Subscribe Now! Never Miss Updates:
Your Prescription for Audacious Marketing!Keep your marketing and copywriting healthy by subscribing to Direct Marketing Rx’s Marketing Prescription Blog. It’s a vital supplement to keep your sales vigorous.
 Make Your Marketing Explode in July!
 Celebrate National Hot Dog Month and have a cookout for your best customers. And serve Sundays for National Hot Fudge Sundae Day on July 25th. Here’s another fun idea. Send out a mailer on National Lollipop Day on July 20th with really lollipops attached. Offer a discount if they bring in the lollipop to your business and make a purchase.
 On National Junk Food Day, July 21st you can have clients come in with a package of junk food they can trade for healthy snacks if your business is health or fitness related. Or offer a discount to sign up for a gym membership or diet program on Junk Food Day. Week 1 July 1 National Gingersnap Day – I love gingersnaps. Give out to best clients.July 3 Eat Beans Day - You might want to hand out air fresheners. :-DJuly 4 National Cesar Salad Day Week 2 July 5 National Apple Turnover DayJuly 6 National Fried Chicken Day - My Grandma makes the best!July 7 National Strawberry Sundae DayJuly 8 National Chocolate with Almonds Day – Send out boxes to customers.July 9 National Sugar Cookie Day July 10 National Pina Colada Day – You can serve non-alcoholic ones. July 11 National Blueberry Muffin Day Week 3 July 12 National Pecan Pie DayJuly 13 National French Fries Day – My guilty pleasure! July 14 National Macaroni Day – Mail out boxes as a marketing promo.July 15 National Tapioca Pudding DayJuly 16 National Corn Fritters DayJuly 17 National Peach Ice Cream DayJuly 18 National Caviar Day – For those targeting Luxury market.Week 4 July 19 Celebrate Ice Cream Month – Just in time for summer!July 20 National Lollipop DayJuly 21 National Junk Food Day – Oh no a whole day? I love junk food!July 22 National Penuche Fudge DayJuly 23 National Vanilla Ice Cream DayJuly 24 Celebrate National Baked Bean Month July 25 National Hot Fudge Sundae Day Week 5 July 27 National Creme Brule DayJuly 28 National Milk Chocolate DayJuly 30 National Cheese Cake Day – Send out gift certificates for Cheese Cake!July 31 Jump For Jelly Beans Day – I wonder if Jelly Belly will do something on this day. Are You Making It Hard For Customers To Contact You?
 I collected several business cards at a mixer recently. When I tried to follow up with people I noticed several cards had missing information. They could be missing out on a lot business by leaving off key information. And so could you by keeping your business contact information top secret. Leaving information off your business card hurts your credibility. It made me wonder what these people were hiding. And I wondered how much they could really know about their industry or if they were even a real business. The cards lacking the most info I tossed. How could they be worth my time if they didn’t really want me to get in touch by leaving off valuable contact information on the business card? Red flag problems I noticed: No physical address – Get a post office box if you’re a home based business and don’t want people to have your home address. Without an address listed how can I find your business or write to you? If your customers feel comfortable sending mail and you have no address on your business card there goes a chance to get a new customer. One that was really bizarre was the card with a city, state and zip code but no street address. What was that about? No zip code – You gave me your card and wanted to be mailed information. Putting your street, city and state but no zip code is just lazy. Are you being charged by the letter for printing your business cards? If you make your prospect go the extra mile to have to look up a zip code, goodbye new sale, your business card may go straight into the recycle bin. No website – Seriously in this day and age you don’t have even a one page website? Especially if your business is internet related? What kind of scam are you running? People often like to check out your website before doing business with you. It gives them an idea if you will be compatible for business. No email – If your prospect wants to email you with questions before doing business with you, you just lost a sale. Not many people are going to hunt around for your email address on your website. They’ll just move on to your competition. At least get a free Gmail address using your business name if you don't have a website. Remember to use your business card as an advertisement and put all contact information on it. Don’t give prospects a reason to move on another business because they couldn’t reach you in a way that made them comfortable.
No one is asking you for personal information on your card. It’s a business card use it to promote your business and catch all the prospects you can with it. How Not to Market to WomenWhen you market to women you need to consider their wants and needs. If you don’t you’ll miss the mark entirely and possibly turn the women off from buying your products. This happened to me today when I came across a Tom Ford Private Blend Lip Color Collection ad. I saw this promo video on a makeup blog I subscribe to in my RSS reader and my first thought was “Yikes, this sleazy ad does not make me want to buy lipstick.” I love cosmetics and usually the advertising reaches out to me and has me eager to try new products. I don’t know about you but when I buy lipstick I’m not thinking about starring in some cheesy erotic video. Even the copy was creepy: “From Sublime to Perverse”, um how is implying perversion going to make a woman want to buy lipstick? More likely make her think of buying pepper spray to keep perverts away. This ad turned me off to the whole idea of ever trying Tom Ford’s lipstick. What does a shot of low cleavage have to do with my wanting to buy lipstick? Or the phallic symbolism of the lipstick tube when the woman holds it up to her mouth as some anonymous man is ogling her? Nothing in this ad made me want to buy lipstick. Instead it seemed like a commercial for a late night adult channel and not cosmetics. The video was clearly directed to men…when do straight men buy lipstick? With a $45.00 price tag on a single tube of this supposedly high-end luxury lipstick Tom Ford needs to do a much better job appealing to women. You can check out the video for yourself below:
Delicious Marketing Ideas for June
 June is full of delicious days to use for your marketing promotions. As a major candy addict I love National Candy Month. Your direct mailers can be sent out with a variety of candy that ties into your marketing promotion. I like using Smarties candies for Smart business people. National Papaya Month and Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month are healthy marketing options.
Monthly Campaign Topics:
Week 1
Week 4 Is Your Website Like The Loch Ness Monster?Occasionally sighted and only rumored to exist? You need to drive more traffic to your site and get getting your customers buying.
What do you do if you’re not sure why your website isn’t getting found on Search Engines or if you not sure why your site isn’t bringing in more sales? You need to get a Website Diagnostic Review Audit done. Direct Marketing Rx will do a content audit of your site to uncover its strengths and weaknesses. We’ll review how your website performs in search engines like Google and Bing. Are your competitor’s websites doing better in search engines and do they have more appealing web content? You’ll get an extensive report showing the results of a 31 point checklist on the health of your website. You’ll find out if you’re using the 5 components of web content that works. And if you website is easy to navigate and user-friendly. May 22nd is the anniversary of the first sighting of the Loch Ness Monster in 1933. Don’t let your website be hard to find and cloaked in mystery like the Loch Ness Monster any longer. Contact Us and get your prescription for a website that sells today! Check Out these Resources if You Market to Women
If you want to find out if your website content markets effectively to women check out our Website Diagnostic Review. Direct Marketing Rx will do a Site Content Audit to see if your web marketing message is selling to your target marketing. Get started in two easy steps. Read about it at "Is your Web Content Earning or Burning Money?" or Contact Us directly for help now. Find out what women really want. Knowledge about your target market can only enhance your marketing campaigns and increase response rates. Inigo Montoya Was Right About Social Media TooInigo Montoya Was Right About Social Media Too Permalink -- click for full blog post "Inigo Montoya Was Right About Social Media Too" Articles about Direct Marketing and CopywritingArticles sharing keys to successful direct marketing and copywriting Permalink -- click for full blog post "Articles about Direct Marketing and Copywriting" Does Your Voicemail Get You Clients? Time to Change That!Does Your Voicemail Get You Clients? Time to Change That! Permalink -- click for full blog post "Does Your Voicemail Get You Clients? Time to Change That! " Are You Committing These 12 Deadly Website Sins?Are You Committing These 12 Deadly Website Sins? Permalink -- click for full blog post " Are You Committing These 12 Deadly Website Sins? " Is Your Web Site Just Slowing The Rate Of Revenue Decline?
Are you happy doing nothing then don’t read any further But if you want a website bringing in leads and making sales then its time to take action! You need to find out whats ailing your website now. Its time for a website diagnostic exam. Direct Marketing Rx is here to do a review of your website with a 31 point checklist to see why your website is sickly and under performing. Avoid Wally’s satisfaction in improving his rate of doing nothing. You’re web site is not static but an ever changing and improving profit machine. Let’s get started today: I’m ready for my web site diagnostic review! Do You Fascinate?I recently took the {F}Score Brand Personality Test to find out which triggers I use to persuade. According to brand innovation consultant Sally Hogshead fascination is what allows us to influence people. Every day, intentionally or not, you’re using fascination triggers to persuade people at work and home. Whether you’re pitching a new client, or inviting a friend to lunch, or lulling a cranky toddler to sleep, you’re using triggers to elicit a certain response. Which triggers are you using to persuade and captivate? You have seven potential fascination triggers: power, trust, mystique, prestige, vice, alarm, and lust. Each trigger leads to a different style of communication, and a different type of relationship. The more accurately you identify your personality triggers, and the more intelligently you hone them, the more influential your message becomes. Through proprietary research of 1,059 people, with bite-sized video explanations, the F Score has been carefully designed over the course of six months to highlight which triggers you naturally apply. In the battle to fascinate consumers, brands apply triggers, too. Volvo uses trust. Godiva uses lust. Fedex uses alarm. Apple Computers uses several triggers, most notably prestige and power. Triggers help companies sell products off shelves, persuade shareholders to invest, and convince key employees to stay.
Now back to my results. The test was quick and easy. I think it took me five minutes or less. I found out my primary triggers are Prestige and Mystique. Who knew I was so fascinating? I figured I’m a bit quirky and funny but fascinating? Woo Hoo! Check out the two videos below about using Prestige and Mystique as your fascination triggers. They’re less than 2 minutes so watch them both.
Prestige Video I’m ready to read Fascinate Your Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation by Sally Hogshead. If you want to find out how fascinating you are take the {F}Score Brand Personality Test. Let me know what triggers make you fascinating! Coconut Macroon Recipe for National Macaroon DayI have an easy recipe to back your own macaroons. You can give them to your customers in decorative gift bags. Or just have them on your counter by the register for people to enjoy. Or have some special where they bring in a coupon and get a free macaroon. Here’s my recipe for Coconut Macaroons Ingredients: 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz can)14 oz bag of Shredded coconut – sweetened or unsweetened6 tablespoons of flour1 tsp of Vanilla extract – imitation Vanilla is fine(optional) 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips - I like the mini chips the best Parchment paper for cookie sheet. Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Mix the condensed milk, vanilla and flour in a bowl. Add shredded coconut slowly. I use a hand mixer which is why you want to add the coconut slowly so the mixer doesn’t clog up. Once everything is mixed you can add the cup of chocolate chips into the batch. Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet. If you don’t the macaroons will stick to the cookie sheet and crumble apart when you try to remove them from the cookie sheet. Drop scoops of cookie mixture onto parchment paper cover cookie sheet in sizes you want. I like to use a cookie scoop dropper tool to make it easy to make the cookies. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes depending on how hot your oven cookies. If they start to turn golden brown take the cookies out of the oven. I like to lift of the parchment paper with the cookies still on it and place it on a wire rack to cool. I put new parchment paper on the cookie sheet and drop more cookie mixture onto the sheet. Repeat until mixture is gone and you have a pile of delicious macaroons. Let me know how the recipe works for you. Fun Marketing Promotion Ideas for May!May has a variety of special days that can be used to promote any business with fun marketing campaigns. And help you ease into your summer marketing promotions. I like National Barbecue Month. You can throw a BBQ for your best customers to show how much you appreciate their business.
National Barbecue Month - Yummy! Think of the tasty marketing ideas. Special Week Campaigns:
May 1-7 National Raisin Week
Week 2 Want to Market to Women?
Check out the Central Coast Women’s Conference on April 29th. There will be over 30 vendor booths on site and some valuable presentations. Check out the details of the presentation by the Founder and Coordinator of the event: Simple, Low Cost Marketing Ideas that REALLY Work in Any Economy (Both on or off the Internet)And Strategic Steps to USE What You Learn at the Conference 
Simple, Low Cost Marketing Ideas that REALLY Work in Any Economy (Both on or off the Internet)And Strategic Steps to USE What You Learn at the Conference
Consuelo Meux, Ph.D., is the Founder and Coordinator of the Central Coast Women's Conference Series. Dr. Meux is an expert in power marketing and networking techniques that help businesses grow a client list fast. Her additional expertise is in leadership, organization and systems development and writing coach. Her clients praise her ability to provide innovative cutting edge concepts that result is increased income and new opportunities for their business. “A business or organization doesn’t have to fall victim to the changes in the economy when the leadership understands market trends, innovative marketing techniques and consumer needs."A former Peace Corps Volunteer, Consuelo has an international perspective from her travels and work in Africa, Europe, Mexico and most US States. She's been a Small Business Analyst with California State University Fresno, Assistant Manager of the Central California Small Business Development Center, and owner of an independent Marketing Consulting Firm. Consuelo earned her PhD in Human and Organization Systems and facilitates doctoral programs in organization development with the University of Phoenix online and has taught advertising and marketing courses at Cuesta College. Her book “Yes I CAN Success Online: 5-Easy Steps to Your Confident Online Business Presence” sold out the first printing in six weeks.
Want to find out how to register check here: I'll see you there! Reese’s Gets Customers Coming Back for More!Every so often I get these cravings for peanut butter and chocolate so I buy Reese’s peanut butter cups. I noticed writing on the bottom of the card stock that holds the cups in place as I finished the last cup. See the photo below:
The comment was cheerful and then the end was an ingenious way on Hershey's part to get you to buy more Reese's candy. I read it and was moved to buy more. The candy was so yummy I think I even went specifically to the store just to buy more Reese’s peanut butter cups. How’s that for copy that moves the customer to action? It had a positive message: “Have a perfect day” and “This is not an empty package but a REMINDER TO GET MORE”, how cool is that? I had been feeling sad that my candy was finished until I read the message on the card. Then I was moved to buy more peanut butter cups. Hershey's came up with an excellent and tasty way to encourage more sales. Now that's what I call direct response marketing at its best! I had more peanut butter cups to enjoy and Hershey’s had more of my money =) A win/win situation! What are you doing to get your customers wanting more of your goods and services? Any notes on your invoices, sales receipts or follow up contacts encouraging them to do even more business with you? test
Permalink -- click for full blog post "test" Does Your Voicemail Get You Clients? Time to Change That!
By Fabienne Fredrickson If you're serious about attracting clients consistently, I believe you should use every single piece of marketing "real estate" you can. Whether you've been in business for one year or 22 years, when you're marketing your business, you want to have systems in place that PULL in clients without you having to do much to make it happen. It can even be as "little" as using your outgoing voice mail as a Client Attraction tool. One of the key things you can do to PULL people in that most people in business do not do, especially when they're working from home, is have an outgoing message on your voice mail or answering machine that describes exactly what you do, for whom, and what results they can expect. The idea here is to have your voice explain what you do and how to give you referrals . So, instead of saying, "Hello, it's Mary, leave a message," you can say, "Hello, it's Mary of so-and-so business, helping (insert target audience) who struggle with (insert common problem) achieve more (desired outcome)." Once they know exactly what you do and for whom, don't forget to list the best ways to reach you (other than phone) : your e-mail, your website, and your tag line. Oh, and don't forget to include a call to action, like inviting them to visit your website and signing up for something. There are lots of different ways you can use your voice mail outgoing message as a way to get new clients. Remember to keep it pretty short or people will not want to call back. You'd be surprised how many people over the years became my client, when all they had originally was my phone number. As a result of the voicemail, they all told me they went onto the website, signed up for the ezine, attended teleclasses, and after a while, wrote in to say they were ready to work with me. Not bad for a simple voicemail message! My motto around marketing real estate? "If you've got it anyway, use it to attract clients!" Your Client Attraction Assignment: Create an outgoing message that can also act as a marketing tool, if it is brief. Include your tagline and e-mail address if it is easy to remember, direct callers to your website, and make sure to tell them about your newsletter or list any upcoming workshops you are promoting. You'll not only impress callers, you might just get a few new clients out of it. © 2010 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time...guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your income, visit www.ClientAttraction.com . Are There Too Many Acronyms In Your Marketing Message?
Beware of using too much industry jargon in your copy if your customers are not familiar with it. They may end up interpreting it like the gal in the Dilbert comic above. The problem with that is you won’t make the sale because the prospect won’t have a clue what they should buy. Keep the content clear and easy to understand. Even when targeting a specific market familiar with industry lingo be careful with using too many acronyms. It will make the copy difficult to read and make the reader eager to move on from your marketing messages. You don’t want the customer so busy trying to sort it all out in his mental dictionary and missing the benefits of your goods or services in the process. Keep your marketing messages from getting stuck in a Dilbertesque zone of lost sales. Squeeze Out One Last Marketing Opportunity with Your Old Business CardsDo you have old business cards that you don’t know what to do with besides dump them in the recycle bin? Wait, there’s a promotional opportunity for your business in those old cards. Have a card tossing contest for you customers where they win prizes. You could send out an email, Tweet and post a notice on your Facebook fan page to let you customers know about the event. Really promote and have specials going on the day of the event. Or if you don’t want your customers tossing your business cards create a competition among your employees and have your customers come and watch. Maybe even post videos of your employees prepping for the competition on your website and YouTube. Give the employees competition nicknames like Discount Rustler or Super Sales Rep. See how I had the promoting your business benefits to your customers? Do that and maybe even end up with a new brand character. Whatever you decide to do turn it into a marketing event and offer special prices on competition days. It could turn into an ongoing promotion for a few weeks or months or an annual event that customers look forward to seeing. Be sure to be safe during the competitions. You may want to have safety goggles for competitors to wear. Or make it an easy card toss like those toss a ping pong ball into the goldfish bowl games you see at Fairs and Carnivals. Turn it into a toss the business card into recycle bins at various distances and each distance gets an increasingly better prize or discount. Check out this video of the Master Business Card Thrower to get some ideas. It’s worth the 2 minutes to watch it. I wonder how much practice the guy had to do. You’ll never look at your business card the same way again.
Anything is Possible with Good CopyCopy makes all the difference. Have you seen the Old Spice ad? The commercial has an interesting visual style with all the special effects but what really grabs attention are the words being said: “Hello ladies. Look at your man. Now back to me. Now back at your man. Now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me. But if he stopped using lady-scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s me. Look down. Back up. Where are you? You’re on a boat with the man your man could smell like. What’s in your hand? Back at me. I have it. It’s an oyster with two tickets to that thing you love. Look again. The tickets are now diamonds. Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady. I’m on a horse.”
The copy engages the listener directly. It tells you what to do and think and how things could be if you buy this product that opens up possibilities. Suddenly everyone is listening and thinking either “How can I be that man” or “How can I get a man like that?” Hmm, well if Old Spice can help let’s buy some. Men will buy it hoping to be that cool guy in the commercial. Women will buy it hoping her man will morph into that cool guy or at least smell as good. Anything is possible when you wear Old Spice. Boy that makes you want to buy. I was ready to buy it! Watch the video yourself here: Last Minute Ideas for Getting Business During Tax SeasonMost dread the April 15th deadline to file taxes. But you can turn it around and help your customers relax and making money too!
Have an “EZ” Discount – Use the tax form numbers as promo codes when ordering for example 1040EZ. If you have a product you can price at $10.40 you can offer the special price good on April 15th only.
“Enjoy Your Refund” Promotion – Have a special sale for your customers who filed their taxes early and are ready to spend the cash the got back. Have a follow up sale a few weeks later for the people who filed at the last minute and won’t have their refund by April 15th. Offer it to early birds too and get them spending twice. Relieve the Stress of Paying the IRS - Offer special coupons for a spa day, special dinner or box of chocolates. Encourage your customers to have a relaxing treat of their choice on April 15th. Send an email to your best customers to get them spending. Or even entice new prospects to your business.
15% off Discount – Make April 15th a positive date not a bad one by offering 15% off purchases made. Send out a quick email or post on your blog about the special discount only available until midnight on April 15th and pick up some extra sales on a potentially slow business day. Use these last minute ideas to bring in extra sales on Tax Day April 15th. Meanwhile enjoy this YouTube video of the Taxman by the Beatles while you come up with your own April 15th Tax Day promotions:
April Brings More Audacious Marketing Ideas
Need new ways to get your clients a reason to spend money? There are enough special days in April to cover any business and any target market. National Cordon Bleu Day can work for upscale restaurants. Jelly Bean Day for family oriented promotions. Chocolate Mousse Day for your chocolate loving customers. Or if you want a promotion that lasts all month, check out the four different national month topics:
National Soft Pretzel Month – Who doesn’t like a soft pretzel?
National Soyfoods Month – Are you targeting Vegans? Use this for your promotions.
National Pecan Month – Pies and more. What yummy promotions can you dream up?
Week 1
April 1 National Sourdough Bread Day
Week 2
April 5 National Raisin & Spice Bar Day
Week 3
April 12 National Licorice Day
Week 4
April 20 National Pineapple Upside-down Cake Day
Week 5
April 26 National Pretzel Day Ok, with all these special days to fill your April marketing calendar let me know which ones you use. Bad Customer Service Equals Bad Word of MouthIf you give your customers the run around when they have a problem you could be ruining your reputation. Think of Kevin Smith and his outraged tweets when he was kicked off Southwest Airlines. Good customer service could’ve dealt with the situation in a way that left Mr. Smith happy with the airline instead of making headline news with negative publicity. That’s not the only story of bad customer service. Muscian Dave Carrol’s guitar was broken by United Airlines and it took months to get any kind of resolution. It’s been two years and his Youtube video is still getting hits. United made a poor customer service choice they won’t forget. Neither will anyone else with this music video written by a customer done wrong. Even though he made follow up videos describing the resolution this original one is forever out there showing all potential customers why they should avoid an airline with bad customer service. Treat your customers with respect and avoid bad word of mouth that lingers forever on the Internet.
It’s a catchy tune and a good video that describes the problem of a broken guitar and terrible customer service.
Why not give your customers such great service they make a video about the experience. Your Doorway to a Successful Marketing Promotion!
Today I opened my front door to find a hanger on my door. Kohl’s hung discount tags on the doors in my neighborhood and possibly every neighborhood in town. It was a coupon for $10 of a purchase of $20 or more. This discount offer lured me into Kohl’s. I don’t usually shop at Kohl’s. The clothes I like are usually in the “I’d have to be anorexic and flat-chested to fit into” sizes. (I’m a buxom not skinny gal.) And the women’s clothes my size look like stuff matronly middle-aged women would wear. On that note my mother loves buying clothes at Kohl’s. The other items they carry I can usually find cheaper somewhere else. But Kohl’s does have great sales. Although the coupon said the purchase had to be minimum $20 the part that really got me into the store was the small print that read “off all products, including sale items and clearance items”. I thought “Wow, I’m checking out Kohl’s today before I forget.” This is where many businesses cheap out and look stingy. I’ve seen numerous coupons where they put so many limits on my ability to use them I end up tossing the coupon in the recycling bin. Afterward I only think of those businesses with amazed disgust. Why bother offering what amounts to a non-existent discount in your coupon advertisement? You’re only going to alienate customers who will go on to shop at stores that appreciate their business and reward them for it. I really appreciated that Kohl’s offered me a discount coupon I couldn’t ignore considering I’m not a regular shopper. And with only one minor limitation besides and end date which was also generous. The offer was valid until March 14th and started on February 28th. I didn’t want to miss the deadline so I felt compelled to go in and use the $10 discount on stuff I hadn’t planned to buy. Kohl’s does have good products and I’m more than willing to shop there when the deal is worth it. If you’re wondering what I bought I’ll tell you. I got a cool new watch and a set of colorful eye shadows in a compact shaped like an iphone. Oh and the items I bought were sale items and I still got my $10 discount. Yippee! End result for Kohl’s - they got a reluctant shopper in the door spending money and feeling good with their generous Door Hanger Campaign. Now I understand why my Mother loves shopping at Kohl’s. They appreciate their shoppers and reward them for coming into the store. Are you ready to try your own Door Hanger Campaign yet? Not sure? Consider this - Dan Kennedy recommends using Door Hangers as a unique promotional campaign. I wonder if someone in Kohl’s marketing department reads Dan Kennedy’s newsletter. If so kudos for marketing savvy. Let me know when you try your own Door Hanger campaign and the results. 5 Weeks of March Marketing Madness!
Are you looking for some unusual marketing days to promote your business? During March there is at least one new idea for every day of the month. I’ve separated them by week so you can easily plan your March promotions. Go crazy with as many audacious marketing ideas as possible!
First week of March:
Second week of March:
Third week of March:
Fourth week of March:
Fifth week of March:
Five Refreshing Topics I'm Tracking:
I try to read about more than marketing. Here are a few topics that currently have my interest. Lifestyle: Introverts Corner – How to live a quiet life in a noisy world. I’m an Introvert. If you’re familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator You’ll now what I’m talking about. Introverts get energy from spending time alone to recharge their internal batteries. Extroverts are energized by spending time with others. This blog is worth checking out whether you’re an introvert or extrovert. The benefit for Introverts is reading a blog written by someone who understands your needs. Extroverts can benefit by reading the blog if they know an Introvert and want to improve their understanding, communication and overall relationship with the Introvert. Click here to check out the Introverts Corner.
Tech stuff: Makeuseof.com It’s a blog that features nifty websites, computer tips and downloads that help you be more productive. MakeUseOf is like your own personal tour guide to the web, taking you to sites you’ve never seen before to enhance your life on the web. You’ll get daily links to websites with all kinds of useful tool, software and how to tips. Check it out here at MakeUsOf.com Charitable: Lemons for Literacy I love to read. How about you? It’s terrible to think there are people who are unable to enjoy reading like we do. Let’s do our part to stamp out illiteracy. When you play this game for every answer you get right someone gets help learning to read. Lemons for Literacy has two goals:
Help combat illiteracy while playing a fun educational game: Lemons for Literacy Modern language: Urban Word of the Day Keep track of changes in language by subscribing to this site. Daily you will get a new word or phrase and an example of how it’s used. Entertaining and also keeps you from saying the wrong thing when words take on new meanings. Click here to get your daily dose of Urban Words.
Advice: Consumerist – Shoppers bite back The blog posts information to help consumers avoid scams, fight back against poor customer service and a variety of other valuable information. Its hardly boring – expect to be entertained while learning how to protect your consumer rights.
Visit it by clicking Consumerist. You Can Feed the Hungry with Free RiceFree Rice has an easy way for you to help the hungry in the world. How? You can help the worlds hungry by playing a fun educational game. It starts out with English vocabulary but you can select a different category. The other categories are Art, Chemistry, Math, Geography and Language Learning. The foreign language categories are Spanish, French, German and Italian.
There is not cost to play the game. For each question you get right 10 grains of rice are donated to feed the hungry. On the right side you see a bowl filling with rice until there are a hundred grains. Then a pile forms at the side of the bowl and you refill the bowl with each correct answer. The cost of the rice is paid for by sponsors who advertise on the site. There is also the opportunity for you make your own monetary donation but it is not a requirement to play the game. FreeRice has two goals:
It’s a fun way to contribute food to those in need. I’ve donated over 2000 grains of rice while testing my knowledge. When I tried the art section I found out how little I really know about great artists. By the time I played a few rounds I could recognize some artists’ painting styles. It was a very satisfying feeling to learn something new and help provide rice to people who need it. Want to do more than play the game? You can have your business become an advertising sponsor by contacting Free Rice through their contact page. How cool is it that you can use your marketing dollars to advertise your business while feeding the hungry? People will see your sponsorship banner each time they answer a correct question. Help the hungry and educate yourself at the same time by clicking on Free Rice. I want to hear back about how many grains of rice you donate! The Problem Isn't the ProblemWondering how to avoid a Toyota sized public relations nightmare when you have a problem with your products or services? Check out this two minute video by Tom Peters:
15 Ideas for Your Marketing in February
 Are you looking for last minute marketing ideas for February? Take a look at the list below for inspiration. There’s still time to use them. Some sound really fun like Tortilla Chip day and Margarita Day if you want to have a multi-promotional week use them together. Or if you want a healthy promotion go for Almond Day or Cook a Sweet Potato Day or Strawberry Day. Reading over the list there is a day for any business and any target market. Go for it!
Which day worked for your promotion? I’d be curious to know if anyone uses Kahlua Day or Clam chowder Day. Get Gooey Over Gumdrops!
Gumdrops are for more than gingerbread houses. Most of us have at least one memory of gumdrops….oh the marketing aspects of nostalgia. Time to make the most of your marketing mailers and promotions. Ok, let’s talk about promotional topic tie-ins. Of course the obvious one would be candy stores promoting special gift baskets. Maybe for gift baskets you need to ship across the country or even overseas - gumdrops can travel without melting. Toy stores can use gumdrops for a promotion sent to parents looking to buy their child a gift. Maybe even the promoting a sale of the Candyland game. I remember saving up my allowance so I could buy that board game. I loved staring at the board with all the candy houses and everything else made with candy! Playing the game was fun too. I still have a great love of candy. Pet stores can send out mailers with gum drops using the headline: “Buy healthy, tasty, chewy treats for your pets and enjoy these gum drops on us.” Hardware stores can get women customers in with a gumdrop mailer helping them find gifts for their DIY project loving spouses – “Buy your sweetie one of these specially priced items ands get your Honey-Do list done! My favorite gum drop colors are the green, pink and red ones! What are yours? I’m sure you can think of other promotional ideas to use gumdrops in your mailers. Let me know which one’s you try! I Made It On Alltop!Check out this blog on Alltop under Marketing. Woo Hoo! You can click the badge below for a quick trip to alltop.com
5 Hot Blogs to Add Sizzle to Your Marketing!
1. Glazer Kennedy Insider’s Circle Blog - If you want outrageous advertising check it out. Dan Kennedy will never steer you wrong. 2. Sweeties Sweeps - If you want to promote your business using a Sweepstakes or Contest you’ll want to get mentioned on Sweeties Sweeps site. Thousands of people visit the sites mentioned as having a sweeps worth entering. New products are often launched with a sweepstakes or contest which also helps you find out what your competitors are doing to get new customers. 3. ProBlogger - Write a better blog with these tips on blogging. I’m working on the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog program myself. 4. Men With Pens - A web design and copywriting blog from Canada. Good stuff comes from Canada. 5. Chris Brogan - A blog about community and social media
Check them out and let me know what you think about them. Oh, remember to subscribe to my blog too! Did I miss any blogs you feel should make the list? 9 Lumpy Objects to Get Your Marketing Mailers Opened
 Curiosity gets your mailers opened and read. Lumpy items create intense curiosity. I know I can't wait to open mail that has a strange lumpiness to find out what treat is inside. Be sure the lumpy item matches the theme of your marketing message. Don't just randomly add an object that has nothing to do with your promotion. You'll just confuse your prospects and they won't be motivated to spend money just wonder about why you wasted yours mailing pointless junk. Send one of the nine items listed below out in your next direct marketing mailer. I've included sample headlines you can use for your promotional mailers.
Let me know if you mail out one of these items and your response rate. Direct Marketing Rx Back StoryMy Ongoing Pursuit of Direct Marketing that Builds Customer Loyalty Permalink -- click for full blog post " Direct Marketing Rx Back Story" TestimonialsTestimonials about Direct Marketing Rx Permalink -- click for full blog post "Testimonials" Frequently Asked QuestionsDirect Marketing Rx’s Frequently Asked Questions Permalink -- click for full blog post "Frequently Asked Questions" Send Me a Copy of the Free Report!Request free report How Smart Business People Use Direct Marketing to Build Lifetime Customers Permalink -- click for full blog post "Send Me a Copy of the Free Report!" Results Rule! Use Tracking and MeasurementResults Rule! Use Tracking and Measurement Permalink -- click for full blog post "Results Rule! Use Tracking and Measurement " Seven Rules to Whip Your Direct Marketing Into ShapeSeven Rules to Whip Your Direct Marketing Into Shape Permalink -- click for full blog post "Seven Rules to Whip Your Direct Marketing Into Shape" Does Your Sales Message Move Your Prospects to Action?
Are you getting a mediocre response to your sales and marketing media? With the right words you can move people to take action. Check out this 5 minute video on Youtube. It shows vividly the value of copy that reaches emotions instead of just stating the facts. (Have some tissues handy.) October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
September Did you know that breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the world today? Promote Breast Cancer Awareness during October. Encourage employees, customers, friends and family to get screened for breast cancer. Have a special promotion to raise money for cancer research, education, screening and treatment.
The Susan G. Komen organization has Passionately Pink for the Cure. Have your employees and customers wear pink on a day you select in October and make a personal donation of $5.00 or more to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. You could have a specific dollar amount goal to donate and track progress on a poster for all your employees and customers to see.
Promote the event in your advertising and direct marketing and get customers coming in wearing pink. Send out a press release to local news outlets.
You’ll get a participation kit to help you plan your event when you register at Susan G. Komen for the cure. Check out the details here Passionately Pink for the Cure.
Let me know how your promotion goes and how much money your raise.
September 22nd is National White Chocolate Day. Send your customers a certificate for a box of white chocolates when the make a purchase online or visit your business.
Some people love white chocolate. My mother enjoys it but I’m a milk chocolate gal. I do like a rice crispy treat dipped in white chocolate on one end and milk chocolate on the other made at a local sweet shop. Yummy.
If you run a candy store have a special promotion to celebrate National White Chocolate Day. Post signs in your store windows to get customers coming in. Offer gift baskets filled with a variety of white chocolates and related items.
Yes I know white chocolate isn’t officially chocolate but it’s delicious and if your customers love it get them in your store with it.
National Fishing and Hunting Day is September 27th. Have some sort of hunting or fishing related sale or promotion. Send out themed mailers and get your customers in the door. Have them supply photos of their best catch and post them on a bulletin board. Offer a prize for customers with the best big fish or hunting story.
Send your clients who love to fish or hunt a complementary tackle box or hunting vest with your logo on it.
I have a friend that loves to go fishing on sunny days. She’s loves to talk about the fish she caught and later cooked for dinner. Hmmm…she’s never shared her catch with me!
Another friend went wild boar hunting and emailed me a photo of her with the huge scary looking beast she caught. She had him made into flavored sausages. I hope he tasted better than he looked. The boar was ugly!
That’s another idea – if you hunt send your best clients some sausages made from the game you bag – be sure to let them know you caught it. Maybe include a photo with it like my friend did.
Send me a copy of your promotional mailer with the fishing or hunting theme. Include the results and I’ll post them here.
Do you have a business that caters to romance? Then focus a direct marketing promotion around Love Note Day on September 26th. Stationary/Greeting card stores, lingerie, chocolate shops, beauty spas, massage therapists and even hotels can create a whole marketing campaign around Love Note Day.
Everyone loves getting a love note. Create a love note special contest…customers writing the most romantic love note win a gift to share with their loved one.
Or have people describe the situation where they got their most romantic love note and have other customers vote on which story is the best with the winner getting a prize.
Or send out your own mailer that looks like a love note explaining why you love your customers so much and offer a special discount for Love Note Day.
Let me know what kind of promotion you put into place for Love Note Day and the results.
September 22nd is the anniversary of the ice cream cone. Some say cones were invented at an ice cream stand at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair while others credit an Italian immigrant street vendor as the inventor of the ice cream cone. Either way we all enjoy ice cream cones!
Use this anniversary to promote your business either with free ice cream vouchers to a popular ice cream store or host your own in-house ice cream party. Or if you are an ice cream shop or restaurant offer coupons or discounts on ice cream cones on this day.
You can send out fun mailers with ice cream cone themes. Customer appreciation can be a yummy day on September 22nd.
What other ideas can you think of to promote your business with the anniversary of the ice cream cone?
September 21-27 is National Clean Hands Week. Avoid colds and other germ related illnesses that can be transferred with dirty hands by promoting clean hand awareness.
Schools, doctor’s offices, hospitals and pharmacies can use this week to raise awareness on the value of clean hands. Adults and children alike can benefit from learning why it’s important to have clean hands. Give adults hand sanitizers ad soaps personalized with your business logo.
To make clean hands fun for kids check out Henry the Hand for information to use in your marketing media. The site has four principles of hand awareness and a cute song that Henry sings along with other educational articles.
The Henrythehand.com has kits for schools or hospitals to encourage children to have clean hands. Available for other businesses there are also stickers, buttons and temporary tattoos available. These items will take the guesswork out of what to give away at health fair or other event focused at children. You can also use the items for promotional mailers and not worry about getting your logo embossed on items.
What do you plan to do for National Clean Hands Week? I’d love to hear about your marketing promotions.
Want an affordable mailer for you business? Try postcard mailings. They aren’t just for sending out to friends and family while you’re on vacation. Here are three reasons to give postcards a try:
Make sure you use attention getting marketing copy on your postcard. Fun eye-catching clip art is also important. If you need help coming up with copy and graphics on your postcards Direct Marketing Rx can help you out. Fill out the Contact Us form now.
Tired of run of the mill results with marketing campaigns that seem like the same old thing? Outrageously innovating marketing themes can propel a seemingly ordinary service into something that gets customers excited to do business with you.
I was reading an article about a shocks and struts manufacturer that started a new campaign with the theme “Save a Squirrel” for all animal lovers. The message was to replace worn ride components so you could improve automobile steering, stopping and stability – and possibly save a squirrel darting across the road.
The business sent a bag of squirrel food, the Squirrel Street Journal newspaper and a personalized note fro a squirrel to reporters. Next the recipients got a logoed bag or peanuts and a squirrel (mouse) pad.
These outrageous promotional items were sent out to build hype for the “Save a Squirrel” campaign before it started. The campaign included billboards and radio, along with a web presence. It generated word –of-mouth buzz and got support from businesses that sold and installed the brand of shocks and struts being promoted. The manufacturer added an assortment of other promotional items like note cubes, pens, trash cans and bagged peanuts for use by the sales force.
What outrageous marketing theme can you use to promote your business? I hope this article helps you come up with multiple ideas. If you need help fill out the contact us form, Direct Marketing Rx will be glad to help.
Want to know what some consider perhaps thebest way to make great money online?
Selling your knowledge!
"But how do I do that?"
Glad you asked...
Let's say you are an expert gardener. You know all aboutbulbs, fertilizers, and watering techniques.
Why not take that knowledge and turn it into an e-book?
There are some super advantages to having an electronic book (or other e-good) that you can sell online...
It all adds up to a super way to monetize any site, but itworks especially well with an SBI! site.
Why?
Because once you attract traffic interested in your niche,what better way to monetize than to give them exactly whatthey came for in the first place... more information!
And Make Your Knowledge Sell! is the perfect step-by-stepguide for how to do just that...Download your copy here Make Your Knowledge Sell!
Up until today, SBI has been selling it for $49.95.
It includes...
Did you notice the part above where I said, "up until today,SBI has been selling it for $49.95"?
Well, now it's FREE. Once you’ve got your idea use SBI to create your website. Check out "why-you-should-build-an-SBI!-site" here:
If you need help writing content for your e-book or just don’t have the time to do it yourself than have Direct Marketing Rx do it for you. Don’t delay complete the Contact Us form or call 805-549-8917 today. |
