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Have you ever received a direct mail piece where the company declares that they aren’t trying to make money like their competitors, they are only trying to help you? Or have you ever glanced at a postcard where a company promises that their product is the best in the world? More than likely, you have stumbled upon one of these unfortunate marketing attempts. What was your reaction to this type of marketing message and did it convince you to act on the offer?

According to Steve Cuno in the blog, “Oh, Come On!” Test: a do-it-yourself diagnostic procedure designed to help keep your marketing free from cynicism-inspiring contaminants,” after reading this type of marketing message you probably felt somewhat offended and you ended up disregarding the offer all together.

In this blog, Cuno says that if your company is sending out this type of direct mail, you’re throwing away your marketing dollars and you have “stripped credibility from your message.” He suggests giving your marketing message the “Oh, Come On Test,” before sending out mailings to the public. According to Cuno, the test, which “consists of three quick steps: 1. Slip into your market’s shoes. 2. See if your copy strikes a chord — or makes you say, “Oh, come on.” 3. Be honest with yourself about your reaction,” will help you create an attention-getting direct mail piece that will encourage your recipients to act on your offer.

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In past blogs I have discussed what direct mail is, how it works, and what you should do before starting a direct mail marketing campaign. As I continue to research this topic, I have found many different articles and blogs that focus on a specific industry and that mention direct mail as a great way to obtain business. Today I stumbled on a blog that concentrates on freelance work.

If you are a freelancer, you might be having trouble getting your name out to the public and obtaining business. If this is a type of situation you have found yourself in, you might want to try teaming up with a fulfillment and direct mail service.

According to the article I found, one of the main obstacles when starting up a freelancing career is finding work. On the Freelance Switch website, Collis Ta’eed discusses some of the different ways you can get your career off the ground in a blog entitled, “7 Things You Can Do TODAY to Kickstart Your Freelancing Career.” In the blog, Ta’eed says that talking to people you already know is a great way to find work. According to Ta’eed, “a simple way to do this is to create a little mailer to send out, just to let people know you’re available for work. This was something I did early on which lead to my first five jobs. Some were direct contacts and others were the result of people I knew passing my name on to something they knew.”

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Many people suggest direct mail as an affordable and lucrative way to market your business’ products or services. But not just any kind of direct mail marketing program is going to be successful. There are a few steps you should follow before you start sending out direct mail.

In her blog entitled, “Selling Yourself through Direct Mail,” Michelle Hamer offers some “smart advice” on direct mail. According to Hamer, there are four things you should keep in mind when creating a direct mail marketing campaign. First, you need to decide what the purpose of your campaign is. Hamer asks, “Is it to build brand awareness or is it to create a call-to-action mail item.” The next thing you need to decide is who you want to receive your direct mail. Next, you need to decide what type of direct mail you are going to send: unaddressed mail or addressed mail. And the final step Hamer suggests is to create a direct mail marketing campaign that will get your audiences’ attention.

Each of these steps is important when creating a direct mail marketing program, but Hamer says that being prepared to handle the response your campaign creates is equally significant. The more effort and research you put into creating your direct mail program, the more response you’ll have to deal with.

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If your business is based at home, you might be having trouble getting your company name and product out to the public. Networking is difficult enough, but when you are cut off from social networking and other businesses, it can be even harder.

In a blog on VitualHosting.com, entitled “50+ Ways for Web Workers to Bring in More Business,” Christina Laun discusses the many different ways people who work at home can increase their business. Among the many listed, direct mail is suggested as a way to increase productivity. According to Laun, “Many businesses are overwhelmed with junk email nowadays, so sending ads or mailers through the actual mail might be a more effective way to garner some attention for your business.”

Although some people feel as though email will eventually replace direct mail, many others believe direct mail marketing programs will always have a place in the marketing world. If you are looking for a simple way to increase your home-based business’ productivity, direct mail might be the answer.

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