Janurary, 2008

The Life of a Campaign What is the life of an effective advertising campaign?  There is no hard and fast rule to this question, but many advertising professionals agree that a great campaign should continue to yield positive results for five years.  Chances are you will tire of the ads and collateral materials long before your customers and prospects. There have been instances when advertisers chose to resurrect previously successful campaigns years after they were discontinued.  This strategy seldom works. The times change, customers change and the marketplace changes. It is far better to start with fresh thinking, based on research and a marketing plan with clear objectives.

Defining Your Mailing Objective On many occasions, a prospective client will call inquiring about a direct mail campaign. I always begin by asking what they intend to accomplish through their mailing. Most respond with the goal of attracting new customers. However, many do not know how to go about achieving this goal. Many business owners invest in campaigns without developing a clear strategy for success. When these components of the campaign are clearly defined, the message will be effective and the subsequent response will produce favorable results.  Direct mail can be utilized for a wide range of objectives: Act as a warm-up for future prospecting calls Generate new sales Encourage repeat purchases from existing customers Increase foot traffic Promote a special sale Offer a coupon React to competitors' current offers/sales Build recognition or brand awareness Upgrade customer service  Expand existing market coverage to a wider audience Test the appeal of new products or services  Drive traffic to a website

Success Stories Sell We love to hear success stories.When a friend or associate scores a business triumph, we want to know how he or she did it and how we might learn from their success.  It's simply human nature. Success stories work in advertising, too.  Remember the busy restaurant syndrome? When we enter a restaurant and half the tables are empty, we wonder if something is wrong.  Yet when we have to wait for a table, we assume that this must be a great place to eat - and we wait patiently to be seated. The same psychology works in many other businesses.  Customers and Prospects like to work with successful, busy people; but we shy away from people who seem to be failing. We can help you tell your success stories in direct mail and other forms of advertising.  And you can watch your prospects take interest.

SUCCESS STORY Over this past holiday season, Excel's dedication to providing exemplary customer service was put to the test. One late Wednesday afternoon, a client made a frantic phone call requesting services for a direct mail marketing campaign. Their vendor would not extend the financing for a promotion past January 5th. This left our client with six days to send out 5,000 postcards to her existing customers for a New Year's Day sale. (This was actually three business days for Excel, due to the holiday.) The postcards needed to be designed, printed, mailed and received before the sale date. Excel's team immediately began working on a custom design, and it was approved the following morning and quickly pushed through the production process. The postcards were in homes on the 31st, and the client's sale was a success. Excel's response to this client's needs gives credibility to its claim, "When the demands are high and the deadlines are tight, we provide a peace of mind and do whatever it takes to deliver your job right, on time and without any excuses."