by Kirby Hasseman
I was standing at the cooler trying to make a decision. There were lots of choices (as there always seems to be). How to decide?
So I asked the person behind the counter about one I was considering. “Do you know if this one is good?” She didn’t actually answer the question. Her answer? “I have not had it. But we sell a lot of it. It’s popular.”
And even though I know (in my brain) that “popular” is not the same as “good,” I bought it. It’s something to consider as we create sales and marketing material. Whether it’s true or not, we equate “popular” with “good.” It makes purchasing decisions easier for us. As much as we say we don’t want to follow the crowd, most people do. So when you are asked if your product or service is good, maybe you shouldn’t answer that question.
But I am not sure that will be popular.
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by Kirby Hasseman
Writing a post each and every day has certainly made me work harder to find ideas. When I was posting blogs every once in a while, inspiration was easy. It came to me when I had time and inspiration. That’s awesome when it happens. But how many times in your life do those two collide? That’s why, even with the best of intentions, I had times where I only posted a few times a month. I want to do better than that. What was odd to me is that I was still creating a video show called Delivering Marketing Joy each week (here is one to watch if you have never seen) and I was doing a podcast with Bill Petrie called unScripted (here is the latest). So it begs the question, why? Why was I able to do those pieces of content on such a regular basis and not do posts on my own site? It’s not like I only had ideas there. It was not just about “inspiration.” Here are a couple of reasons… There is a Deadline: With both DMJ and unScripted, there were very real deadlines. I had drawn a line in the sand and said “There will be a new episode come hell or high water.” This was initially for the audience. But it created a cadence for me that we MUST get it done. Yes…sometimes it’s very inconvenient. As a matter of fact, Bill recorded the most recent unScripted podcast from his family vacation on the beach! But when there is a real deadline, you find a way to make time. That is what I have done with this new challenge. There will be a new post each day. The end. Letting Inspiration Come To You: I think one of the great myths is that you have to wait for inspiration to strike. Humans don’t create thoughts. They don’t. If you don’t believe me, stop thinking. Go. The thoughts keep coming. Our job is to let the ideas continue to flow…and to select the ones that excite us. It’s one of the keys to being happy…choose better thoughts. The same is true for finding inspiration. Sit down each day and let your thoughts flow. Now select a good one…and act on it. Thanks for reading this! Let me know what you think. And make sure you never miss an update…sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s time to bring “Marketing Joy” to the masses! At Hasseman Marketing we pride ourselves in providing amazing promotional premiums to customers all over the United States. And frankly, we want to provide the right product to the person for the right situation. It’s NOT just about slinging SWAG.
That’s why we help you ask the right questions (here are 5 you should ask before your next promotion).
On the other hand, we want to be THE place you look for the best cool products for every occasion. We want to create “Brand-Slams” for you and your organization!
This week’s BrandSlam is one that nearly all of your customer’s and team will appreciate…The Juicebox.
Made from 100% pure power, the 4400mAh Juicebox is a refreshing way to ensure your gadgets never go thirsty. The Juicebox is a fun and useful power bank that is sure to make your customer smile?
Why? Because not only is the Juicebox a great charger that will full charge a phone 2.5 times, but it also comes in super fun packaging. It is sure to create delight and joy every time you give it away!
And here’s the thing: There is no better place for you to be with your marketing message, than around your customer’s phone! You want to be where the attention is. And with the Juicebox you are coming in to save the day! We all know that terrible feeling when your phone is about to die. The Juicebox comes in to bring it back to life!
It’s functional. It’s fun. It’s made from 100% Pure Power. That’s what makes the Juicebox this week’s BrandSlam!
For more information on this item you can click on this link. But if you want to discuss options or how this fits in with your other promotional campaigns, feel free to reach out to your HMC representative. Don’t have one? Email us here and we can hook you up!
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by Kirby Hasseman
The Delivering Marketing Joy Podcast is back! Our goal here is to attack 2018 with a vengeance! The Delivering Marketing Joy Podcast will provide some inspiration, motivation and education to make it happen! Consider this your 10 minute “kick in the pants” to get your week started off right! In today’s podcast we talk about bridging the Appreciation Gap. Sound familiar? It should. We discussed it in this blog post recently. But on the podcast today, we try to dig a bit deeper and discuss how you can fix this problem in your organization today.So those are my tips. But what do you suggest? Do you have other “go to” moves to show appreciation for your clients, prospects and team members? Let me know!
And keep coming back to the Hasseman Marketing blog each day. We are working to post a brand new piece of content every day. Make sure you never miss an update by signing up for our VIP newsletter here. We do a weekly update with content and specials!
by Kirby Hasseman
Gary Vaynerchuk recently said “Marketers ruin everything!” Keep in mind that Vaynerchuk is a marketing guy. But he points out that as soon as marketers find something that works, they (we) tend to use it to death until it becomes a nuisance. Consider email. We used to get excited each and every time we got an email. We read every single one! Now we can’t wait to hit the “delete” button so we can get rid of the nuisances.
The same can be true for many forms of Direct Mail. Direct mail is historically a great marketing tool for small businesses. It still can be. The problem is, this is a case where some marketers have ruined it for the rest of us. We know this as consumers.
Where do you open your mail? Many of us answer that question, “Over the trash can.” We are standing there (mentally) hitting the delete button on marketers. Tell the truth, you are probably almost stunned these days when you get a real, sincere piece of mail!
So can you do? You can stand out.
One way you can stand out is to get noticed before you hit the “circular file.” To do this, some marketers will create direct mail that looks like a real card. Some will even go to the lengths of having someone hand write out the envelope. This is a good news/bad news proposition. The good news is, handwritten envelopes DO tend to get opened. And if you have a small group you need to send a message to, this is a great way to make sure they see it. The bad news with this tactic is if your customer opens mail thinking they are getting a personal piece of mail, and it’s just an ad, it can backfire. You seem disingenuous, and the customer will likely (sometimes subconsciously) resent you and your company for it.
Another obvious way to get your message seen before it hits the trash pile is to scrap the envelope. You can send a colorful postcard or a flyer without putting it in an envelope. I actually like this tactic for some campaigns. But this idea too, has shortcomings. First, you are usually limited to what you can include on the space you have to imprint (especially with a postcard) AND you are never quite sure what condition your marketing pieces is going to arrive in! Again, sometimes this is fine. But sometimes these limitations are just too annoying.
One of the best ways to ensure a successful direct mail campaign is to incorporate promotional products WITH your direct mail. The results of this math equation should really get your attention.
Direct Mail + Promo = Marketing Gold!
But why does this combination work so well? Let’s get to it.
Getting It Open
First and foremost, using a promotional product can help you create what I call “bumpy mail!” Bumpy mail (or dimensional mailers) are packages that are odd shaped or bumpy. This unique shape calls to the customer or prospect “open me!” Curiosity will help you “kill the cat” because your potential client will want to know what is in the package.
But don’t just take my word for it! Let’s take a look at a study done in 1993. This study, done by Baylor University, sent packages to 3000 school administrators. They were divided into three groups. The first group received an envelope with a sales letter, sales collateral and postage-paid business reply card The second group received an envelope with similar contents plus a promotional product. The third group received all of the contents listed above, delivered in a box with a die cut slot, instead of an envelope.
The results (as you might expect) were impressive.
*Those who received a promotional product in a dimensional package responded at a rate that was 57% higher than those who received the same promotional product in an envelope!
• Response rates for the dimensional package recipients were 75% higher than for the group who received only a sales letter!
In case you were skimming, you might want to read that last line again. Response rates for the dimensional package recipients were 75% higher! Wow!
Now I can hear those “Yeah-But” folks now.
“Yeah but the cost of shipping is going to be higher for that piece.”
Of course it will be! But how much is a 75% increase in response rates worth to you? Remember a key word here. This is not a 75% increase in OPEN rates. This is RESPONSE rates! If you can’t increase your sales (and overcome in the increase in shipping) with that kind of response rate, you need to seriously reconsider your sales offer!
The Lasting Impact
Here’s the thing…if I ended the post with the above information it would be enough. But the best part about adding a promotional product to your direct mail is I get to say “But that’s not all folks!”
I have always wanted to say that!
The fact is, when you add Promo to your Direct Mail, you get all of the other benefits of promotional products AFTER your customer opens the offer!
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Remember the Rule of Reciprocity: Customers feel good about you and your company when they receive something from you. By adding something of value to the direct mail offer, you create a sense of value. This creates a better opportunity to sell to this client long term.
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Totally Targeted: This promotional piece is still super targeted. You have reached directly into this prospects home or office…and are communicating to them there.
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Lasting Impression: You have now created a long term advertising message (if you chose the product correctly) long after the postcard, letter or flyer has been thrown away.
Find Your Watermelon
Years ago I was in a sales training seminar with a Promotional Products Industry expert, Cliff Quicksell Jr. He told a story about a young industry professional that needed to get a message to only 6 people. She needed to get it to them…and she needed to make sure they did NOT throw the letter away by mistake.
This young pro, as Cliff tells it, took a Sharpie and wrote the message on six watermelons…and sent them!
“She had a tough time with the post office,” Cliff said. “But she finally got them to take them.
So I ask you. You come in Monday morning and there is a watermelon on your desk. Do you read it?”
I love that story! The message is clear. Find your watermelon!
While you may not have to send giant fruit (though that would be awesome), you better stand out. Promotional products can help you do that in a cost effective, results-based way!
This post is an excerpt from the book Delivering Marketing Joy. You can purchase that here on Amazon.
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