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Child Proofing
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Quick Tip Capsules
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As babies need a great deal of tender loving care, as they grow older, so does your direct mail marketing plan. Direct mail advertising offers any retail store the unique opportunity for the most effective and measurable marketing results, as advertising is a large and important investment. However specialized just for juvenile product retailers and service providers, direct mail marketing will greatly help to professionally share your message with the local community.
All it takes is proper investigation of the best options to make your integrated advertising; marketing and public relations programs work best for you. Steve Zuckerman, president of Clipper Magazine suggests the following guidelines and strategies to help your future direct mail marketing campaigns to be more successful.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words:
Remember that today’s new parents, like any shoppers and consumers are very visually oriented. People tend to read advertisements with colorful photographs and logos that are supported by strong headlines with clear messages so it is important to use quality photographs, logos and colorful illustrations. It’s good to be clever, yet when you get so cute that they do not easily know what you are selling, they may completely miss your message. You must be able to stop consumers in their tracks with strong visual presentations.
Consistency is also key. For added effectiveness, try to maintain a very consistent visual image for your retail store throughout all of your advertising campaigns. If you have any cute baby photographs, use them. Nothing attracts soon to be mothers more than a photograph of an adorable newborn. The consumers will read all of the small details, after they are magnetized by your consistently beautiful photographs, logos, colors and headlines.
When possible, avoid most black and white marketing options. Use full color instead. Look for professional full color printing capabilities. Today, you can affordably market your services and products in full color to ensure the best possible redemption. Research has shown that full color advertising options can actually increase redemption rates by 30% to 60%.
A Baby Bundle of Savings:
If you want to offer specials, make your coupons as valuable as possible, so you will get a strong response. Promote strong offers with coupons, gift certificates or gift cards. Promote your top of the line baby equipment or your most popular baby & maternity product lines as well as any clothing and child accessories your might offer with attractive offers and special prices.
Unless something is 50% off or more today, the smaller percentage off offers have little perceived value to your prospective new customers. Today, most consumers react much better to strong dollars off discounts and incentives. Percentage discounts really are not perceived to be as strong, especially if they are only 10% to 20%. Give specific prices like: Save $50 on XYZ 3 Way Stroller or 30% OFF – All baby bottles and pacifiers.
Also avoid using excessive disclaimers. Even though it may be a necessity, try to avoid excessive rules and disclaimers for what is not included. Keep it simple with “No Double Discounts. Expires 00/00/07”. Use expiration dates of no more than sixty to 90 day to keep your offers top of mind and timely.
Introduce New Baby & Maternity Product Lines And Equipment:
Special new baby products and equipment can be featured seasonally with secondary coupon offers, within the same advertisements. While it is best to promote your strongest and most popular products, it is still very important to promote those products and equipment that most people do not know you offer. Most consumers prefer convenience and one-stop shopping alternatives. So, if you offer something extra special, unique or distinctively different, take advantage of the opportunity to promote that. Take advantage of the fact that most consumers will buy several services at once to save time and money.
Plan Annual Marketing Calendars & Budgets:
Strategically examine your seasonal sales peaks and valleys. Develop an Annual Marketing Calendar that promotes all of your products and equipment throughout the year. You may also be able to turn historically soft months into strong months, by planning in advance with extra marketing and advertising support. You can take advantage of your strongest months, by capitalizing on them with additional advertising strategies. Invest in your business success by direct mail advertising programs consistently throughout the entire year. Signing annual agreements and mailing to multiple areas will reduce the costs of your overall advertising budget.
Find A Resource That Does It All For You! As you investigate the price of a solo direct mail campaign, you may discover the wonderful financial and creative benefits of nationally respected direct mail resources like Clipper Magazine, Savvy Shopper, Mint Magazine, Val Pak, Money Mailer and others that are available in your local community. Work with the best local and national resources available. Use reputable and nationally respected resources, with a proven track record. Avoid lesser quality resources. Ask to see samples of mailing devices with samples of similar businesses like yours.
For example, Clipper Magazine is respected as a unique premier quality full color glossy direct mail magazine. Most of the others are usually in an envelope format, with a myriad of advertisers who market themselves together. The cost of cooperative and magazine format direct mail is usually only three to four cents per home as opposed to solo direct mail campaigns which will usually cost between fifty cents to one dollar per home. When you add up the costs of artwork, printing, mailing labels and postage, it is a greater advantage to use colorful and upscale direct mail magazines, cooperative direct mail or a combination of both.
Direct mail program resources like Clipper Magazine will offer you complimentary marketing consultations, artwork and the use of professional photographs, mailing lists, printing and postage all in one simple package. Plus, their marketing consultants can share examples of other successful landscaping advertisers from around the country. You will be able to review a small library of photographs, offers and special promotions that really work. If needed, they can supply testimonials and telephone numbers from others in similar businesses to yours, so you can also call them for advice.
If you are going to utilize the solo direct mail route, it is a good idea to send over-sized colorful direct mail postcards, fliers and personalized letters, whenever possible. The postage is less expensive than standard mail with postcards and unlike envelopes; they don’t have to be opened for the potential client to immediately see your offer. Use a high quality paper stock for your postcards. They are more durable and they are more appealing to the recipient. For solo direct mail, you will need to write the copy, create the artwork, determine your targeted markets, and hire a local direct mail house to facilitate the mailing.
Begin With Realistic Expectations:
Direct mail really works, especially with repetition of very strong offers! Like any form of advertising and marketing, it usually takes a long term investment. Visit with your consultant to set realistic expectations, so you are not disappointed. Coupons are trackable! If you want to determine your effectiveness, plan to ask every patient how they heard about you. Many customers will bring in their postcards, mailers and coupons. However, many will respond to your direct mail advertising without bringing in the coupons. You will also need to measure your total sales volume each week or month, especially on the baby and maternity products and equipment that you are promoting with your direct mail efforts.
Just as you child proof your home to protect you precious loved ones from any potential harm or danger, employ that same loving care to your retail store or small business and child proof your direct mail marketing plan.
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