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Some data from a recent Gallup survey of 251 companies
showing these companies' top direct-marketing tools.
Stephanie L Gruner
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A newsletter publisher discovered a profitable alternative
to direct mail. .
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One business sends out cards with regulators' phone numbers
on it, and its own as well. .
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Available guide to catalog management software. Susan
Greco
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A restaurateur develops an innovative marketing technique to
attact new customers. .
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Investigation of how seven different entrepreneurs found
distribution the key to maintaining a competitive edge. Teri
Lammers Prior
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The benefits of (your product here)-of-the-month clubs.
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We spoke with direct marketers to get advice on the best
ways to conduct business through the mail today. Jennifer A.
Redmond
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Some tips from a direct-mail expert on how to save on
mailings. Stephanie L. Gruner
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A combination of print and e-mail marketing efforts can
create a better experience for the customer and a better result
for you. David Townsend
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Without good copy, your audience might never understand what
your business really has to offer -- or might never become
motivated enough to find out. Douglas Smith
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Use the following tips as a guideline when sending out sales
literature. Timothy Botts
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Catalog houses suggest alternative marketing tactics to
offset the high cost of mailing. Susan Greco
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Lillian Vernon, a leading business veteran of nearly 50
years, talks about "one of the most important decisions" she has
ever made: taking her catalog business into cyberspace.
Lillian Vernon
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Improve your direct mail delivery. Michael T. Brandt
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CEOs give advice on building a brand through custom
publishing. Mike Hofman
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Mail-order company sells environmentally sound products.
Leslie Brokaw
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Sean Durham and Eric Rabinowitz of IHS HelpDesk Service
uncovered a hidden growth strategy when they realized that
rampant employee turnover was affecting their bottom line.
Christopher Caggiano
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How to deal with an unresponsive buyer. Plus: strategies for
pumping up catalog sales. Bo Burlingham
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Adding telemarketing to direct mail is a simple way to boost
response rates. .
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It's often best to send minimal amounts of sales literature
early in the sale. Eric Kunin
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An automated call center can improve customer service and
analyze how calls translate into sales. Here's how to turn the
telephone into your most important strategic tool and
competitive edge. Alessandra Bianchi
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Make your newsletter an effective marketing tool.
Michael T. Brandt
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Putting together a full color 24-page catalogue can provide
you with a unique sales tool. Carolyn Blakeslee
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Get through to your retail customers. What should you do to
compete against mass merchandisers? Here's the inside scoop from
a "retail survival consultant." Bob Nelson
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Never underestimate the power of a strong and authentic
personal connection with another person, especially in the
context of business. Why is a one-to-one relationship so
gripping and powerful? Precisely because it is unexpected, it is
very welcome. Lisa H. Buksbaum
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A mail-order company promotes non-profit organizations in
its catalog. Inc Staff
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Instead of incurring the cost of exhibiting at another trade
show, this company printed a one-page "sell sheet" and mailed it
to contacts made at previous shows. .
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A good way to keep in contact and provide customers with
useful tidbit information is to use a "mini-mailer," or
postcard. .
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A cataloger explains how she rewards customers with a gift
when they exceed a certain dollar amount in a single order.
Stephanie L. Gruner
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Three start-ups that are exploring opportunities in CD-ROM
marketing are featured in this short article. Martha E.
Mangelsdorf
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Here's a format for creating an effective sales letter.
James Driscoll.
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Howard Getson, president and cofounder of IntellAgent
Control Corp., has raised substantial capital with an aggressive
and obnoxious approach inspired by junk-mail advertisements.
Joshua Hyatt
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Tattoo, Inc., a low-profile San Francisco marketing firm,
has amassed an impressive group of blue-chip clients with its
uncanny ability to define the essence of a brand and generate
buzz about it. Nancy K. Austin
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One CEO developed an electronic version of his company's
catalog. Robert A. Mamis
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Sending your direct mail first class may be worth the added
cost. .
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How Calyx & Corolla, a mail-order flower seller, developed
strategic alliances before the company was off the ground.
Leslie Brokaw
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Testing different offers with direct mail may help you find
the best price for your customers and you. .
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Direct mail is an effective marketing tool -- if you use it
correctly. Kimberly McCall
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inc.com Marketing & Advertising mentor Jay Conrad Levinson
offers guidelines for an effective direct mail campaign. .
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A small, unknown company may find difficulty convincing a
customer of its credibility. Here are some ways to overcome
customers' fears about your company's size. Susan Greco
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Welcome to the new frontier of direct marketing -- the cell
phone. Lora Kolodny
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Chris Zane's bike shop was healthy and profitable. To grow
it, though, he would have to act like a CEO. Donna Fenn
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Use marketing giveaways that help set your company apart
from the rest. .
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A drumstick manufacturer explains how advertising brings his
company closer to his retail customers' customers. Stephanie
L Gruner
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An effective company newsletter is sent to a selected
audience which finds the stores especially useful. .
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A retailer gives cutomers an incentive to decline
point-of-sale packaging. .
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Vermont Teddy Bear Co., which climbed over many fleet-footed
tech companies to secure a place on the Inc. 500 in
1992 and 1993, later suffered a near-death experience. Steve
Solomon
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A Boston tour company's gimmick gets participants
interacting--and leaves its mark all over the city. .
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Bundling free offers from affiliate programs encourages
visitors to pay attention to your own offer. Ola Edvardsson
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A look at the elusive marketing concept commonly called
"buzz." Here are some ways that buzz can be generated and the
effects it has on a business or product. Nancy K. Austin
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The interactive CD-ROM helps customers find a perfect match
for their needs. .
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A restaurateur develops an innovative marketing technique to
attact new customers. .
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Pamper your customers with comforts and conveniences, and
they'll keep coming back. .
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A restaurateur details how he is sending congratulatory
letters and an offer for free wine to promoted workers.
Robina A. Gangemi
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Several Inner City 100 CEOs explain why they don't fear the
influx of new rivals. Close ties to customers, adaptability, and
local networking prove powerful weapons against giant
competitors. Joshua D. Macht
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Give something away at your site. Whether it's free shipping
or advice, your users will appreciate the extra effort.
Jennifer LeClaire
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The owner of a remodeling company explains why it does
indeed pay to be nice. Stephanie L Gruner
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A hair salon discovers that recovering lost customers is
often more profitable than recruiting new ones. .
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A hair salon trimmed costs and grew its sales out by
targeting its coupon programs. .
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A premier drumstick maker offers free product samples in
return for customer feedback, and racks up names for its mailing
list through creative promotional deals. .
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A look at a program that gives employees the entire line of
the manufacturer's products to ensure high quality. Donna
Fenn
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Don't discount the importance of little ones. Figure out
ways to keep children entertained, and your business will be a
big hit with parents. .
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Annie's Homegrown uses grassroots marketing techniques to
spread the word about its popular macaroni-and-cheese product,
and racks up customer names in its database along the way. .
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A successful gift store predicts what will charm customers
by aggressively soliciting customer feedback. Mike Hofman
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An Internet conference exhibitor puts a new twist on
promoting to a captive audience. Anne Stuart
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What kind of sales payback can you expect from marketing
promotions? This consultant says it's easy to calculate, based
on his own benchmarks for tracking business-to-business sales.
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It's cheaper to put it online than to spend cash on
four-color printing and postage. .
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Offering a soothing ambience and complimentary cups of tea,
herb shop serves as sanctuary for customers, creating strong and
lasting ties. .
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An annual user conference stands out by catering to
customers - especially the ones who are usually ignored. .
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Get rid of excess inventory while also rewarding those who
buy the most. .
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A story of how a manufacturer promised customers money-back
guarantees and in so doing transformed his company. Joshua
Hyatt
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One enterprising CEO recruited cab drivers to market his
company during an industry convention. Stephanie L. Gruner
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A local candy manufacturer goes to great lengths to make his
customers feel at home, offering tours, samples, and discounts
to regulars. .
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Marketing & Advertising mentor Jay Conrad Levinson offers
advice on marketing at a convention. .
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Tips on how to make an effective brochure - and how to avoid
making costly mistakes. Kimberly McCall
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-
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Sean Durham and Eric Rabinowitz of IHS HelpDesk Service
uncovered a hidden growth strategy when they realized that
rampant employee turnover was affecting their bottom line.
Christopher Caggiano
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Thoughtful gestures like notes to customers' neighbors
apologizing for noise or inconvenience generate repeat business
and referrals galore for this home-remodeling firm. .
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No, it's not about gossip. It's a bootstrapper's method for
gaining referrals on a budget. Kimberly Stansell
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When you buy a car from this far-from-ordinary dealership,
the sales staff serves up dinner, showers you with coupons, and
performs hands-on car maintenance demonstrations. .
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An interview with Jim Medalia, president and founder of
"Just Balls!"
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Between order and fulfillment, give your customers something
to distract them and keep them happy. .
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This construction company celebrates employees who go the
extra mile to save customers money, increase productivity, and
make the workplace safer. .
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Name tags and buttons with clever sayings can be terrific
conversation pieces. .
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More and more small businesses are buying digital copiers in
lieu of relying on outside print shops to do their color work.
Jill Hecht Maxwell
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Make your newsletter an effective marketing tool.
Michael T. Brandt
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A quick look at how a new PR firm used a contest to gain
recognition for the agency and local entrepreneurs.
Stephanie L Gruner
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Patrons are treated to a free shoe shine while they wait for
a table at this popular restaurant. .
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This radio station carefully culls a list of its most loyal
listeners, who then qualify for on-air promotions and giveaways
not available to the general audience. .
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Several small businesses are highlighted as readers see how
to maximize the affects of marketing with multimedia. Tony
Seideman
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This landscaping company beautifies public locations for
free while training new employees. .
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To woo a large accounting firm away from its competitor,
this archive-storage business spent several months giving free
analysis and advice--and ultimately won the account. .
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A quick look at how two organizations used telecards to
build sales. Stephanie L. Gruner
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Here's how soccer equipment cataloger Eurosport uses an
interactive feature to draw people to its Web site. .
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The marketing strategy of health-food producer is examined
and explained by its advertising director. Susan Greco
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As part of its frequent-buyer program, this courier company
courts administrators, mail clerks, and receptionists, pampering
them with prizes like chocolates and roses rather than free
deliveries. .
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A cataloger explains how she rewards customers with a gift
when they exceed a certain dollar amount in a single order.
Stephanie L. Gruner
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Sometimes small businesses have to offer more than the
standard money-back guarantee to win new sales. .
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These days we hear a lot about give-aways, but is it wise to
give products away? A guide to when freebies make sense.
Alessandra Bianchi
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Here's how CEO Peter Barnet turned a customer-survey
incentive--phone cards--into a vehicle for conducting the
survey. Leigh Buchanan
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The Springfield Remanufacturing Corp. sponsors a Junior
Achievement team in a regional competition. George Gendron
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Offer high-impact freebies to your customers and prospects.
Carson Gold
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An anatomy of start-up Ritz Foods International, a producer
of snack chips made from the yuca plant. Includes an overview of
the snack food industry and setbacks the company has faced so
far. John Grossman
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Business cards on miniature CD-ROMs can hold all kinds of
multimedia goodies -- and even have e-commerce capability.
Jill Hecht Maxwell
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Make your giveaways and promotions pay off. Kimberly
Stansell
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In the first of two columns on using photos for business,
Rhonda Abrams comments and advises the entrepreneur on the
digital photo revolution and its importance to business.
Rhonda Abrams
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A small, unknown company may find difficulty convincing a
customer of its credibility. Here are some ways to overcome
customers' fears about your company's size. Susan Greco
