Welcome to the Talon Mailing & Marketing June 2005
Newsletter:
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newsletter using your internet browser click here:
Talon's Free List Software Helps List Managers and Marketing Firms
Grow.
Since
developing and marketing OASIS, Talon has more than doubled the number of list
managers and lists at Talon. Can our
powerful and free software help your company grow?
"With
Oasis my staff of account managers can produce instant counts for more accurate
list recommendations and quick turnaround times for count requests".
Doug
Carpenter - Benchmark Business Data
Four years ago Talon designed
and wrote computer software that provided instant mailing counts. Our program Oasis, runs on client’s PC computers
and provides the ability to analyze different selection criteria within a mailing
list. Users can determine mailing
counts using selections such as geographic areas, gender, purchase frequency
and any other elements used on the file.
Counts and reports can be viewed and printed.
What makes our software so
successful is it’s extremely powerful and you don't need to connect to the
internet or a network to use it. Oasis can
process over 500,000 records per minute and is easy to use.
In addition to the list
management community, marketing companies, advertising agencies and end users
have found the program to be extremely helpful in planning upcoming marketing
projects and to be able to provide counts to their clients in seconds.
Talon can design the software
to display your company name within the program for added recognition. Combined with our free consumer and
business overlays, OASIS gives you a competitive advantage by providing your
clients, salespeople, and employees a valuable free product. We know first hand that OASIS and no-cost
business and consumer overlays will increase your client base - it has more than
doubled ours.
If you are a list manager,
marketing agency, or consultant please do not pass on the opportunity to
provide your clients with our product.
If you decide to pass up this opportunity just ask yourself this: What happens if your competition starts
distributing OASIS?
Click here to learn more about OASIS
12 Fast Fixes to Boost Mail Response.
By Dean Rieck
In an ideal world, you would always have an
adequate budget and plenty of time for all your direct mail tests. But here in
the real world, things don't always work out that way. To survive in direct
mail, you need a few tricks up your sleeve for improving results when time is
short and the budget is lean. Here are twelve quick and easy testing ideas:
Change your outer envelope.
A new color or a different size may be all it
takes to get people to take a second look at a package they've seen too many
times. You can also try switching from a teaser envelope to a plain one or vice
versa. And faux express envelopes are often worth a test.
Test a new letter.
It can be an all-new letter from scratch. Or a
longer version of your current letter with more detail. Or a shorter version
with less detail. Or a modified version with a new spin on the headlines and
opening paragraphs.
Remove your brochure.
Believe it or not, response often picks up
without that elaborate brochure. It may be that removing the brochure simply
gets people to read the letter more thoroughly. This doesn't always work, but
as tests go, you can't get any simpler.
Include a stand-alone reply form.
You should be doing this anyway, but if not, try
it. It doesn't matter if another piece already has a reply form. This is just a
test. And if it works, you can make further modifications later.
Insert a lift note.
This is an easy way to overcome a major
objection or highlight a key benefit. Just remember to keep it short and have
it signed by someone other than the person who signs the main letter. If you
have a celebrity or authority who can sign it, all the better.
Strengthen your offer.
This is where you can usually make the most
difference. All things being equal, the best offer you can make is a free
trial. The second best is a money-back guarantee. If you don't want to change
your offer completely, try turning it into a yes/no offer, or a yes/maybe offer
where "yes" is a purchase and "maybe" is a request for more
information. Of course, sweepstakes can always add a lift, but your customer
quality will usually go downhill.
Offer something free.
It's generally better than discounting your
product and gives you the opportunity to use the magic word "FREE."
It can be a free gift, free shipping, free add-ons, free subscription to your
newsletter or catalog, whatever.
Add a time limit.
This almost always boosts response. You can
connect the time limit to your main offer or to your premium. One easy way to
add this to a pre-existing package or mailer is to create a simple piece of art
that looks like you've rubber-stamped the deadline. It should be ugly and
realistic.
Highlight your guarantee.
In a package, you should feature it prominently
in the letter, brochure, and order form. If your guarantee is strong-and it
should be-you can also create an insert or lift note that explains your
guarantee in detail. In a self-mailer, you should place your guarantee on the
primary selling panel and on the reply panel.
Build a package around your self-mailer.
You'll need an outer envelope, basic letter,
reply form, and BRE. Add your self-mailer as the brochure and presto! You have
a complete direct mail package. It's not an ideal solution but good enough for
a quick test.
Mail your print ad.
Just print it, fold it, and insert it into a
plain envelope with a little note that says something like, "I thought you
would find this interesting" or "Try this. It works." You might
also try adding a BRE or reply envelope with a live stamp to help ease
response. You may even try adding a reply form so people don't have to cut out
the coupon.
Try the two-step.
First mail a postcard or small self-mailer
offering free information on your product. Then fulfill requests with your
direct mail package. Just make sure to modify the package with envelope copy
that says something like, "Here's the information you asked for."
Dean Rieck is an internationally respected direct
response consultant, copywriter, designer, and president of Direct Creative.
E-mail him at DeanRieck@DirectCreative.com
or visit www.directcreative.com/.
We are giving away two tickets to the Yankees and Mets! To win be the first telephone caller (please
call don't hit reply or email). Call
Michael Borkan at 631-667-5500 x 303.
One set per winner. All games will have fantastic seat locations.
- Tuesday
June 14th, 2005 Yankees vs. The Pittsburgh Pirates 7:05 PM
- Thursday
June 9th, 2005 Mets vs. The Houston Astros 7:10 PM
_____
Talon
would like to welcome the following new clients this month to our growing
roster of clients:
Mailing Clients
New Mailing
Lists Housed at Talon (we house over 600 mailing lists)
Mike's
Favorite Links:
Here are
some links you probably are not aware of:
- timeanddate.com - Very handy site. Find the dates of religious and Federal
holidays, print calendars, etc.
- backpackit.com - Gather your ideas,
to-do's, notes & files online.
Send yourself email & mobile reminders.
- tadalist.com - Simple, sharable to-do
lists. Keep track of items. You can share lists with workers and
family.
- t-shirtcountdown.com - Funny, Clever and cool T-Shirts from the
internet! Also top 100 best t-shirts list.
Did you
know Talon offers the following services?
Click on the links below to see samples.
·
HP High
Quality Inkjet (near laser quality)
·
Data Entry
(from 100 to 100,000 names and addresses)
·
Polybag
and shrinkwrap services
·
Merge/Purge
services with comprehensive reports that can instantly be retrieved from the
internet
Click here if you wish to see old
newsletters.
Do you know
of anyone else who would be interested in receiving our newsletter? Please let us know by email: mb@talon-mailing.com
To learn
more about our company, please visit our web site: www.talon.com or contact
Michael Borkan at (631) 667-5500 x 303.
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