| .......... |
Mail order has been in existence since the days of the pony express. Sears and Roebuck were among the first to capitalize on the ability to reach a large audience in the comfort of their own homes. Today there are several different ways to use a mail order system. You may choose to buy a mail order list, generate your own or utilize an existing one without purchasing it, but having limited access to it. In other words, if a company allows you to include a mail out with their regular one, your message gets out but you do not have personal access to the list for future mailings.
There are several companies who will compile a list for you. If you purchase a list, then you own the information and can use it whenever you want. Check the business roster at your local library for local and national companies who develop and sell mail order lists. You need to define your target audience very specifically in order to increase the percentage of positive responses.
You can generate your own list over time. You can buy data base software that will store all the mailing information from each book you make. You can designate special files for birthdates, gender, age or title. This means that you already have the capacity to generate your own specific mail order list, as soon as you start selling books. Of course, this list will continue to grow as your business does.
Mail order programs can be an expensive way to start selling children's personalized books. It has been tried by several dealers in large metropolitan areas. One campaign used a brochure as a stuffer in a department store billing which reached 200,000 people. The orders were returned to the department store where they were collected and periodically handed over to the local dealer. In addition to handling the mailed back orders, the dealer also had computers on location in the store to catch residuals during the promotion. A second mailing involved 20,000 brochures to a targeted area by a coupon mailing service. The dealer in that city offered a free Santa letter with all the book orders received before a certain date at the end of November or early in December. There is a dealer working with a company mails to parents and grandparents of newborns. This promotion seems to be doing extremely well. This is the specific audience we should all be seeking out. Any Christmas mail outs need to be mailed no later than the third week in October. If it is too close to Christmas, people will hesitate to order through the mail for fear that the mail will not arrive in time. Mail orders for the hand made Create-A-Books seem to follow the national norm (1 to 3 percent) or perhaps a bit better. Create-A-Books have been featured in Parent, Child, Woman's Day, Law and Order and Maternity nationally as well as many smaller regional magazines. Burnie, My very Best Friend, was featured in Avon for a special two week run and the response was good (27,000 books). What to Mail? After you have acquired your mail order list, the next step is to generate the piece that will be mailed. There are some general rules of advertising that apply. 1. Be clear and concise. Try to define the product in fifty words or less. Most people do not take the time to read fine print on an advertisement that comes in the mail. 2. Be exciting and colorful. Black and white ads can be effective, but children are drawn to brightly colored objects. 3. Offer Value. Include a discount coupon or extra value on more than one purchase. Smart shoppers find it hard to resist a bargain. If you have established the price of the books in your community, offer a discount through the mail. This makes the product more convenient and more attractive.
* NOTE * The brochures available from Create-A-Book fit this criteria.
. Networking is not a new idea. People have been part of networks (family, friends, church, neighborhoods, etc.) most of their lives. Networks can be formed locally, regionally or nationally now on the Internet. Find other business people who have similar or compatible products and pool your resources. Split the cost on advertising to increase coverage or heighten the design of the ad. The Internet allow you to brainstorm with people all over the country. You can test marketing ideas and strategies. You get an immediate reaction to questions and new angles of approach. Used effectively, your small hometown business can blossom into a national company, more quickly than you think. There are as many different ways to network within the community as there are people living in it. Work with your community and learn which networks are already in place. If there is a local "Business Network Chapter," become a member. The fees are usually nominal, depending on the benefits you will receive.
|