Regeln » Once you have captured enough names a

One of the most powerful tools available to small businesses is direct mail. By this I don't mean electronic Cheap Marcus Morris Jersey , Internet-based mail, but the old-fashioned kind that requires a stamp and a trip to the post office.

Why is direct mail such a powerful tool?

It's a way for small businesses, especially retailers, to separate themselves from the big box stores such as Best Buy and Wal-mart, and to compete successfully with the and of this world.

The power of direct mail, if done right Cheap Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Jersey , is that it's like getting a letter from your sister, mother or aunt. The postman brings it to your home. It's addressed to you personally. And when was the last time you received a letter from Best Buy, Wal-mart, or any Internet retailer? If so, it was undoubtedly via email and designed to be read by hundreds of thousands of customers ? not much personalization there.

The first thing you need to do to start an effective direct mail campaign is capture the names and addresses of your customers. This is easy for service organizations like carpet cleaners, auto repair firms Cheap Reggie Jackson Jersey , instant printers, and the like. They already have their customers' names and addresses. All they have to do is put them together as a mailing list. Retailers such as jewelry stores, antique dealers, liquor stores, restaurants, etc. have a tougher time because they don't have an easy way to capture their customer's names and addresses.

There are a couple of answers to this. One is the old fishbowl gimmick Cheap Andre Drummond Jersey , where you ask customers to deposit their business cards in a fishbowl with a prize to be given away in a drawing at some later date. I personally think this has been overdone. Plus, I have heard stories of unscrupulous sales people cleaning out the fishbowls themselves and using the business cards as sales leads.

A second alternative is to post a "guestbook" somewhere near your cash register with a sign offering a free newsletter to all those who register. To make this work, you and your employees have to be kind of aggressive in urging all your customers to sign up, and you can expect that many will not. However, persistence is a virtue and if you keep this up long enough, you will capture enough names and addresses to make the effort worthwhile.

I also like the idea of offering customers some small reward for providing their names and addresses. One version of this that seems to work well is a "frequent diner Cheap Rick Mahorn Jersey ," "frequent buyer," or "frequent customer" card. Give your customers small, inexpensive cards that you can punch whenever they buy from you (or just visit your store) with the promise of a free something after 10 or 12 punches. Naturally, they have to register for the card and viola! You have their names and addresses.

Last, and most expensive, you can buy a direct mail list targeted toward your best prospects. Chances are Cheap Grant Long Jersey , there is at least one company in your area selling lists of prospects by criteria such as recent home buyers, camera buyers, child care customers, etc.

Once you have captured enough names and addresses (maybe 100 or more) to begin a direct mail campaign, you have a couple of alternatives. One, you can input the information yourself. Or Cheap Jerry Stackhouse Jersey , two, if you're strapped for time, you should be able to find a local high school or college student to input the information for you. He or she can use either a word processing program or a database program to build the list. It's just simple data entry and you might offer $0.5 or $0.10 for each nameaddress input. I like to use a word processing program because once the list has been built; it's fairly easy to create personalized letters, etc. using the program's mail merge features.

What do you then mail customers? I like newsletters a lot. They can be as simple as a single page printed on both sides or as complex as four to eight pages. Another good alternative is personalized letters. Just make sure that whatever you choose to send your customers is important and meaningful and always include an offer designed to bring them into your store or to call you for more information or to make an appointment.

It takes time, money and dedication to develop and implement a direct mail campaign. But it's a powerful tool that can pay for itself in just a few months and then keep paying off for years to come.

For more information on creating an effective newsletter, be sure to look for my article Cheap Bill Laimbeer Jersey , "Small Business Power Tool: Customer Newsletters."

Article by Douglas Hanna. Douglas is a retired advertising and marketing executive and long-time Denver resident. He is the webmaster of , a free resource for information on a variety of subjects. Please visit his site to subscribe to his free newsletter, "Tips & Tricks to Save Money & Live Better." >Business Opportunities in Ras Al Khaimah
Posted by rakia4 on July 20th, 2015


Located at the northeast of Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. The emirate has developed to be the business hub of the Middle East for both industrial and business set ups. If you are looking for a business opportunity in Ras Al Khaima, consider partnering with the Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA).


A business set up in Ras Al Khaimah in now more convenient than ever. RAKIA helps clients to easily set up business in Ras Al Khaima with customized business set up solutions. Offering both free zone and non free zone licenses Cheap Grant Hill Jersey , RAKIA is a one stop shop for business formations. With quick and efficient services and transparent laws and regulations, owners can have their business set up in Ras Al Khaimah without having to worry about the political and economic stability of the emirate.


There are hundreds of international clients that have partnered with RAKIA and set up their businesses there from . Rob Gronkowski Jersey Authentic Phillip Lindsay Jersey Authentic Odell Beckham Jr Jersey Authentic Myles Jack Jersey Authentic Mitchell Trubisky Jersey Minkah Fitzpatrick Youth Jersey Michael Thomas Youth Jersey Le'Veon Bell Kids Jersey Leighton Vander Esch Kids Jersey Lamar Jackson Ravens Jersey