If your response rates from your print marketing campaign are not where you would like them, it may be time to shake things up a bit. People tire of the same old ads, delivered in the same boring manner. Trying a different and novel approach could see a dramatic increase in your sales from your print marketing campaign.

Are you still sending your letters in tired plain envelopes? Are your postcards dismally sad? Instead of using plain envelopes to send our sales letters, try extra large ones, which are certain to grab the recipient’s attention. The use of bright colors and large typeface can also enhance the chances of your mailers being read, and not tossed in the shredder.

What do people like to get in the mail? Besides free samples of some male enhancement pill, the answer is packages. Use a box or tube to mail your next promotional letter in. You can put all sorts of print on a box, and the customer will feel like it is their birthday. You are almost certain to make it past the receptionist with a package, since it seems important.

When you mail your sales letter, why not throw in a key chain, pen, can cooler, or other freebie? Embossed with your company’s logo of course. People love getting free stuff. Especially items that they can put to good use. This can be rather costly though, so make sure you have the budget for it before you begin.

Keeping all promotional mailers consistent with your brand is crucial. You want people to remember you by the color scheme and logo that you have created uniquely for your company. Be sure to put your return address on the box or tube, as bomb scares are rampant these days. Bombs are generally not considered good business practice. That creates quite a quandary for people who make explosive devices like dynamite however. I am sure they have their own strategies. I mean it’s not as if they can send clients a little fake dynamite stick in the mail, saying, “I’m just exploding for your business!” Anyway, that is not your problem. Unless you are an explosives salesperson, and if that is the case, you might want to find another avenue to pursue in marketing your product.

Don’t forget about the follow up call after the package has been received. Your call will probably be much appreciated, since you have already pre sold your product. If you are an explosives maker, you may find suits knocking at your door. Please don’t send out free samples of your product if this is the case.

Although using dimensional mailers to send to prospective clients can be quite costly, the returns on the number of customers you can get from them are worth it. Make yourself memorable, and people are more likely to buy from you.

Brochures and flyers are amongst the most useful and versatile of all marketing media. They can be left on doorknobs, placed under windshields, displayed at store countertops, and left wherever you go. In order to make your business stand out in a sea of other companies, you have to get inventive. With extreme use of color and design, your brochures can be an oasis in the desert of stale businesses. Instead of drying up and blowing away, your business has the ability to thrive and flower, when you use ingenuity and imagination.

Use your logo to create a dazzling color experience.

While the design and colors have to go with the logo you have, you can do so many novel things with your brochures and flyers. Depending on your business, you can make your brochures look unlike anything else out there. Try color schemes that are not in the mainstream. Anything that might catch someone’s eye, and cause him or her to look twice can be tried. Don’t be afraid to do things that no one has done before.

Use squiggly lines, use hexagons, triangles, pears, moons, or a big toe.

Just get your business noticed. The bigger the brochure, the more noticed they get. Customers find a giant, color splashed big toe somewhat hard to ignore. Make it something to remember. Make it great. Give your customers the impression that you are hip, fun, and the place to do business with. Grab them with your brochures and flyers, and make it impossible for them to resist reading them.

After you have mastered your creative design, make sure that the content on your flyers and brochures is professional and informative. Tell your customers how you can meet their needs, and why your company is the finest one for the job. Fancy colors and designs are not enough to get your business on top. If you are not good at writing, hire a professional to flesh out your brochures and flyers. This may cost more, but can be the difference between a brochure that flops, and one that pops. Words have the ability to change minds and start wars. All you need is to make customers see you as where it’s at. Not so hard when you get the hang of it. Soon, you will have more customers than you could ever have dreamed.

Remember the lovely sound of ca-ching? We hear it less frequently these days. Retailers may be suffering more than many other businesses during our current economic depression. (Depression in this case being a common psychological state, whether or not it’s the official label for today’s business climate.)

Traditionally, high-volume retail operations don’t use many business cards, but specialty retailers have for years, in fact, long before the ubiquitous frequent buyer card craze.

Maybe it’s time to review what full color business cards can do for retailers.

They can help build new product or service lines.

(Ex: Did you know we carry Webkinz? New arrivals every week!)

They can generate repeat visits.

(Ex: Present this card on your next visit to save 20% on your order!)

They can increase referrals and survey your customers.

(Ex: Find what you need? Tell a friend. Left empty-handed? Please call and tell us what you need – we want to help!)

Because many retail employees work part-time, are students, or don’t necessarily devote themselves to what they consider a temporary job, shop owners need to consider how the employees will be able to use the cards successfully.

If simply sticking a card in the bag with each customer’s order is the realistic best your employees can do, you’re going to have to design your card to do a great job.

Slow down.

Tossing a card in with a customers’ orders or sliding it across the counter while simultaneously reaching for the ringing phone sends a message. It’s here’s-your-card-we’re-almost-done-with-this-transaction-gotta-go.

It does nothing to address the importance of the transaction or make the customer feel special, or even the slightest bit appreciated. If you follow motivational speaking and leadership trends, you know an enduring refrain is “When you deal with things, it’s a transaction; when you deal with people, it’s a transformation.” (See what Steve Roesler has to say about it, here)

Don’t ask, “Would you like a business card?”

Instead, say, “May I give you a business card?” You’ll sound polite, which makes your customer want to be polite, too – too polite to refuse the card. Later, when they linger dangerously near the trash can with your business card in hand, the echo of your sincere question will grant your card a spot on their desk rather than in the can.

In marketing, nothing is negligible. Every small thing counts. So do business cards.

The business card cannot speak volumes. But it is the first impression you make on your customer. It reflects the personality of the organization. It can be young and happening. Or it can be mature and graceful. It can highlight your character. That is what grabs the first level of attention from the prospective customer.

The customer should be able to relate to your organization. You don’t always get the chance to talk to him for half an hour to create that impression. All you get is the two minutes and an opportunity to give the business card. That tiny card has to do tough job of dragging the customer back to you. He will come back to you if you interest him. To generate that interest, your card should act smart. The card should tell in a nutshell what your organization stands for.

A plain basic format can possibly contain the same level of information as a designer card. But there are atleast a dozen others who are in the same business. Why should the customer pull out your card?

There is a limit to the printed information that a business card can contain. It will have the person’s name, designation, and contact details. That is what everybody gives. How can you differentiate?

A professional graphic designer can come up with a design that can subtly indicate the line of work the organization is into. This has added importance if you are start up or a small firm. Choose a different paper type. Handmade paper is a good option. The font and color should go with the character of the business. If your organization is trying to capitalize on its hundred year old legacy, a loud colored card might not be the right choice. But remember, there is no such universal law. If you are super smart, you can turn it around and still create a great card. The only limit is the one imposed by your own imagination.

Innovative artistic ideas can add to the impact of the card. The space on the small card offers myriads of possibilities. If you have decided on the front side, work on the back of the card. No need to waste that space; it can be fruitfully utilized. A quote, poem or small cartoon printed at the back can make your card stand apart.

Do not forget the logo; and may be a small caption under it.

The sole purpose of the business card is to make the prospective client take a note of your card among others. Bet on a “different” card.

A business card is an essential part of your branding. The impact it can bring in often under estimated. It leaves an impression in the customers mind on what you can do. It creates a genuine personality image. Tell what is different in your firm. Tell them that you are vibrant, or reliable.

A designer card can cost you a little extra. It is still worth it.

Need some easy tips to get your marketing copy on point? Follow along…

Add a Call to Action

Strive for active verbs and avoid passive clichés.   Drop overused phrases like “synergistic,” “paradigm,” and “value-added.”  Readers will skip over them without being compelled to act.  Avoid passive language and tell your readers what to do.

Consider these examples:

• “Build the buzz”
• “Master salesmanship secrets”
• “Transform your business”
• “Crush your competition”

What’s In it For Me?

Your potential clients do not care if you make your sales quota for the quarter or even if you make your mortgage payment this month.  The only reasons he will buy is if he sees something “in it for him.”  In other words, he won’t care about what you are offering this month only.  But he will care about getting the “Top 54  proven sales tactics to increase cash flow in a week.” He wants clients lining up around the block, cash in hand, eager to buy what he’s got to sell. Promote the benefits your client will receive.

Shine Through

Do you skydive?  Go deep sea fishing?  A sci-fi addict?  Let your personality shine through so clients can feel as though they know you.  Customers want to buy from other people, not anonymous companies.  Tell your story in a compelling way.  Consider your hook, or what makes you different from the 34,000 other people selling the same thing you’ve got.

Contact Me

For years, one of the public relations pitfalls Amazon.com had was that there was no way to contact them via phone.  You were forced to communicate only through e-mail.  Customers didn’t like it and Amazon eventually changed.  Amazon was big enough to survive the discontent, but you might not be.  If a potential client does not easily find two or three different ways to contact you, don’t expect a sale.-

Offer a Guarantee

It can be a big leap of faith to trust someone you don’t know with a portion of your business.  One way to generate more sales is to offer some sort of guarantee or risk-free offer.

For an excellent example, consider this writer’s offer:  “My guarantee to you is this: If, within 30 days, you are not satisfied I will completely rewrite the copy for you. In other words, we will get it to work. You will make more money.”  It doesn’t get m ore clear than that!

Exploit Your Competition’s Weaknesses

You’d better know your competitors as well as you know your own company.  How is their product similar to yours?  How is it better or worse?  Why do they get some of your potential clients?  Don’t pretend you are the only horse in this race.  Do your homework, shred your opponent, but make sure you can back up your claims.

With the economy in crisis, just sitting back and waiting for it to improve can be the death of your business. Now, more than ever, innovative sales strategies have to be implemented to drive your business forward. Some tips to get going:

Take note of how much time you spend on things. Are you spending too much time on office related tasks? Give yourself more time to work on new marketing ideas, and sales promotions. Find different ways to give your customers what they need.

Do things differently, and rise above the crowd. Do things that no one else is doing. No matter how weird, odd is what people remember. Make your business something that people will not forget. Get out of the mainstream, and get noticed.

Keep in touch with your customers. A simple phone call every once in a while, can make your customers feel special, and remind them why they are doing business with you. Send them birthday cards, and brochures. Remind them how important they are.

Be sure that when you are hiring, you employ people that are friendly and customer oriented. Nothing drives away customers faster than negative employees. By using behavior based interviewing techniques, you can ensure that you hire people that will enhance your business, not make your customers frustrated.

Make sure that you always get an Email address from every customer. You can send out important product and service announcements, and special sales and discounts. If possible, offer a drawing for a vacation or gift card.

Any product or service that you can sell online should be. Customers love the convenience of online shopping, and your sales can greatly increase by offering this service to your customers.

Make your customers feel like they are special. Go the extra mile whenever you can, and customers will be sure to remember you.

Implement pay per click advertising. This is a cost effective way to increase visitors to your site. Pay per click advertisements are popular on Google, Yahoo, and Overture.

When the economy is slow, new techniques need to be implemented to keep your business at the top of the pile. With a little creativity and exciting marketing strategies, your business can thrive in an uncertain economy.

You have a business, and you just put up your website.  This makes you ready to sell to the public right?  Not yet.  While you may be able to take orders, and interact with questions over the Internet, you still are missing the possibility of future sales.  Anyone in business for any length of time will tell you that repeat sales and referrals are the backbone to survival.  While email responders and newsletters do work to generate sales, nothing works as well after the sale as printed material sent to the customer either with their order or after their order.

The use of printed material in coordination with sales has been in effect since the birth of direct marketing, or mail order sales.  The theory behind this combination is that when a customer orders a product, you are given the chance to sell another product to them.  This is done by the print material sent along with the completed order.  When the customer opens their package, they see their item, along with a gracious thank you letter, and an offer to buy from you again.  Giants such as Sears, Roebuck & Co and L.L. Bean perfected this method of sales.  Internet sales are simply the modern method of direct sales.

How would printed material complement Internet sales?  The answer would be that they would act in similar manner to how such material helped direct sales before the dawn of the Internet.  When a customer buys an item from you, you would send them the purchased item.  You also want to send along information about your company, a thank you letter, and information about other products you have to offer, along with any discounts or sales.  Let’s look at this in a little more detail.

Letters of thanks accomplish a few things.  First, they show your appreciation for the customer, which will be a memorable act.  Next they show that your customers have value to your business and are not just seen as dollars.  Thank-you letters also show a human side to your business which can be a huge marketing value in a world of faceless corporations.  Personalized letters go even farther in this area.

Sending further information about your company in printed material helps build trust and recognition with your business.  People will choose to buy from a recognized and trusted company before any unknown seller of the same product.  This also allows you to personalize your business with the customer even more.  Customers will regard you more as a trusted associate or friend rather than a cold stone office or warehouse.

Using orders to send along further information about other products is the most efficient and cost effective way to get repeat customers or referrals.  Each new order provides an opportunity for your business to sell complementary items or accessories.  A good example of this is Amazon.com; this online giant always sends along information about sales, products related to your purchase, or what other customers like you have bought recently.  This method not only cuts down advertising costs, but it also helps in customer retention.

If you don’t have a physical product, then what?  You should still try to find a way to get material into the hands of your customers.  Even with no physical product, you should still attempt to incorporate the methods mentioned above.  The reasons apply to every business and every situation where a sale takes place.