Small Business Marketing Guide - DIY (do-it-yourself) BRAND MARKETING STRATEGIES to HELP YOU GROW YOUR BUSINESS

No matter what you want to call it — direct mail, junk mail, circulars, ads, or spam — they all share the same purpose: to motivate you to buy from them. While a lot of what is out there may actually be junk, a savvy direct marketer inspires the recipient to read their ad.

Unlike your brand, which will tell the customer what to think, your marketing strategy must tell them what to do. Before you can effectively do that, you need to know how.

Create A Reaction

If you receive a letter that tells you that you’ve just won something, wouldn’t that motivate you to open it?

Opening the letter is a reaction. By announcing that you might have won something, they have guided that reaction into something that would benefit them. The moment that letter has been opened, they will continue to try and persuade you into doing what they want you to do. That is exactly what you need to do with your own direct marketing materials.

Use Action Words And Phrases

You’ve won a million dollars!!!*

That got your attention, right? It is an example of an action phrase. By telling you that you’ve won some money, your interest has been peaked. The more interested you are, the more likely you are to read on.

You’ll need to prompt your customer to buy what you are trying to sell. If you want to do that, you will need to know the right words to attract their interest. Will they save money if they buy from you? Are you offering them something for free if they choose to patronize your business?

Do not overdo it. Creating action means nothing if it is suffocated by too much information. Tell them what you want to share and offer them a reason to contact you if they would like to learn more.

Do Not Lie

*if we choose you.

Remember that promise for a million dollars? When you open the letter and find that you are only in the running, how do you feel?

Although they didn’t lie, it will still evoke disappointment in the recipient. The next time a letter comes saying you’ve won the elusive million, you’ll be less likely to believe them. After a while that letter might just go straight from mailbox to garbage.

Don’t leave your customer disappointed. If you are going to offer a promise, you need to go through with it. If you promise to give them a free gift when they purchase your product, give it to them. When you lie and disappoint your customer you will only reduce the effectiveness of your marketing strategy.

Guarantee Your Product

Everything from infomercials to the local store can offer some sort of guarantee to their customer. Whether is it a money back guarantee or an exchange if the product purchased is less than par. These guarantees make the customer feel secure about what they are buying.

If your customer can feel secure in buying what you have to offer, they’re more likely to spend the money for it. Furthermore, your guarantee shows them that you care.