September, 2007

CHANGE IS CONSTANT Benjamin Disraeli (1804 - 1881), prime minister of Great Britain during the reign of Queen Victoria, said: "Change is constant."  His prophetic words are more applicable today than ever before.   Technology has changed the way we communicate, gather information, manage our businesses, receive our news, enjoy entertainment and reach new customers.  The best business and political leaders are visionaries.  They have the ability to look into the future and forecast the changes we will encounter tomorrow.   Excel Printing & Mailing launched this business on the cusp of change.  We always have our eyes on the horizon to find better, more cost-effective ways for you to reach and sell your customers.

LEADS What we're about to tell you is basic to sales and marketing, yet some marketers overlook this important point. The key benefit of direct mail is to generate leads.  Mail order advertising sells products and services, but direct mail provides leads - customers who have taken the time to make a phone call, return a reply card or log on to your Website. Leads are golden and need to be followed up on immediately.  This might sound basic, but you would be surprised how many advertisers let leads languish for weeks - or prejudge certain leads and decide they might not be worth following up on. Do the arithmetic and learn the dollar value of each lead you receive.  Then contact the prospect and tell the rest of your story - and watch your sales curve climb.

TARGETING YOUR MESSAGE When advertisers want to reach and influence prospects, they have many choices:  television, radio, newspapers, magazines, outdoor and cable television.  They can use the Internet, too, and should be.  But still, the most effective and most targeted means of reaching new customers is through direct mail.  Unlike with radio or television, direct mail means virtually no waste.  The unit cost is higher, but the high response rates justify the added cost.  Even though most of us receive direct mail practically every day, other advertising media, such as radio and television, provide a non-stop glut of messages for consumers to absorb.

HUMOR IN ADVERTISING Most of us are drawn to humor.  We like to laugh; we like to be surprised with clever ideas.  Humor can be a welcome escape. Humor is unquestionably a valuable tool to help grab the prospect's attention.  And because we are inundated with more than 10,000 commercial messages every day, humor can help separate our ads or commercials from the clutter.  But a word of caution:  don't let your product, service or the name of your company get lost in a humorous campaign.  It's not the job of advertising to entertain; our job is to attract new customers who will boost flat sales curves.  Humor can be an effective tool, but it's not the only tool.