It’s a fact. As a small business owner I have received many different postcard and direct mail promotions from both Google, Google affiliates and Yahoo! to advertise with them. Why are these large online advertising channels using offline direct mail? At first glance this appears to be a strange conflict of interests.

But this is not an article about direct mail. I will elaborate in a moment.

So why does Google, the single largest online advertising channel in the world, use an offline advertising channel like direct mail? The answer is simple really. And it ties back to some very basic marketing fundamentals.

Marketing Campaigns

In an earlier article on Market Research, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO TO SAVE THOUSANDS IN MARKETING $$$, I gave a definition of marketing from About.com “…the process of interesting potential customers and clients in your products and/or services. The key word in this marketing definition is “process”; marketing involves researching, promoting, selling, and distributing your products or services.”

Further, Merriam-Webster defines a campaign as, “a connected series of operations designed to bring about a particular result ”.

So when we look at what a marketing campaign is, it becomes clear that it is series of connected, planned steps designed to get a specific marketing message out to the world or, at least, to a specific target audience.

By definition, using only one channel would NOT achieve the desired result. To campaign effectively, one must use a number of channels. Hence Google and Yahoo!, being very large online advertising channels, use direct mail as one of the channels to reach their target audiences. In this case, small business owners and marketers like me… or you.

So let us take a look at marketing campaigns, why you want to build marketing campaigns (rather than just individual promotion channels) and some simple steps to create a unified campaign that beats the sales drum for your business. More on Google & Yahoo! Use Direct Mail – Shouldn’t You?

How a little bit of foresight, planning and research can save you thousands in marketing and make you tens of thousands in profits!

Did you know that just a couple of hours invested in market research can make the difference between mediocre marketing and marketing that soars?

That’s right! You asked for it and here it is: Market Research 101.

In case you missed out on our recent marketing survey let me fill you in. The number one question from you, our small business owner clients, is “How can I do market research and plan more effective marketing?”

So put on your seat belt because we’re about to take a rocket ride and learn the most basic, the most fundamental, market research methods that any and all business owner should undertake before spending money on promotion. This is the very essence of marketing (as opposed to just promotion) and most definitely the life blood of targeted marketing. More on MARKET RESEARCH: Know Before You Go To Save Thousands In Marketing $$$

Just released: our new Motivational Series, inspired by the recent Wall Street Journal article on direct mail. Mock Motivational Posters have been an ongoing fad for as long as motivational posters have been around. These humor cards have been designed to tap into this popularity and are intended to be sent out as a series with a view to making them collectible so that the recipients may hold onto them and show them around. In addition, each postcard promotes a specific benefit that is further described on the back of the postcard.

Follow the link to check out our new Postcard Motivational Series.

The Definition of Shotgun Marketing

The practice of simply marketing to the masses rather than selecting a specific target market. An example of shotgun marketing would be to place an ad on primetime television without researching the buying demographic and focusing the message to that audience (target market). Shotguns blast shot over an area with the hope of a critical hit. The word shotgun is actually defined as “covering a wide range in a haphazard or ineffective manner”.

The Definition of Targeted Marketing

The practice of marketing a specific service or product toward a target audience that is either known to be source of sales or is predicted to be a potential source of sales. This could be based on age, location, gender, income bracket, etc. Smart marketers use targeted marketing through various methods including direct mail and web marketing to focus their energies and investment on that group of people most likely to buy. You could also call this “rifle marketing” as it allows one to take aim before pulling the trigger and therefore hit specific target groups with specific messages and with a more specific result in mind. More on Shotgun Marketing Versus Targeted Marketing: 8 Steps To Focus Your Energies And Get More Sales For Less Investment

Web and email marketing are certainly vital in today's market. But one should be very cautious of stopping direct mail campaigns, or even worse, fail to employ direct mail at all. More on It's Official, Wall Street Journal Reports Small Businesses Lose Income After Cancelling Direct Mail Programs

Announcing our new Scratch & Win Postcard Upgrade. More on Fun up your postcard campaign and get more attention when you upgrade to a Scratch & Win Promotion!

No matter who they are, we can help you clone your best customers…

Every business has them. The clients (or patients) who are easy to deal with, who regularly buy and who refer new business. So what if you could take your good, better and best customers or patients and clone them? Literally find more just like them? More on What if you could clone your best customers?

See our great new print store  More on Announcing the new RESPONSE! Targeted Marketing Print Store…

A superhero is a fictional character of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to helping the public by fighting crime and saving the day. Some of the very best superhero abilities include superhuman strength, the ability to fly and enhanced senses.

Postcards are a lot like superheroes. They work really well to bring in new business, and a really neat one will get people talking. Plus, they have a lot of great powers, just like these famous heroes. More on Reveal Your Marketing SUPER POWERS!

Our recent marketing survey results are appearing hot and fast. Postcard Campaigns are definitely the trick for many of you. The mighty power of Postcard Campaigns is derived from being inexpensive, colorful and eye-catching. They deliver an instant message, no opening is required, and the low cost delivers an awe-inspiring performance with research results reflecting that direct mail consistently conjures up the highest ROI (Return On Investment) — an average of $13 for every dollar spent!

Many of you agreed that making consistent promotional appearances was the most important element to spelling success in a marketing campaign. Postcard showmanship is impressive because it delivers color and quality at a low cost and lends itself to more consistent and regular promotion. The benefits are magic words for business owners: increased sales and higher income.

As we continue our marketing survey for all of you whom have not yet had a chance to respond, I am taking a short break to reveal the secrets of improving postcard performance and dazzling your target audience.

And so I present nine of the best tricks up my sleeve to harness Postcard Power! More on 9 Astounding Tricks to a Magical Postcard Campaign