How was your Valentine’s Day?

As you know, this was the day many romanced their mates 
with chocolates, flowers and dinner.  Kids in schools
would exchange store bought cards.  And people  
sent electronic greeting cards.

Much different than it was twenty years ago when 
people mailed letters and kids hand-made their 
valentines.

The other day USA Today wrote an article about how
the U.S. Mail is changing as we know it.  How more
and more people are getting away from using mail
and sending email instead.

Interestingly, the article happened to confirm what I’ve
said all along…that there is no bigger bang for your
buck than direct mail.  While talking about using the
mailbox as “an advertising channel” here’s what they
had to say…”It’s an effective one; unlike commercial
e-mail, almost two-thirds of Standard Mail is read or 
“looked at.”

If you’re doing the math, that is a 66% open rate 
compared to the 10% or so open rate that is more
commonly seen in email.  (MailerMailer shows a range
of 7.1% to 17.6%)

This is interesting because as you know from all 
advertising, the trend seems to be to follow “what’s 
hot” now.  Right now, you hear a lot about social
media and mobile marketing.  And how email is the 
marketers best friend because the cost is so much
lower as compared to sending out physical mail.

If you look closely you’ll see examples of “follow the 
herd” mentality within your own and other industries. 
For instance, the trend in the automobile industry has 
been to stretch out the length of the loans and lease
payments so as to offer the lowest monthly payment.

But one expert showed me some fascinating analysis 
revealing how this works against the car dealer in
terms of customer retention and repeat business.

I talked to a top car salesman I know who said that he 
made a point of showing customers 24, 36, 48 and 60
month schedules, including how much interest is paid
in each case, so as to encourage the buyer to take the 
shortest term he can afford–because this gets the 
customer ready and able to trade-in for a new car
earlier.

He also teaches his customers how to make small 
extra principal payments on their car loans, so they 
save money on interest and are able to trade-in
quicker.

This is a great example of taking a look at the 
direction the herd is moving, then looking 
carefully in the opposite direction.

Same with “direct mail.”  USA Today discussed the 
decline of the mail system–showing that everyone
is moving away from using it, which in effect makes 
a strong case for why you should use it.

Talking about the “mail moment” when people collect, 
sort and open their mail, USA Today said that people
“love to receive mail” and then went on to describe why 
people love to get the mail.

One interviewee, Tamra Lindquist wrote, “To this day, 
I’m always a little hopeful when I open the mailbox!”

Rather than following the herd to quickly dismiss 
direct mail and write it off as a dying breed, it makes
good sense to look carefully at every possible 
opportunity for you to use direct mail in your business.

When you match your market and your message and 
wisely invest in the right media (and not just what 
someone is pushing in your face nor following the 
“latest trend”), you’ll differentiate yourself from your
competitors, make your marketing message stand out
from the pack, romance prospects, clients and customers
into opening more of your marketing and create higher
profits too.

Hope you enjoyed Valentine’s Day being one of the .07% 
of the population who receivieved a personal letter in your
mailbox to celebrate the occasion.

Dedicated to Multiplying Your Income,

Dan Kennedy
GKIC™
The PLACE For Prosperity WithOUT the Bull!

P.S.  If you want to know how to create direct
mail that your prospects and customers look 
forward to receiving in their mailbox, check out 
GKIC’s Most Incredible Gift Ever ….