Proven Tips and Tactics Available at Nutritionalmarketing.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                    CONTACT:  Tom Ellis

May, 2000                                                                      Ellis Communications, L.L.C.

                                                                                         Phone (623) 780-4558

                                                                                         E-Mail dellis@syspac.com

  

It’s a new century, a new millennium, and nutritional retailers from coast to coast are faced with the same challenge – how to do a better job of  marketing their business in this new era and make the year 2000 a banner year for revenues.

 

This time around, however, they have a new marketing tool at their fingertips, and it’s free.  All they have to do is go to a new Web site designed specifically for nutritional retailers – nutritionalmarketing.com – and download a free report on effective direct mail.

 

“Direct mail is a proven marketing technique,” said Martin Baird, president of nutritionalmarketing.com.  “If you know even a few simple but effective tricks, you can roll out a killer direct mail campaign and significantly increase your response rate.  A higher response rate can translate into more revenue.”

 

            The report is called “Proven Secrets of Direct Mail:  Seven Common Costly Mistakes,” and here are a few tips it offers to help retailers do a better job of growing their business:

  

Mistake Number 1 – Writing a letter and writing direct mail are the same.  Nothing could be further from the truth, according to the report.  English teachers show their students how to write letters with verbs, nouns and proper grammar.  Direct mail letters are written to get the reader’s attention, to educate, to encourage the reader to take action.

 

            Mistake Number 2 – Writing a “I am the greatest” letter.  The report points out that people are only interested in what a company’s products or services can do for them.  They are not interested in a description of how great the business is or how wonderful the products are.

 

            Mistake Number 3 – The letter must look corporate.  Wrong again.  The letter will be read by a person and it needs the personal touch, according to the report.

 

            Mistake Number 4 – The standard letter.  These are the letters that everyone recognizes as solicitations without opening them.  Characteristics are No. 10 business envelope, company logo in the corner, bulk postage mark and label on the front.  These are simple signs that tell the person receiving the mailer that the sender doesn’t care.

 

            After examining common direct mail mistakes, the report offers additional information in the form of several proven letter-writing techniques:

 

Benefits Sell and Features Tell.  Features say what a service or product is, but benefits tell the reader what it will do for them.  Mailers should be packed with benefits, the report states.

 

            Use Headlines.  The headline is the most heavily read portion of a direct mail letter, sometimes the only portion.  If the letter doesn’t have a headline, the chances of maximum response are gone.

 

            Sign With Blue Ink.  Blue ink doesn’t look like a computer-generated signature.  It stands out as a personalized signature, one of the tricks to creating a letter with a personal touch.  The reader does care!

 

            Other Personal Touches.  Include a note on the letter.  Hand address the envelope.  Use postage stamps instead of bulk mail, and use a few stamps totaling 33 cents rather than one.  Multiple stamps in a variety of colors and patterns remind the reader of letters they have received from relatives.

 

            Add Sizzle.  Use words that sizzle, that draw a beautiful picture for the reader – words such as save, guaranteed, free and secret.  The better the words describe the offer, the better the response. 

 

            To receive your free copy of  “Proven Secrets of Direct Mail:  Seven Common Costly Mistakes,” simply log onto the Internet, go to nutritionalmarketing.com and download the report.

 

            The only Web site of its kind, nutritionalmarketing.com is the premiere source for free marketing advice, information and tools for self-driven, success-oriented nutritional retailers who are demanding information that helps them market their business, meet the needs of their customers and increase sales.  Nutritionalmarketing.com also is an electronic forum where retailers can learn from each other by discussing common problems, sharing ideas and gaining new insights from their peers.  Increasing competition in the nutritional industry is bringing the value of effective marketing to the forefront, and nutritionalmarketing.com is designed to help retailers strengthen this crucial aspect of their business.  All the information at nutritionalmarketing.com is available at no charge because the site is sponsor supported.