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DM Tips #20 - Building sales with e-newsletters and more! ____________________January, 2003

Published as a resource for your direct marketing work. Depend on FCC for imaginative, results-producing creative work, including direct mail - web - e-mail - ads - more! http://www.fried-cas.com --ininfo@fried-cas.com

 IN THIS ISSUE:

--e-newsletters - your relationship and sales-building tool ______by Albert Fried-Cassorla

- Pharmaceutical seminar gets a boost with
______Fried-Cassorla e-mail

- PDMA Meeting February 19 -- New Business ______Acquisition, Getting Results in a Tough Economy

-Off-line Promotions to Boost On-line Sales
_____by Carlie Adams

 

--Photos - Fallingwater, Pennsylvania, Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece

- How to Profit from Search Engines and Pay-Per-Click by Bruce Gregoire

--Poem - Walking in the Snow with You

--Humor - Horsies and Kids' Thoughts on Marriage

 

 

Dear Friend,

____A philosopher once said: "There's no bad weather, just different kinds of interesting weather." I tried to focus on that the other day, as one of my ears snapped off! Here's hoping you're heating up your winter with some hot marketing activities!

e-newsletters - your relationship and sales-building tool

by Albert Fried-Cassorla

Thinking about starting an e-newsletter? It might be the perfect idea for you to reach the guy on the right -- the moving target of your customers and prospects.

Do it well, and you can use it to keep your name in front of your customer base, enhance your image, build friendships, and solicit direct sales and more.

E-mail newsletters work by building confidence in you and your company as providers of valuable information and insights. Add some fun, excitement; perhaps some animation too, and you've got a winner!

Like any marketing tool, the e-newsletter is right for some companies, and not for others. If you're looking to increase business quickly - and you don't care about long-term relationships or providing a compelling service, then maybe an e-newsletter is not the way to go. A straight solicitation might work better for you. Nothing wrong with that. It's simply a different approach.

Since I create e-newsletters for my own agency and for my clients, you could say I have a vested interest in the medium. True, but the challenges involved with newsletters can easily be accounted for. For example, they take work (that you can outsource) and commitment.

Plus, your newsletter will have to stand out in a 200 e-mails-a-day world. Not an easy accomplishment. Spammers have done so much damage to this new medium. The renegades make it harder for all of us. But that's a fact of life. Your newsletter will just have to be better, do more, and stand out like a precious gem amidst the onslaught of e-junk.

Here are some guidelines to stimulate your thinking:

1. Identify your target market.

This may be direct Marketing 101, but it's still true. E-newsletters are great for building client loyalty. Newsletters can be a tool for bringing back former customers. Thinking about your target market and what they'd like to see or play with will help define your content.

To prospect, you're going to have to rent names, do a list exchange, or creatively enlarge your universe somehow. This is well worth doing, though. Test one list and move on to another until you hit pay dirt.

2. Develop compelling content.

I know - easy to say, harder to do. To get something, give something, Great content requires thought and continuous commitment. You may have other priorities. But if you're in it for the long haul, this is a great medium.

Don't start a newsletter simply because you think it'd be a cool thing to do. You'll have to please many people most of the time. That takes work. Plus, you'll become a publisher. That means you need good content, from you, your staff, or (dare I say?) copywriters like myself.

Your editions cannot be just about what's happening at your firm, unless you intend it for an extremely limited market. Your stories should not be just news releases about how your firm just bought a new Humongous 9000 machine, and how proud you are of its ability to collate, spray logos on City Hall, and mix dessert toppings (although maybe that would be a good story!)

Content is the real McGuffin. It's what you've got to have, or why bother? That means being useful and relevant. This is hard to do well consistently, especially if you are appealing to multiple markets with different interests. But it can be done.

Here's a principle I find works: Give people something of value. Then they just might start to remember you, like you, trust you, and do business with you.

3. Be visually solid.

Aim for consistency of welcomed appearance in people's in-bins. Perfection can kill you and stall your production schedule. Be lively, good to look at, and make improvements along the way.

4. Don't publish too often.

Who, me? Yes, you! Your e-mail can appear in customers' in-bins way too often, driving them away. My own e-newsletter is a monthly. I think monthly or quarterly is a good schedule to start with. This applies to both large and small firms.

Don't publish just for sake of being there. It's like calling on a client unannounced - rude and disrespectful. If you have nothing to say, why are you calling? Assume you have to earn their respect and confidence each time you appear in their in-box. Even your friends don't want you to overdo it.

5. Try to delight them!

Just being interesting won't cut it in a busy world. I believe in charm marketing. That is, charm people into reading your words, enjoying your images or involvement devices and eventually buying from you. It's easy to say, harder to do, but worth the effort.

6. Publish regularly.

Frequency matters. The third or the 19th time you provide info of value may be the time when a prospect becomes a client.

Frequency requires planning. You may want to produce one-story newsletters, to ease the burden on you, your staff, or freelancers. Stay in front of your audience. Regular, welcomed contact from you over time will yield results. Try a twist on the Golden Rule: Send unto others as you would have them send unto you.

7. Use a format that works on any platform.

Your e-mail should be easily opened on any platform. Use software that detects which browsers people are using. That way, you can send a text based version of your html newsletter to those who can only see text.

8. Sell -- directly ask for the order.

Once you provide substance that people like, don't hesitate to sell directly. Do it with style, but remind people of what you sell and why they need it. Begin with classic advertising: get their attention. Add response: frequently ask for their business.
Your exciting e-newsletter will deliver a power assist for your other efforts: phone calls, direct mail, ads and other media. In the long run, it's your ticket to top-of-mind prominence and sales. What more could you ask?


Albert Fried-Cassorla is a direct response copywriter and president of Fried-Cassorla Communications, Inc. He may be reached at albert@fried-cas.com or 215-635-5189.

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Find out how Fried-Cassorla Communications has used direct mail, e-mail and other media to achieve spectacular results! Visit www.fried-cas.com -- read our Success Stories on our work for Merck & Company, UNISYS, GMAC, CIGNA, Scott Paper Company and others! Then contact us at info@fried-cas.com to see how we can help you with your challenges!


Add muscle to your direct response creative work!

Let us help boost your response with powerful copywriting and design! Contact Fried-Cassorla Communications, Inc. now at 215-635-5189 (USA) or info@fried-cas.com 

 

Pharmaceutical seminar gets a boost with Fried-Cassorla e-mail

An e-mailed seminar notice written and designed by Fried-Cassorla Communications helped boost attendance at a seminar of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA).

 

The seminar was part of a conference held in Naples, Florida at the end of October. The session sponsored by a variety of pharma-related companies, including drugstore.com., Anthem Prescriptions, Scrip Solution and Kikaku America International.

The notice developed by Fred-Cassorla hit all of the hot buttons that were available, including exciting speakers, a Free Report on Patient Satisfaction, and all benefits available, gif animations and more. Over 84 people attended the event, a high turn-out that is attributed by clients to the as the e-mailing. "We could tell it was the e-mail that did it, commented Peter Sonnenreich of Kikaku America International. "That's because many people brought it in or faxed it over to us."

The e-mail may be viewed at: http://www.fried-cas.com/Success. Then choose Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.

* * *

Fried-Cassorla Communications, Inc. is a full service advertising agency specializing in direct marketing, electronic marketing, e-mail, and web design. Since 1988, the company has generated over $220 million in sales for such prestigious clients as Merck & Co., UNISYS, GMAC, CIGNA, and firms of every size.

02:9 __________________________# # #

 
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Want to boost your e-mail results?
Let us help you turn pixels into profits! Call Fried-Cassorla Communications at 215-635-5189 or e-mail info@fried-cas.com!
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Poem:

 

Walking in the Snow With You

Have you enjoyed the snow beneath your feet, and felt the great silence?

 

 Use Off-line Promotions to Boost On-line Sales
by Carlie Adams, President, MAC DIRECT

How can you use printed materials to build on-line traffic and sales? Many methods exist, but not all build your database of customers and prospects.

 

For example, Procter & Gamble has had success in boosting traffic for Head and Shoulders by offering visitors a game called PromParanoia. But no e-mail or other data collection was done. A pity.

What's more, leading clients want to integrate their response media and build their databases. In a recent study by Digital Impact of Fortune 1000 executives responsible for direct mail, most wanted to integrate off-line and on-line media. A major hurdle they faced was data management and organization. In my view, database-driven "viral" games can be a significant part of the solution. But this whole notion is vastly different from the typical promotion.

Too often, print-based ads for web sites simply give you a variation on:

"Visit Ultraboring.com"

Some obvious questions: Why would anyone bother?

(For the continuation of this article, please visit:) http://www.macdirect.com/enewsletter/071802_offline_online.asp?cryptID=&emailID=

______________

Carlie Adams is president of MAC DIRECT, a direct marketing services company. He may be reached at 215-822-5775 or cadams@macdirect.com

Search Engines and Pay-per-Click: Is there a payoff for your business?

by Bruce Gregoire

Prospecting for new customers has always been an expensive and time-consuming process. But take heart. In 2002, a new and powerful prospecting tool has arrived: Pay-per-click ads - sponsored by Google and other search engines. Cheaper than the banner ads of the past, pay-per-click ads are growing quickly in the Google, Yahoo, and Looksmart search engine communities. The process is simple:

Go to Google, Overture or Looksmart and set up an account. You will be asked for a credit card deposit to initialize your account.

(For continuation of this article, please visit:) http://www.desktopmarketinginc.com/enews/enews_10_02.html

Bruce Gregoire is president of Desktop Marketing Solutions, Inc. He may be reached at 1-703-941-8109 or DesktopMrk@aol.com

________________________

Fallingwater

A Visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Home on December 27, 2003

by Albert Fried-Cassorla

I loved my visit to Fallingwater. And I think that if you like great and imaginative architecture, you will too!

For photos and words click HERE!

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Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association February 19 Meeting: "New Business Acquisition: Getting Results in a Tough Economy"

"Closing business" remains the top focus of many firms in a tough economy. Come learn how the professionals become more effective at closing business, and walk away a more talented marketer, regardless of your audience. You’ll have the tools you need to get results in today’s – and tomorrow’s – economy.


DoubleTree Guest Suites, Plymouth Meeting, PA
4:30-5:30 PM Council Pre-Dinner; 5:00-6:00 PM Cocktail Reception;
6:00-8:00 PM Dinner and Speaker
To register for this event click HERE.

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 Thinking about an e-newsletter like this?

Bet you're wondering how they perform. We have the experience. So who ya gonna call?

We've helped many companies successfully reach B2B and consumer markets with our power-packed direct mail. We base the appeal of our communications on delivering value, not hype. That means results for you. See the Success Stories on our web site, or even better... give us a call! 215-635-5189 (USA) or info@fried-cas.com

 

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Humor - Horsies

Here's a fun musical site for you to enjoy! Warning, you must be in a silly mood.

Just click HERE and have your speakers on!

Bonus - Kids Thoughts on Marriage - click HERE.

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To be removed from our mailing list, just write back and ask us to do so. On the other hand, why not pass around the helpful info? We welcome new subscribers!

Fried-Cassorla Communications, Inc.
"Imaginative Direct Marketing and Advertising"

e-mail: albert@fried-cas.com Discover resources for marketers at
www.fried-cas.com ---phone: 215-635-5189 fax: 215-635-0461

© Copyright 2003 by Fried-Cassorla Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.