Postcards Are Not Only for Travelers
Archives: Daily Issues
Issue #2166
- WEALTHY: While everyone is celebrating, you can make a smart move (Rick Pendergraft)
- HEALTHY: A nutty way to reduce your risk (Kelley Herring)
- WISE: Eleanor Roosevelt on taking action
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Starting a new business for $350 or less (Larry Fredericks)
- Your business voice mail is more important than you think (Michael Masterson)
- It’s Fun to Know… about the origin of the peace symbol
- Add "animadversion" to your vocabulary
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When would you stop going there?
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It’s often said, “The Stock Market is just a big casino”. And it’s true. But the important omission in that statement (to keep the masses out!) is the dealer in this casino tips his hand to the select few… the insiders.
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Watch Out for the Hangover!
On September 18, the Federal Reserve lowered the target for the Federal Funds Rate (the rate one bank charges another bank for borrowing its deposits with the Fed) by 50 basis points. They also lowered the Discount Rate (the interest charged to banks for borrowing from the Fed) by 50 basis points. These two moves mean that you need to be on alert.
Most analysts expected the Fed to cut the Federal Funds Rate. Half of the experts thought it would drop by 25 basis points, half thought it would drop by 50 basis points. But very few were talking about the Fed cutting the Discount Rate another 50 basis points after cutting it once already this summer (August 17).
Everyone is celebrating right now, because this move will allow banks to loosen up their lending and more money will get pumped into the economy. But the fact that the Fed took such drastic action after spending the last few months on the campaign trail telling everyone that the economy was on solid footing is cause for concern. If the economy is on solid footing, why make such a drastic move?
Something tells me the Fed sees something in the future that they are very worried about. Once everyone gets over the initial excitement of the lower rates, they’re sure to focus on what it really means and see that the Fed is worried about the economy.
Don’t wait for the hangover, when everyone starts to panic about the future. Instead, take action now and take some profits off the table on positions that have jumped thanks to the Fed’s move.
[Ed. Note: Rick Pendergraft is a market expert and two-time winner of the "Top Trader" award at Schaeffer's Investment Research. In ETR's free e-zine, Investor's Daily Edge, Rick and a select group of market specialists will give you to-the-point analyses and tell you how you should act TODAY to make the most money with the least risk.]
"You must do the things you think you cannot do."
Eleanor Roosevelt
Postcards Are Not Only for Travelers
One of the most common reasons that people give for not trying to start a new business is the fear of losing a lot of money. This reason is not foolish. When you’re playing with your financial survival or that of your family, you’ve got to act responsibly. Yet, as you probably know (especially if you’ve been reading ETR for a while), starting your own business is one of the best ways to become wealthy.
So how do you get past that fear of losing money? Easy. Start the business by doing postcard mailings.
I’ve used this technique to start several profitable small businesses, so I know from personal experience that it works. And – besides being very inexpensive – one of the best things about this technique is that it’s so versatile. Almost any service and quite a few products can be marketed by mailing postcards.
There are some distinct advantages to using postcards to market your new product or service:
- Postcards are much cheaper to print and mail than full-size sales letters in envelopes.
- Postcards don’t have to be opened to be read by your potential customer.
- Postcards are small and easy to handle, so you can do a test mailing with a few thousand of them yourself
You can print and mail out 1,000 postcards for about $300 to $350. A small test mailing like this to people in your target market will give you a good idea of whether your business idea will be successful. If you get a two percent response rate, which is not crazy at all, you could have 20 new customers. In the direct-response marketing business, a two percent response rate is generally considered good. (Note: Your response is partially dependent on how well you identify your target market.)
LP, for example, used postcard mailings to launch a side business teaching computer skills. For about $350, he mailed out 1,000 postcards and netted 20 new customers. At the $60 fee he charged per lesson, he made $1,200 just in the first week. And many of those clients took multiple lessons. So, in fact, he actually made many thousands of dollars for a $350 investment.
Once you see that your postcard marketing effort is working, you can mail out another 5,000. If you get the same response rate, now you’ve got another 100 new clients – and the foundation of a thriving business. And the great thing is that you only risked a few hundred dollars to test it. Plus, to keep building your business, you can stop doing the mailings yourself and use a mailing house to get you bulk-mail rates and volume-based discounts.
If you want to try a postcard mailing to test your business idea, these are the basic steps:
- * Write some strong marketing copy for your postcard.
Most important is to have a powerful headline that offers a desirable benefit. In the body copy, support the claim made in your headline, and then close with information on exactly how you can be reached. (For a local business, providing a phone number is usually best.) For example, LP used the following headline on postcards marketing his business: Learn to Master the Computer in the Privacy of Your Own Home!
This headline worked because it stated a big benefit that appealed to his target market: people who wanted to learn how to use a computer, but didn’t want to go to a school to do so.
Don’t clutter up the postcard with too much copy. Four or five bullet points stating the most important benefits of your product/service is plenty. Most of the time, you shouldn’t have more than 100 words on your postcard.
- Format the copy so it looks good.
Either use an inexpensive software program to do it yourself or hire a graphic artist. Any office supply store will have several programs for under $50 that can help you design a postcard that looks professional. Once you have it designed, save it as a PDF or Word file. Then you and someone you trust should proofread it carefully – several times, because it’s easy to miss minor typos.
- Find a reputable list broker who can rent you a good list.
A list broker is a person who can supply you with the names/addresses of people who would be good potential customers for you. To find local list brokers, use the Yellow Pages or search the Internet under "list broker, [your city], USA.
You will probably have to rent a minimum of 5,000 names, even though you aren’t going to mail that many postcards for your initial test. But it will be a small portion of your total cost for the mailing – and if your test works, you’ll quickly use the rest of the names.
You must make sure your list broker is reputable before renting a list from him. He should have been in business for a number of years, and should have references available. If you stick to basic demographics when selecting your lists – such as income levels, geographic boundaries, age, gender, occupation, etc. – you can get them at surprisingly reasonable prices.
LP chose lists based on geographic boundaries for his mailings. He knew that certain neighborhoods were packed with older, upper-income people who would be most likely to want to take in-home computer lessons.
Don’t be intimidated because you are a small customer for the list broker. Remind him that you might be mailing 50,000 pieces a month in just a short time if your test works.
- Hire a printer.
As long as you live in a well populated place, you won’t have any trouble finding plenty of options for printing, though you’ll probably want to use a place like Kinko’s or Office Depot that specializes in small printing jobs. It’s good to shop around a little, because prices can vary greatly.
It’s customary to make a deposit when you place the order and pay the balance when you pick it up. Since the printer doesn’t make a profit until you pay in full, you’re unlikely to have any problem getting your job done quickly.
Before the postcards are printed, make sure you review a proof of the final copy to make sure they’re going to look exactly the way you want them to look.
- Drop your postcards in the mail.
It won’t take long to put the labels that you get from the list broker on your postcards, then peel and stick the stamps. Even so, keep in mind that the reason you’re doing it yourself is because you want to do a very inexpensive test of your business idea. Once you know it works, you’ll be able to hire someone else to take care of the stamping and labeling so you can spend your time bringing in more customers.
A postcard campaign can be a very effective and low-cost way to start a new business. With only a few hundred dollars at risk, almost anyone can afford to test the waters.
[Ed. Note: Larry Fredericks is an entrepreneur with a history of successful business dealings in retail, direct mail, the Internet, and real estate. He is also the creator of the Street Smart Business Program, which can teach you proven methods for creating a profitable business - even if you don't have a lot of start-up capital.]
Earnings Season Is Just Days Away Are You Positioned for Triple-Digit Profits?
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Dear Michael Masterson: "Is it important to have a well-constructed recording when people can’t speak to a live body?"
"I am writing marketing copy for a client who is a very talented photographer. I am learning lots from the AWAI copywriting program – suggestions that I’ve not seen anyone else doing locally, and that’s been a huge benefit! Everything is going really well in that regard.
"But here is my question: When I call this client and get the answering machine, the recorded message just isn’t putting his best foot forward. Is it important to have an appropriate and well-constructed recording when people can’t speak to a live body? Is it the copywriter’s place to get involved in this – or is it not my business?"
- Rebecca Case
Lebanon, OH
Dear Rebecca,
The answers to both your questions are affirmative. Yes, a business’s recorded phone message is very important and, yes, a business owner would be wise to hire a copywriter to help make sure his message has the right tone and makes the right impression.
This is no easy task. If a sales letter is a short story and a space ad is a poem, then a telephone message is a haiku.
In scripting a phone message, plan to spend half a day sorting through possibilities and generating and rejecting ideas.
Start by asking, "What mood should be established? How do I want the vendor or customer to feel after he picks up the phone?"
Determine what the company "looks" like. Is it old and formal? Or new and hip? Make sure the language of the message – and the voice and tonality of the speaker – matches the business.
Make every word count. Be sure to convey the key information – that you are glad they called and will get back to them promptly – but say something else that makes them glad they called and eager to get a callback.
What could you say to create those feelings? That’s your job. You’re the copywriter!
- Michael Masterson
[Ed. Note: Michael Masterson and a group of marketing experts have put together a practically fail-proof program for taking an online business from concept to execution… and beyond. Join our priority notification list by clicking here and be one of the first to learn more about this brand new program.]
Eat This to Crack Down on Diabetes
Nutritionists have long praised nuts as a superfood, thanks to their healthy fats, high protein content, and mineral riches. And a new study published in Diabetes Care shows they’re helpful for diabetics, too.
In the study, diabetic patients were assigned to one of three different diets – a low-fat diet, a modified low-fat diet, or a modified low-fat diet that included an ounce of walnuts per day. After six months, the participants on the walnut diet had a greater increase in their HDL-to-total cholesterol ratio than the other groups, as well as a 10 percent reduction in their LDL cholesterol.
Because having diabetes greatly increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, keeping cholesterol levels in check is particularly important for diabetics.
To get the benefits, enjoy an ounce of walnuts a day (about 10 halves). Try walnuts chopped and added to salads, mixed into your morning cereal, or right out of the shell.
[Ed. Note: Kelley Herring is the founder and CEO of Healing Gourmet (www.healinggourmet.com), a multimedia company that educates the public on how foods promote health and protect against disease, and is editor-in-chief of the Healing Gourmet book series, including Eat to Fight Cancer. You can learn more about how simple lifestyle choices can improve your health by reading ETR's free natural health e-letter.]
It’s Fun to Know: The Origin of the Peace Symbol
One of the most widely recognized symbols in the world is the peace symbol. It was created by professional designer Gerald Holtom for a British march against nuclear weapons in 1958. He originally wanted to put a circle around a cross, but church leaders involved in the march didn’t like that idea, so he altered the design. The resulting shape was based on the military’s semaphore flag signaling system, using the codes for N and D (which stood for nuclear disarmament). It later became a worldwide symbol for peace, although in Britain it retains its anti-nuclear meaning as well.
(Source: Design Boom)
The World Is Shrinking… and the Opportunities to Make Money With This “Global” Economy Are Nothing Short of Staggering! If You Know How…
Imagine how well your business would be doing if you could slash your costs by more than 49% while boosting your profits by more than 57%.
You can do it… if you know how.
Today, as a matter of fact, all the Fortune 500 companies are doing just that, and they’re posting record-breaking profits by taking advantage of the “Global Economy.”
Unfortunately until now, only big companies could even think of doing this. But not anymore. Now it’s your turn.
Click here to find out how you can put the “Global Economy” to work for you.
The global borders are shrinking… The world’s becoming a smaller place… Will you just stand there watching opportunity go by or will you seize the moment and put the “Global Economy” to work for you? Click here to read more…
Word to the Wise: Animadversion
"Animadversion" (an-uh-mad-VUR-zhun) – from the Latin for "to turn the mind toward" – is harsh criticism or disapproval.
Example (as used by Robert Schwarz in an article in World Literature Today): "This is neither a compliment nor an animadversion – just a conclusion."
[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]
Michael Masterson
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2007
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