Tailor-Made for Two-Way Traffic

Monday, May 24, 2004 – While we’re on the subject of presentations (see previous post, entitled The Black Door), there’s one I made with a former colleague nearly six years ago that just begs to be resurrected here in A Fine Kettle of Fish — for reasons you’ll quickly understand. At the time, I was working at CPS Direct, where they had a program called Direct Marketing University. The gist of this program was that employees of the company were to exchange their knowledge and expertise with each other, leveraging, if you will, our pool of intellectual capital. Brownie points of some sort were doled out, commensurate with how many of these “courses” you either attended or taught, but for the life of me I can’t remember all the details. It was a brilliant idea, though. Trust me. Everybody won, all around. It was the quintessential brain dump, “mind share” at its finest. Anyway, my colleague, Todd, and I spoke on public relations — what it is, and when and how to put it into play. And if I do say so myself, I think we did quite well by our brethren. I’m bringing all this up now, what seems like half an eternity later, because all of a sudden bloggers are being approached by those seeking media coverage, and vice versa. Of course, I could go either way, thinking we have something in A Fine Kettle of Fish that is new and different and relevant to direct marketing today — and that is, in and of itself, a public relations channel tailor-made for two-way traffic.

Excerpts from Bob’s CPS Direct Presentation on Public Relations:

The Definition of Public Relations

…the efforts of an organization to promote goodwill between itself and the public. This includes publicity (supplying information to media not controlled by you), promotion, public affairs, advertising and opinion marketing.

The 11 Objectives of a Public Relations Initiative

1.Inform prospects about how to choose, buy and use your products and services without burdensome expense of advertising and promotion.

2.Counteract misconceptions and stereotypes about your products and services.

3.Attract prospects and clients to a special event.

4.Recruit highly qualified employees.

5.Crown yourself the expert.

6.Get your message across in a seemingly objective way.

7.Add to your credibility.

8.Rally support to your cause.

9.Put the odds in your favor for professional recognition.

10.Create new and unexpected, profitable opportunities.

11.Stand head and shoulders above the competition.

The 5 Reasons for a Public Relations Initiative

1.There is something new about you, your business or organization.

2.There is something that is especially different or distinctive about you, your business or organization.

3.There is an upcoming special event that would be of interest to prospects, clients and the industry at large.

4.You have conducted research that would be of interest to prospects, clients and the industry at large.

5.Your products and services are relevant because they have something in common with the day’s news.

Sources for Information on Public Relations (Above)
Publicity and Public Relations by Dorothy I. Doty
Guerrilla PR by Michael Levine
The Publicity Handbook by David R. Yale
6 Steps to FREE Publicity by Marcia Yudkin

The Black Door

Monday, May 17, 2004 – People who know me know how highly I speak (no pun intended) of Toastmasters International, a remarkable organization that truly empowers its members to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. There are Toastmasters clubs in more than 80 countries — about 200 Toastmasters clubs are “doing business” in Massachusetts alone — and in each one people like you and me are developing their communication and leadership skills, and finding the courage to change. Back in the day, one of my dreams was to hone my public speaking skills to the point where I could lead seminars and speak at conferences and industry events about direct marketing and creativity. At the time (in the late ‘80s), the extent of my public speaking opportunities was only a couple of wedding toasts — admittedly, fair to middling “best man” mumbo jumbo — so if I was ever going to make it to the big leagues, I knew I needed to take more swings of the bat. I knew I needed Toastmasters. That was then. Now, looking back, I can unequivocally say that more than five years of experience as a Toastmaster — including two stints as club president and more than several rounds of speech contests — went a long way toward changing my life, instilling in me the confidence and skills necessary for all the speaking I do nowadays part and parcel of my career. Over the last dozen years or so, I have made countless formal presentations before audiences of all kinds — such as the meeting planners and suppliers that I spoke to recently about The Shoestring Secrets of Well-Heeled Direct Marketers, or the continuing education students at Bentley College, for whom I presented a class on The Principles of Copywriting, from Direct Mail to Email. And occasionally, I will talk to anyone who will listen (staff, colleagues, friends, relatives, readers of A Fine Kettle of Fish) about something that’s more than a small challenge to many of us in this day and age — the concept of change and risk-taking and moving outside of our own little comfort zones. I will stress the importance of grabbing the bull by the horns, reaching for the brass ring and seizing the day (carpe diem) before I launch into the following Christian-based parable about opening The Black Door:

This is a story about a spy who had been captured and sentenced to death by a general of the Persian army. The general, however, permitted the condemned person to choose between the firing squad or the black door.

As the moment of execution drew near, the general ordered the spy to be brought before him to receive the doomed man’s decision. This was not an easy decision, and the prisoner hesitated, but soon he made it known that he preferred the firing squad. Not long thereafter, a volley of shots in the courtyard announced the grim sentence had been fulfilled. The general turned to his aide and said, “You see how it is with people; they will always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. And yet I gave him his choice!”

“What lies behind the black door?” asked the aide.

“Freedom,” replied the general, “and I’ve known only a few men brave enough to take it.”

There are two messages to this story. The first, of course, is that we will often choose the familiar, even if it is undesirable, over the unknown, which might represent a wonderful opportunity. And second, that few people are brave enough to choose freedom.

I’m not saying we should reject the familiar — not by any means. But we should question the familiar. Just because it is familiar doesn’t make it good, best, or even the right thing to do.

Right now you are probably saying to yourself, “I would have chosen the black door. I would have had nothing to lose; the firing squad was certain death.”

But actually faced with the choice, would you really? How many doors to freedom have we passed up during our lives because we tend to cling so fiercely to the familiar?

How many times have frightening events come about that later proved to be gainful? Each of them was a black door through which we eventually passed to greater freedom. But at the time, we may have chosen to keep things as they were.

It’s good to remember that it is often those things we worry about and fear most that turn out to be blessings in disguise.

I’m sure many of you might be reluctant to take (such and such risk). But once you do, will it not add greater freedom to your lives? For many of you, I’m sure, (such and such risk) will open doors to once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

So I urge you, all of you, do not be afraid to choose the black door.

Planting the Seeds for Bountiful Results

Monday, May 10, 2004 – An article I wrote, 10 Ways to Grow Your Audience with Direct Mail, was just published in Perfect Register, the newsletter for employees of International Business Systems (IBS), Inc., and their associates in the business community. I am grateful to IBS (thank you, Aleka and George) for asking me to write this article, as it gave me the chance to talk shop with an audience of more than 1,000 readers. And while plans call for us to post the article on our own Web site at Yellowfin Direct Marketing, I thought I’d be remiss if I didn’t incorporate at least a piece of it in A Fine Kettle of Fish. The original article ran in the vicinity of 1,500 words, but I won’t be going into all that detail here. If you’re interested in the rest of the story, you can give IBS a call at 1-800-220-1255 and ask them to send you a copy of the newsletter. Or stay tuned to the Yellowfin Web site, where you should be able to read the whole shebang any day now.

Excerpted from 10 Ways to Grow Your Audience with Direct Mail, which first appeared in the Spring 2004 edition of Perfect Register, a newsletter published by International Business Systems, Inc. — reprinted with permission:

Today’s seasoned direct marketer knows enough to use direct mail to cultivate new business relationships and plant the seeds for bountiful results.

After all, direct mail can help almost any organization grow a fertile audience, people who will not only respond favorably to your offer, but who will also spread your message even further through recommendations and referrals.

Other media — such as print, broadcast and, of course, the Web — should be factored into any bona fide marketing plan, but even the most wildly successful campaigns can spring from a simple direct mail letter.

To get the very best yield out of your direct mail program, consider the following:

Use an offbeat word or phrase. Language that stands out will pique the recipient’s curiosity and make it virtually impossible for him or her not to open your direct mail package. For instance, in the early ‘90s, a direct mail package I wrote for Science News Magazine featured the line, “things that make you go h-m-m-m…” in big, block letters on the outer envelope. Not only was this the name of a hit song at the time, but it was also a decidedly different way of promoting the magazine. While I’ll never be able to prove the viability of this offbeat catchphrase, I can say that this package had a long run as the magazine’s control, winning a couple of major industry awards for its creativity and effectiveness along the way.

Some clichés are worth more than a dime a dozen. Some copywriters might say to avoid clichés. I say just the opposite. Clichés are well-known expressions to which everyone can relate. Used judiciously — and cleverly — they can help you establish immediate rapport with your audience and cast a wider net. For instance, one well-known lawn care company says, “Now the grass can be greener on your side.” One dog obedience school claims they can teach “old dogs new tricks.” And “the cure for the common cold” has been paraphrased by everyone from Nissan (“the cure for the common car”) to the USA Network (“the cure for the common show”) to Boston’s Samuel Adams Brewhouse (“the cure for the common cold one”).

Show appreciation. Some people are afraid of needles, but not me. So when the American Red Cross comes calling for blood, I’m an easy mark. Yet after 25 years as a donor, I still wouldn’t have expected an acknowledgement the likes of which I received from the organization recently. Calling me a “hero to more people than you ever imagined,” this big, glossy direct mail package was chock-full of praise, flattery and kudos, including several heartfelt testimonials from grateful blood recipients and a personalized certificate of appreciation that was, as they say, suitable for framing. Going well beyond expectations, the American Red Cross used this masterful effort to intensify loyalty and goodwill among donors like me.

Addressing the Facts on Labels

Monday, May 3, 2004 – One of the more interesting newsletters I’ve been reading lately is the Fast Company Now Newsletter DIGEST, which notifies me of new posts on the FC Now Web Log. On Friday, something posted by Heath Row, entitled “Marketing Play,” caught my eye, given that it spoke to the business of direct mail and the lengths we direct marketers go to convince people to respond affirmatively to our offers. One riff led to another, of course (the tangled webs we weave), and I eventually found myself reading a page on G-Blog.net — written by a user named Spam on March 31, 2003 — about charitable organizations and their use of address labels as a front-end direct mail premium. “I just got forty-five adhesive address labels in the mail from some random charity asking for money. I have to wonder how much these labels cost,” asked Spam, the tone of his post betraying just enough skepticism (understandably) to prompt me and my colleague, Mike, to compose the following response in the spirit of shedding light on the matter and addressing the facts on labels.
——————————————————————————–
“How much do charities spend on these address labels?”

Good question! But you might also ask how much more money charities raise using address labels as premiums (free gifts, inciting people to respond) in their direct mail fundraising appeals.

First, let’s talk cents (pun intended). Let’s use your estimate of one dollar for labels — even though they usually cost less. And let’s say it costs only 50 cents, half the cost of labels, for a straight appeal package (sans labels). Now if we were to execute a statistically valid, A-B split, testing one package against the other, the response to the label package is going to be at least twice that of the straight appeal — more often than not. So if a straight appeal receives a 10% response, a label package gets a 20% response. And assuming the average gift (dollar amount received from the individual donor) is the same, you come out even. Or do you? The fact is that the label package has brought in twice as many donors — which means more dollars down the road for the charity. That’s right! If we’re working with 2,000 donors instead of only 1,000, we have a much greater opportunity to build — and reap the benefits of — a major donor program (which is usually a small percentage of a charitable organization’s annual giving file). So if statistics say two percent of the file becomes major donors, the label file has generated 40 major donors and the more economical mailing only 20. And when all is said and done, if the average major donor contributes $5,000, the label package has ultimately generated $200,000 for the non-profit organization and the straight appeal only $100,000.

So it is really not a question of how much money charities spend on address labels. It is how much they raise.”