Showing posts with label Customer Retention. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Customer Retention. Show all posts

Friday, October 19

How To: Have Patience While Marketing

You know those people that have absolutely zero patience for anything? Sitting in traffic, slow service at a restaurant on a busy night, waiting for a text message, too many commercials during a playoff game...

I'm not a naturally patient person. At all. After working as a nanny throughout college, I learned that it was a trait I really needed to master. Here are some of my thoughts on having patience while implementing a media or marketing program.

After implementing a marketing campaign the last thing anyone wants to do is wait. The whole idea behind direct response marketing is that you get a direct, immediate response. Let's be real here. As a society we crave instant gratification. We know what we want and when we want it.

The first step is to look at your brand. Do you have one? Who are you? What do you represent? How are consumers going to remember you? This is all key information that needs to be figured out. Get creative and create a brand that people will remember you by.

It's not a quick and painless process. Once you create your brand or marketing program the waiting game begins - and if you are like me, it will be brutal. So what do you do? Keep working. Make a list of your short term and long term goals and focus on them. Rather than getting frustrated over waiting for leads, prospects, campaign participation or what whatever else it is, work on carrying out your goals. Don't stray your focus.

The economy isn't what it used to be. Even if funds are limited I encourage you to stay in the game by finding innovative ways to manage your efforts. In the long run it will pay off. I promise.

Talk to me: Are you patient? How do you stay patient when it comes to any sort of media/marketing project?

-Marysa Miller
You can follow me on Twitter @marysa_miller

Thursday, September 6

The Wonderful World Of Analytics


The Wonderful World of Analytics

Synergy Vx gives you personalized data from each prospect allowing you to custom tailor their experience to your business.

Find Your Best Markets!
See where your campaign is having success and where it is not
saving you resources, so you can concentrate on your "Hot Spots". 


Pick up new leads!
People will be able to share your offer with their friends through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. 

Watch in real time!
As people navigate through your site. You'll get their inquiry instantly, so you can respond quickly and knowledgably. 

Get higher conversion rate and increased ROI! 



An understanding of how your customers and prospects respond to your marketing is critical to improving your business. At Synergy Direct Response, we offer a wide range of data services to help you get the most out of your direct marketing campaign. To track your direct marketing campaign we offer Vx software.


With Synergy Vx you track your campaign in real time and get feedback direct from your prospects! Once your prospects fill out your offer, Vx organizes it into one neat package for you! 

People will appreciate your fast turn around time and well-informed sales team and you'll see the results in your conversion rates!

Design your campaign around specific qualifiers for your business as well! Add rules so that you send timely reminders or a personalized note for a geographical region or specific salesperson.

Vx also lets you track who landed on the PURL, but did not complete your offer. This way you can send them a follow up reminding them of your opporunity and remain engaged with your prospects.
 
Vx analytics gives you all the information you need, from the source of the lead to conversion rates and everything in between. All neatly organized and in terms you don't need to be a data expert to understand.

With Vx you can track anything and get the information and results you are looking for from your marketing campaign!

By: Will Pearlman

Thursday, August 23

Back to School Means Back to Business!

Back to School Means
Back to Business!

As the days begin to get shorter again and with the school year right around the corner, it's time to get back to the regular flow of business. As people return from the various summer activities re-energized, what are you doing to capture that energy to help your business grow? 


Here are a few tips from Synergy to help your business blossom as we head into the autumn months . . . 

1. Focus on 1 Product, Offer, or Service - Whatever your marketing and whatever your strategy, don't confuse your customers and prospects by sending them multiple promotional opportunities. 
Focus your campaign on one product or service
to avoid creating a nebulous haze for your prospects.
Your advertising is merely getting the conversation going, then when they contact your business, either online, via phone, or in-person, they will be exposed to your wide range of products. But keep it simple in your advertising otherwise you will lose their attention and lose a customer.

2. Track Your Campaign - With programs like Vx from Synergy, and countless other tools available, its easy to track your marketing campaign and gather information about your prospects, so make sure you do it. The more you know about your marketing the more successful you'll be, so don't be lazy about it, it'll pay off for you in the end!

You'll save money by only sending your advertising to people its relevant to and you'll get a high response rate because you can make a more specific appeal. 

3. Target Your Campaign - The old saying goes, "when your marketing to everyone, you market to no one." No campaign can appeal to every person, so find the niche that is best for your company and design your marketing around their needs. 

Wednesday, July 25

Building Customer Loyalty, The Easy Way!

Your customers and their needs
should always be at the center of
everything you do
What's better than earning someone's business? Why earning someone's loyalty of course! The ultimate sign that your business or product is successful is having lots of repeat business and word of mouth advertising from your customers. So how do you go from wanting it to having it?



Be the Best


Don't just say your the best, actually do it!
The first step is an easy one. Make your product or service the best it can be. Regardless  of price, if people don't like what your selling, it'll be hard to convince them to buy it again. Obviously do this within a workable model, (don't make toothpaste that costs $100 a tube, Duh!) but, whatever you can do to make your product the best do it. Don't cut corners!



Focus on the Customer & Hire Personality



Make it your number one priority to be the leader in customer service and not just when problems arise. Make your mark from the moment a potential customer contacts your business; whether online, over the phone, or in person, ensure they feel valued and express a willingness to met all their requests while creating a positive environment. 



The Old Saying, "Happy Employees, Make Happy Customers"
 or something like that
Be caring and willing to go the extra mile. It might sound  cliche, but we all know MOST businesses do NOT do this anymore. We all experience it everyday. So make your business stands out by setting the standard. With that said, hire your employees carefully. According to Jane Judd, Senior Manager of Customer Loyalty at Zappos.com, "You can train someone to answer calls, but you can’t train someone to be positive and happy. Hire the right people and the rest should fall into place."



Say Thanks



Everyone likes to feel appreciated!
Sending thank you cards is an important part of keeping your customers loyal. Depending on the type of business, a simple thanks for your order email might suffice. For some business, you might want to send a gift bag and a handwritten note. Figure out what is right for your business and also what is financially feasible. 



Create a Customer Loyalty Program



No matter what industry your in, loyalty programs work.
If for no other reason than it makes your customers FEEL valued
People like to feel like a part of something. So make a loyal customer rewards program, these work in many more settings than just your local sandwich shop. Offer your customers 10% off their next order just for being a loyal customer. If your a lawyer, maybe for new cases from old clients, you waive certain fees. Get creative if your in a service industry. In the long run, these little discounts shouldn't hurt your bottom line and they make your customers feel appreciated and part of the "in" crowd. People really do appreciate a simple gesture of gratitude. So give them one, it's easy!


Remember Important Dates

Ok, so your clients won't be as mad
as your wife for forgetting, but it is important
to extend a professional relationship
beyond business meetings
Ok, so its not realistic for most businesses to send every customer or client a birthday card. But the clients who have been with you the longest, or the largest accounts, do just a little more for you. So, make them feel special because, well, they are! The large accounts help you keep your doors open and clients who have been with you for a long time are usually your best recruiters! They obviously like you and your service so they are likely to send their friends your way! Send a holiday car
.d out to as many clients as you can, but remember personal events (birthdays, anniversaries, birth of children, etc . . .) help you stand alone at the top. 

Don't Hide Your Customer Service

Don't hide from customer interaction,
Embrace it in all its forms!
Nowadays, the business world has a generally poor reputation for customer service. On most websites the customer support line is hidden in the corner of a 'contact us' page that you can only get to via small print at the bottom of the site. Sure the sales number is in bold letters, but nothing about help and service. Don't hide your service! Make it a proud selling point. People like to know there is someone they can talk to about their problems who is knowledgable, but with that said, make sure your customer service staff is trained and selected to deliver!

Regardless of your product, service, industry, or business size, creating a loyal customer base is the foundation for the growth of your business, so take these steps to make your customers keep coming back to you!



Interested in more information on Synergy and how we can help your business? Give us a call today at 714-824-3780 and speak with one of our friendly, knowledgable Sales Representatives who can answer all your questions.



Interested in Reading More from Synergy? Sign Up For Our Newsletter By Clicking Here



By: Will Pearlman





Thursday, July 19

Thank Your Customers, and They'll Thank You With Their Business!

Synergy Says: 
July 2012
________________________________________________________

Thank Your Customers, and They'll Thank You With Their Business!

Nowadays, people underestimate the value of a good thank you. Many of us might even be thrown off guard when someone does say thanks. However, no where is expressing appreciation more important than in business.


Saying Thanks is Important,
No Matter How Big or Small!
When someone elects to use your business, it is their way of saying thanks for being exactly what I am looking for. So don't shy away from thanking them in return.

If you accept the general principal that roughly 80% of yours business comes from 20% of your customers, then you know who you should be thanking. The large accounts help you keep your doors open and clients who have been with you for a long time are usually your best recruiters! They obviously like you and your service so they are likely to send their friends your way!

People Remember that You Remembered,
So Try to Remember!


Send a holiday card out to as many clients as you can, but remember that personal events (birthdays, anniversaries, birth of children, etc . . .) help you stand alone at the top. Of course every customer is valuable and deserves to be shown gratitude, but financially, it doesn't make sense to send personalized gifts to everyone. A simple thank you card will suffice for most clients. But, for bigger clients, try to get something they would enjoy; tickets to a sporting event, a gift bag, anything. If your unsure, don't worry, people always like free stuff.  
By expressing your appreciation to your customers, you will remain on their minds and they will continue to expand their business with you and share your company with their friends. Thanking your customers helps increase your word of mouth advertising, and even in todays digital age, word of mouth advertising still cannot be beat. 

Synergy can help you thank your clients with personalized thank you cards and interactive solutions for all your marketing needs! Get a FREE Quote or Call Us Today at 714-824-3780!



Interested in Reading More from Synergy? Sign Up For Our Newsletter By Clicking Here

By: Will Pearlman

Wednesday, June 27

Niche Branding: Becoming a 'Household Brand' Regardless of Your Industry or Size

You Want to Stand Out Among the Competition!
The strength of your branding will determine the success of your company. Regardless of your industry or market, becoming a household staple should be the goal of your company, even if you are small. Don't think you need to be Tide or Coca-Cola to be a household brand. Just be the brand in everyone's house for your niche! Whether you are a local pizza place or a regional law firm, branding your business will highlight what distinguishes your company above your competitors. In order to brand yourself, you must engage your target demographic across multiple platforms, and become integrated in their daily lives.


What Exactly is "Branding"?

Branding is taking your business from just a general company to having a well-founded reputation -most reputations are created before they are earned in modern business times. For some businesses, this involves creating uniform company logos and fancy product titles, for others it is about a new message. Branding is essentially: becoming an icon in your industry. Now, most people think of "name" brands because they have such a heavy impact on our daily lives. However, there are local and region businesses that have the same impact, as Kleenex and Colgate do on the national level, in their communities. And that is what every small business should strive to be, the 'name' brand for their niche/community!


Habituation: Getting Used to It

People Have a Tough Time Making Decisions,
so When We Find Something  We Are Comfortable With,
 We Stick With It!
As people get used to something (it could be an idea, a product, a climate, etc), they develop a level of comfort via their learned management of expectations for that something. This is called habituation in psychological circles. In advertising circles, some would call this brand loyalty. Once people are comfortable with a product; purchasing it, operating it, and the results it produces, they tend to continue to use it, out of comfort. People are hesitant to stray from a product they are comfortable with for something else, unless the risk is deemed worth it. 

Now obviously people are more willing to take a risk on a new restaurant than they are a new lawyer, but merely establishing a presence as a brand instead of just another business will generate additional comfort and habituate new customers to your business. So now, how do you go from just another business to a brand?



Build a Focused Campaign Across all Channels

Send a Message That Represents Your Business
and How It Meets the Concerns of Your  Potential Customers
Spot your key demographic. (For More Info: Check Out Targeting Your Best Customers to Find Your Best Prospects) Then, design a message for your brand. Find the primary aspect of your company you want to push. This is where advertising becomes difficult for most business owners because they cannot be objective. When you put your life into building a business, you want it to be perceived through your eyes, however that might not be what is best for the business. Think about the best demographic for your business and what is most important TO THEM, then build your campaign around that message. Whatever angle you decide to push, make sure your message is catchy, clear, and concise.


Once you have your niche demographic and what you want to say to them, you need to determine how to spread your message. There is no single miracle in advertising; some things work well, some don't, some work well once and not again, others don't work at first and then work incredibly well. For this reason, in addition to creating a presence and habituating your demographic to your brand (as discussed previously), you must have a multichannel presence. 


A Uniform Message

The various mediums through which you advertise need to send the same brand message. Many businesses make the mistake of trying to say too much about themselves. So they send a mailer about one thing and have a billboard about another. A scattered approach can work mildly to generate some interest in a business. But your looking to be more than a business, your looking to be a brand - an established and widely utilized resource in your market's community. 
Build Your Brand!


Send one strong message about your company and make it interactive and use multiple channels. Use mailers with personalized websites where people can redeem offers, make interactive websites, do anything to familiarize people with your message in various settings and stimulating various senses. Let your message become an indelible trademark of your brand. Once people have built this association, they will habituate to your role in their lives and you will have become integrated in their household, i.e. a household brand. 







Interested in More Information on Synergy Vx and how we can help your business? Give us a call today at 714-824-3780 and speak with one of our friendly, knowledgable Sales Representatives who can answer all your questions.



Interested in Reading More from Synergy? Sign Up For Our Newsletter By Clicking Here


By: Will Pearlman

Wednesday, June 13

Every Door Direct Mail

A great new service offered by the United States Postal Service is called Every Door Direct Mail. This service is a great and cost effective way to use direct mail to market your business. Here's the short explanation of how Every Door Direct Mail or EDDM works: Each zip code has a specific postal routes. With EDDM you pick which routes you would like your mail delivered to, and the post office delivers it to every door without exception. And, you can send up to 5,000 pieces a day without purchasing a postal permit. Saving you money!

This service is ideal for small and local businesses who know what neighborhoods to advertise in and probably do not have a large budget for direct marketing campaigns. It is more difficult to target specific customers with this service but it is extremely cost effective. No need to purchase expensive data lists and sort through endless qualifiers. The USPS has made it simple to pick your area and send a mailer. All you need to do is call a print shop, make a mailer, and send it! Here are some ideas for making a mailer.

If your interested in direct mailings, but need help with design, no problem. Synergy can help with that, get a free quote online or call us at 877-466-0635.

Tuesday, June 5

Really Getting to Know Your Customers: Targeting Your Best Customers to Attract Your Best Prospects!

Selling Happiness is Easy
When You Know All The Things
 That Make Your Customers Happy
The oldest idea in advertising is: When your trying to sell something, you aren't selling that product, you are selling the happiness that product engenders. 


For decades, marketers have used the RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary) analysis as the standard to determine their most valuable customers. However, many marketers fail to consider RFM in their prospecting campaigns. Sure, you don't have exact figures on specific people, but you do have information on your current clients. The best of which, are undoubtedly similar to the ones you want to attract. What makes the RFM data unique is the lack of speculation - there are no survey opinions or general sales ideologies. RFM data is based on actual transactions. Proof of who buys what, when, and how often. So if you know who your best customers are, find out who they REALLY are!
Go out of your way to learn how your best customers operate
in their daily lives, then you'll understand
how the customers you want to attract live as well


RFM is a great predictor of your customer retention and sales, but it doesn't tell you the key ingredient for bringing in new customers; the reason why these particular people are buying your product. Not YOUR reason for why, but THEIR reason. Even in modern times many marketers still forget to consider consumer psychology in their prospect marketing strategy. This is most surprising since we are ALL consumers everyday. Even if your job is to design advertisements, companies are still advertising to you!


We are all different and unique in subtle ways,
but overall, many of us are pretty similar!
Everyone makes purchases for different reasons. Figure out who your best customers are and why they buy your product. Once you determine who these current customers are, I'd bet you there are more people like them out there and they are either unaware of your product, or simply have not tried it yet. Expand your customer base within a demographic with which you are already having success and your R.O.I will jump with an influx of consistent, high density purchasers. 


Why would you pay $300,000 for this Aston Martin Virage
when many $40,000 cars have almost the same features?
Because driving a Virage isn't about function,
it's about lifestyle!
You know who your best customers are and what they buy. And if you don't, then you are in trouble! To maximize your marketing strategy you need the whole picture. Who are your best customers and what do they do, independent of whatever capacity they use your product or service? The value your customer receives from your product or service is the image you want to create. You must paint your product's valuable contribution to your customer's happiness on the canvass that is their lives. Then, sell your product's role in your current customer's lives to people with similar lifestyles. The more complete your understanding of your best customers, the more likely you are to attract people like them and increase the R.O.I for your advertising campaign.


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By: Will Pearlman

Monday, May 28

Buying the Right Prospecting Data


Buying the Right Prospecting Data



The right data list makes all the difference in prospect marketing. In order to build your client base you need to figure out which clients are the best prospects for your business. So here are a few tips to make sure when you buy consumer data you get the most bang for your buck!

First, Know Your Prospect
Before purchasing any list, make sure you know what you want and why you want it. At Synergy, we can help you determine which potential clients are ideal for your business and budget. Nowadays, data lists can be sorted by countless qualifiers, so understanding to whom you are marketing is critical before you start contacting data companies. You have to know what your looking for since some companies specialize their services for specific industries.


Before you start looking, you need to know who you are looking for!

Consider your potential client's perspective, I.E. What makes your business a perfect fit for their needs - from the prospect's perspective? According to the Aberdeen study on the science of sales intelligence, 42% of companies have insufficient knowledge of the business needs of their prospects. So do the preparatory work before you start looking at data, it'll save you time and money in the long run.

Not All Data Lists Are Equal

Make sure you check out different companies and ask about different options. Find out how the data company generates their list so that you know its the right prospects for your business. Take advantage of the services data companies offer such as sorting and cleaning.

Remember, your not buying a list for one-time use, it's an investment in your company!

Use Multiple Sources

When buying a prospecting list, it should come from multiple data sources. Check with the data company to see where they get their information. Data lists complied from multiple sources tend to be:
  • More accurate
  • More detailed
  • Unique (So your competition can't mail to the same list!)

Keep It Clean

Data lists are like gardens, if you don't tend to them, they will die. Buy a prospect list from a company that automatically updates the list for you on a regular basis. If that is not an option, we can manage your list for you!

According to the United States Postal Service, the quality of a data lists deteriorates by approximately 2% a month, so make regularly updating your list a habit so that you won't waste time and money advertising to a dead end. 





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By: Will Pearlman

Tuesday, May 1

Who's the Brain of Your Company? No, Of Course It's Not Your CEO, It's Your Database!

Sorry CEOs, data is the brains, not you!
We know that breaks your heart!
As much as we would like to think the brain of a company is its employees or the CEO (or at least the CEO would like to think that), they're not. Employees are definitely the heart and soul, but the brains of any operation is the database. From your current clients to your prospecting lists, the better organized and thorough the information in your database, the more effective and efficient your company will operate.  

Many executives underestimate the importance of understanding and maintaining an in-house database. But, how can you project your company's potential sales growth and new avenues for expansion without detailed, accurate, and current information on your clients and prospects? You can't. Moreover, if your just buying lists from data companies, don't you think similar businesses might have the same lists? . . no matter what the data company might claim. You want to keep your data in-house so that your list is unique.  So here are some tips for organizing and managing your database:

Educate All Your Employees
Education is always the key!
Your number one priority should be to train and educate ALL your employees how to access and manipulate data as well as ensuring they consistently and accurately keep up with all their records. Make some knowledge of databases a requirement for most positions; especially sales, marketing, and administration. If you train your sales staff to maintain their own records, then your information will be more accurate and more consistently updated. When 20 sales people take the extra few minutes to update their records daily, your data will always be more accurate, more up to date, and less time consuming than just having one "data guy" update everything once a week or month. 

Know What You Want to Know 
Before Searching
Find Your Criteria, Then Check Them Off Your List
As You Add Data!
Before beginning to gather information, you need to determine what information you want. What does your business need to know about your prospects in order to effectively market to them? Even if you are updating an old list that has been neglected, ask yourself what information is valuable on that list as is, what is worthless information, and what would be useful new information to add as you update the list? Additionally, what new prospects are in need of your product or service and where can you find them? There are endless criteria and information out there so this part really comes down to your business and market, but as logic will tell you; always establish what you are looking for before you start looking!

Be Too Specific
The Beauty is in the Specific Details!
When building a database, the more specific your qualifiers the better. Modern database software has so many variables for searching and sorting lists, so break down your qualifiers as best as you can, be specific. Don't just describe a business as "hotel." Is it a resort spa? A casino? A motel? Bed and breakfast? Do they have special services or themes? Are they year-round or seasonal? How many suites do they have? What is their annual sales volume? How many employees do they have? Think of any categories that might help your business market more effectively.

Standardize All Your Lists
Between multiple lists, try to maintain titles that can be applied to all the people or businesses to which you want to market, regardless of industry. Have a master list of current clients and clients you would like to gain. Then create smaller, specific lists for various campaigns. When making data lists use broad titles and then describe each individual entry using specific qualifiers


Ok, so we don't like it when people are all the same,
but the more similar data sets are,
the easier they are to analyze!
Sometimes, all you need in a title is "description."  Then, use more precise qualifiers; windows and blinds, restaurants - bar/late night, resort - ski and spa, etc . . . You want most titles to fit for any business your company might market too. Although for some specific lists this won't always work out, cogent headers are extremely helpful in organizing data. Additionally, while you want your qualifiers to be specific, they should be standardized. Most database programs sort lists based on keywords and won't always pick up on related words. For example, if your making a list of hotels, use one category for casinos. Don't list some as "casino" and others as "gambling resort."

Establish and Maintain Format
Keep You Data List Polished and Professional,
It Should Look Like Your Office,
Not Your Teenage Son's Room!
Make sure everything in each list is entered in the same format. It is critical, especially with very large lists, to keep everything uniform. I.e., don't put some phone numbers in using one format; (555) 555-5555, and others in as; 555-555-5555. Likewise, addresses are notorious for having this problem on data lists. Before building or reorganizing a database, figure out where you want things like suite numbers, phone extensions, or name prefixes. Proper format will increase efficiency while updating data and allow for easier access to information. 




Once You Make It Clean, Keep It Clean

If your list is already out of hand, it is definitely worth investing the time to clean it up. The US Postal Service reports that approximately 2% of a typical data list deteriorates each month on average. That means in a year about 25% of your data is worthless if you don't maintain it. If you are marketing to this list, think of all the money you are wasting each month marketing to businesses or prospects that don't even exist anymore! 

Your Data is Just Like Your Laundry,
Keep it Clean!
Re-establish a baseline so that you can become more productive, rather than just let the mess continue to grow. You don't just let the laundry pile up endlessly do you? Of course not, you wash it (hopefully)! But, the longer you wait to do a wash, the longer doing laundry will take you. And, in the meantime, your running out of clean clothes! Just like the laundry, if your not constantly cleaning your data list, you'll eventually run out of worthwhile data. So try to avoid letting it get out of hand!

Just Like Your Bathroom,
Your Database Stinks When It Isn't Clean!
There are many companies out there who will maintain and clean your data lists for you, so if doing this in-house isn't in your budget, consider outsourcing this important job.

Customer databases are a time consuming and endless endeavor to build and maintain in-house. But, it is absolutely essential for any business to succeed.General lists purchased from data companies are never as good because they are rarely unique. A well-designed and maintained database is the foundation for strong customer retention and expanding your client base into new markets. 


Even if you need to shout it,
make sure it is known, DETAILS MATTER WITH DATA!
In short, database management comes down to one basic cliche rule: Attention to the details. A responsible, well-organized company understands the importance of details in establishing a culture where all employees understand and contribute to the database. If you can infuse this culture in your business at the database level, it will expand into all aspects of your business, and you definitely be pleased with the results!


Tuesday, April 17

The Feel of Paper: Why Tangible Mail is More Effective Than E-mail

As a conscientious consumer, I don't like to waste things. I try to recycle and make sure what trash I produce makes it in a receptacle, so when I receive coupons in the mail, I usually stash them away and use them over time. Whether it's a product I use everyday or once in a while, why would I waste something of value? However, if that same coupon is in email form, I guarantee it will be lost in my computer's master 'In' pile.

There is plenty of science behind the idea that tangible association stimulates greater interest in a product.
If your interested in the numbers and psychology behind it, check out: 

Instead, I would like to share with you my experience working on a cruise ship in Hawaii. As a photographer, we used tons of paper. TONS of paper. Despite that we used digital cameras, every photo we shot of our guests, we printed. Usually around 8,000 photos a week. People always wanted to know what we did with the photos no one bought. I'd always tell them, "we give 'em to the boys in the engine room, its how we'll get to Maui tomorrow!" People always got a laugh out of that. Of course in truth, we recycled the paper at an onshore facility. However, guests always suggested we go to a digital viewing system to reduce waste. 

We printed every photo because history on the other ships in our fleet shows when people can physically hold the photos, they buy more of them. And, as anyone who has bought detergent will tell you, when your sitting there with two items in your hand and both look good, it's hard to pick one (although usually after about 10 minutes, I realize one of them is actually fabric softener, not detergent). 

Ketchup or Catsup?

When people have something tangible - whether its mail, detergent, or photographs - the stimulation of multiple senses leads to a more lasting impression. In addition, when something is right there in front of you, it is much more difficult to pass up. Ladies, you know this, ever been at the mall and your trying to pick between two skirts that you like? It is a lot easier to buy only one when you shop online, isn't it? Be honest!

Unlike an email, that gets buried in your inbox, never to be seen again, a coupon or relevant mailer usually goes on the fridge or at least in a draw to save for later. Maybe your customer doesn't respond that week, but they find your ad a month later in the drawer and realize, "hey, I could use that now!"


With something tangible, customers will usually feel much more comfortable going into your business and approaching your employees. For those of us who aren't social butterflies, it is much easier to walk into a business saying, "Hi, I received this coupon in the mail about . . ." rather than looking for help like a deer in headlights. It gives customers direction and generates a more personal experience because they will be driven to interact with your employees!

The point is with direct mail your customers or prospective customers receive something tangible, that leaves a longer impression and a more personal connection. So take advantage and connect with your customers using direct mail through Synergy!

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By: Will Pearlman