Marketing Ammo for the Little Guy  has moved.

Marketing Communications for Small Business....

“Hale, hale, the mail’s still here: use it.”

Contrary to some pundit’s obits, The United States Postal Service is not dead. Okay, maybe ailing, but it’s not terminal.   Direct mail is still a cost effective, measurable tool for marketing communications.

In the October 2010 issue of Deliver for Marketers, John Jantsch, author of  Duct Tape Marketing, The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide” says, “Even though there’s a lot of hype about everybody being online today, there are still certain people you’re not going to reach unless you’re using highly target direct mail.”

Right on, John! The gloomies are wrong. Email marketing isn’t going to kill direct mail; it’s going to change how and when it’s used. TV didn’t kill radio or movies. They are all still around and for some marketers a very important part of their marketing communications program.

An annoying email can not be as effective as a colorful little postcard in your mailbox with an announcement or an offer. For example,   Bellview Wineries, in Hammonton, NJ, let’s us know when special festivals are coming up and when new wines will be available. Our vet sends cute little postcards to remind us that Sadie, our little Patterdale Terrier is due for some shots. This week, all the politicians are sending us giant post cards to tell us how wonderful they are and that their competitors are totally incompetent.

The stuff from the politicians is intrusive, but it’s still placed in our hands with their messages. Our vet and winery have Web sites, but their mail brings welcome messages that we would not have gone looking for on the Internet.

Tip for the Little Guy:  Direct mail formats are flexible. They can be inexpensive, targeted and timely. They should be part of your marketing communications mix. The United States Postal Service may be losing money, but they can help you make some.

Hey, you couldn’t ask for a better partner. And stop calling it junk mail. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.

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Marketing communicators can get juice from handouts

Recently, with my daughter and college-bound granddaughter, I attended a workshop session titled “Financing Your College Education.” The presenter, from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, did an excellent job of scaring the hell out of a lot of folks in the room. But he did provide hope and good advice for jumping through the many hoops of applying for financial aid and how to dig into the cubbyholes to ferret out the numerous programs available.

And yet, we came home without any handouts that could have supported his presentation and served as a follow-up reference with the Web addresses of the many agencies and sources he discussed.  We didn’t forget the handouts; he didn’t provide any.

Now that was a missed opportunity to promote himself and Stockton while helping all those who attended. Sure, you’re supposed to take notes. But isn’t it more effective to give folks your take-home message in an easily digested form like Cliff Notes?

A presenter is in a unique position as a marketing communicator. He has the spotlight and the attention of an audience that wants to know what he has to say. It’s a wonderful opportunity to sell himself and his business or institution.  I’m not talking about a blatant sales pitch. I’m talking about capitalizing on the permission you have…the permission to make an impression about you and the product, person, place or idea that you’re promoting.

In this age of cheap and easy desktop publishing, there’s no excuse for not providing your audience with handouts. But don’t give them out before your presentation or some smarties will breeze through them and get way ahead of you-- and your charisma and ability to communicate.

Tip for the little guy:  The handout—don’t leave home without it. Marketing communicators must be opportunists. Seize every opportunity to juice all communications tools.

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Colleges set poor example of trade show marketing at National College Fair

Trade shows and exhibits can be powerful marketing communications tools. That’s why I was so disappointed when I attended the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) College Fair in Atlantic City Oct. 21, 2010. One word can describe the 256 exhibits: dull. The booths, the displays, the signage—all dull. The only bright spots were the bright youngsters working their 10’ x 10’s while collecting mailing addresses and hyping their institutions.

Only a few exhibitors went beyond the standard booth ID sign at the top back of their booth and added a little extra signage. A table across the front of every booth blocked the chance of anyone stepping in and out of the aisle traffic for a chat.

Every booth presented an opportunity for a powerful first impression, a chance to run videos and/or slide shows, a chance for eye-popping graphics, a chance for a drawing (if allowed) to capture names for a follow-up mailing. They missed the opportunity.

I would guess that most prospects were visitors that came looking for a particular college. They should have gone home with more than a plastic bag full of literature. They could have asked for that on the Web. They should have gone home with a powerful impression of the colleges they contacted.

I assume all the exhibitors invested their money in the hope they would attract new students. They were presented with busloads of youngsters who came for news and information. They had the right audience, but they did little to get them to snuggle up for more details. If there’s anything college-bound kids don’t need, it’s more dull. Duh?

Tip for the little guy: If you’re going to invest time and money in a trade show or exhibit, squeeze all the juice from them that you can. Getting belly-to-belly with an audience interested in what you have to offer is a great way to get the conversation started, to qualify prospects and provide a reason to follow up with them soon and often.

But the most important tip: Don’t be dull. You don’t need dancing girls, but animation helps. When you’re at a show, check out the exhibits with the crowds. They usually have something running or a demo in progress. Well, yes; handsome guys and pretty ladies can help, too.

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PETA Turned a Ban into a Boon

Was it a touch of genius,

or a happy accident?

Whether you love steak or veggies, you have to marvel at the leverage PETA pried out of the three million bucks they didn’t spend on a Super Bowel commercial. Was getting banned by NBC a strategic ploy or did they really plan to run the spot?

The important lesson is that you can generate tons of exposure by not getting exposed. Many of the millions who would have missed the Super Bowl in situ are taking the time to look it up on the Net. And you can bet many viewers are finding it worth several viewings.

You can also bet the spot, labeled by some as “The Pumpkin Licking Ad, will convince some of the easily convinced that vegetarians do have better sex.

If It’s Legal in Your Community,

Hang Your Offer on Your Prospect’s Door

One way to combat rising postal rates and advertising clutter is to virtually hand your message to your prospects. A well-crafted message with a solid offer hung from a door knob has a jump start in the struggle to save money and still get attention.

Power Direct, Newport Beach, CA is among a growing number of private distribution companies that can deliver your message at any time or any day to a targeted audience. We’re not talking about cheap flyers tucked under windshield wipers. These are glossy t 17" by 5-1/2" ads that are right there when you reach for the knob.

According to a spokesman for Quiznos sandwich chain who used the system to introduce home deliveries last year response rates were about 3%, more than double the response rate from direct mail.

Tip for the Little Guy

If you have a business or service that would lend itself to this type of promotion and there’s no provider in your area, do it yourself and test your package just as you would any direct marketing offer.

Don’t ruin good copy
with lousy graphics


It happens too often. A good headline, strong copy, spoiled by graphics that kill readership. Some designers just don’t understand that we’re not just trying to look pretty or clever; we’re trying to sell stuff.

There’s a long list of things designers are taught not to do, but they do them anyway. For example, tiny, unreadable type isn’t always the fault of the legal department. When the large print giveth and the small taketh away, it looks (and sometime really is) sneaky.

If a disclaimer is hard to read, make it easier. Readers will trust you more.

Blocks of small, reverse hard-to-read type are another way to spoil good copy. Those who scan and skim will just skip it, move on--- and miss your message.

Be critical of any design element that makes your copy hard to read. You can’t sell if nobody reads your message.

Tip for the Little Guy

Whether you do it yourself, or sign off on the work of others you need a frame of reference. I recommend Looking Good in Print, by Roger C. Parker. It will get you beyond the non-helpful “It doesn’t grab me,” comments I often hear. It will give you solid reasons why you know something should be changed because of its negative impact on readership.