. Did you give them a reason to respond now?

2) The mailing list was not targeted correctly, was old, or simply a bad mailing list. A mailing list is not something you should skimp on. Investing to get a good mailing list of fresh prospects is the basis of getting a good response.

Did you identify who the best prospect is for the product or service you are promoting? The better you can define your best prospect, the more targeted the mailing list can be.

3) You tried to time the market. When you mail a postcard or any other mailer you have absolutely no idea how many people will be ready to buy today, right now. Most successful marketing campaigns mail a mailing list of prospects 4, 5, 6, or more times.

• The first time you mailed them they may not have considered that they needed or wanted what you were promoting.
• The second time they kind of noticed what you were promoting and may have had a thought that it might be useful.
• The third time you mailed them they went online to research your company.
• The fourth time they set your postcard aside to call, but life got in the way and they did not get to it.
• The fifth time they picked up the phone and called you or went to your store.

4) You did not take into consideration how people shop today. What do I mean by that? 90% of people do one thing before they contact you, do you know what it is?

90% of people who receive a postcard or other mailer from you and have an interest do one thing. They will go online to research your company, look at your reviews, and look at the services you offer.

The problem with them going online to research you is that every competitor within a 3 to 5-mile radius of that prospect pops up when they Google your company.

96% OF PEOPLE WHO GO TO YOUR WEBSITE WILL LEAVE WITHOUT TAKING ANY FURTHER ACTION. They don’t fill out a form. They don’t download the cool eBook you have. They just leave and go on to the next competitor that popped up when they Googled your company.

What Can You Do About This?

We offer a program that uses Google & Facebook as follow-up tools. It makes direct mail more effective, and less expensive and gives you a tool to track your actual response from your mailer. We can even tell you the names and addresses of people who go to your website.

There are four areas where your marketing can fall on its face.

1. Failure to reach enough prospects consistently enough to get a return.
2. A poor website. If your website is not built to generate interest and capture identities you are losing business.
3. Not having a follow-up plan. Today the average sale occurs after the 5^th to 12^th contact with the prospect.
4. Having a voicemail system answer incoming calls. People hate voice attendants. Your prospect calling you will not punch one for sales, or two for service. They will hang up and call your competitor.