We wrapped up last week with a few thoughts on branding, and specifically the way small business owners should think about branding (hint:  it’s NOT like big, nameless, faceless corporations).

Last week we started a discussion on a topic I normally don’t talk too much about, branding.  But there are ways to use branding effectively while still adhering to our direct response marketing rules.

Last we started on a topic that I’m sure surprised a few of you.  We talked about branding.  No, not like golden arches, or swooshes, but in ways most small businesses can actually accomplish it.  To review, see the blog post.

Earlier in the week we wrapping up our series on the 7 most powerful words and phrases you can use in your marketing.  See all 7 at the blog posts below.

Let’s face it, busting through the clutter and getting your marketing piece opened, let alone read, is tougher than ever... but you’re reading this right?  When you learn the secrets of using 3D Mail your marketing results will explode.

Today we’ll wind down on conversation on the 7 most power words and phrases you can use in your marketing.  To review the two most powerful, visit this blog post.

Earlier this week we started a discussion on the 7 most powerful words you can use in you marketing, and we hit on the two most powerful you can use.  To review, check out the blog.

As any good copywriter will tell you, all words are not created equal.  This should come as no shock to anybody who’s been marketing their business for any length of time.  But which words are better than others?

So where did we leave off last week?  That’s right; we left off with one of our 7 ad essentials, the use of premiums/free gifts in your business.  To see the post, click on over to that post.

We’re continuing our segment on the 7 ad essentials you must include in your marketing.  Last week we hit the topic of a deadlines and how vital they are to success in direct mail marketing.  To review, visit the blog.

We’re continuing our segment on 7 ad essentials you must include in your marketing.  Last week we talked about your basic business info, maps and directions and offers. 

I hope you had a fun and safe 4th of July celebration over the weekend.  I certainly did, even if it did rain a little (only in Seattle!).  So last week we briefly spoke about one of my favorite topics, the Robert Collier principle.

We’re going to briefly going to talk about one of my favorite topics and strategies in marketing.  In fact, we teach it and talk about it often in my monthly newsletter, The Copywriter’s Corner.

I hope you’re enjoying our ongoing discussion on message to market match and the marketing triangle.  So far we talk about the markets you choose and the message (what you say).  You can click on those links to review at my blog. 

Last week we started our discussion on “Message to Market Match” and I introduced you to Dan Kennedy’s famous marketing triangle.  Last week we had a great discussion on the Market (who) side of the triangle.

Last week we started our discussion on “Message to Market Match” and I introduced you to Dan Kennedy’s famous marketing triangle.  We briefly touch on the Media portion.

Message to Market Match means you’re matching what you’re selling, the media you’re selling it through, and the words you write to very precise and targeted prospects

So last week I left you with the basics on getting commercially available lists for your business.  As usual I posted that last conversation on my blog below.

Earlier in the week we discussed the lists you should be using in your business.  If you missed that discussion or want to review, go see the blog post below to see where we've been.

So where’d we leave off… That’s right, using direct mail and lists.  To see where we started off last week, see my first blog post on the subject below.

So, did I do a good enough job of teasing you and leaving you hanging with my last email?  To review our conversation from earlier on the benefits of direct mail, see my blog post directly below.
 

 It’s no secret that I’m a big believer in using direct mail.  Why else would I be in the 3D Mail business!  However there are a lot of great reasons to use it.  

Last week we picked up our discussion on getting past the gatekeeper when using direct mail.  The first thing I suggested is you may want to enlist the help of the gatekeeper, a novel idea

Last week we started a discussion on getting your direct mail past the gatekeeper.  We'll pick up where we left off here.

In speaking with clients each day, one of their biggest frustrations is getting past the gatekeeper, which is often why they get help from me using 3D Mail!

We’re in the middle of our discussion on marketing to affluent clients.  Last week we talked about two growing trends with boomers that are completely different than the previous generation of those at or nearing retirement.

We’re in the middle of our discussion on marketing to affluent clients.  Last Friday we hit on what the rich really want to buy, and what you need to do to attract them. 

I hope you received my email yesterday about the Boomer special which aired on CNBC.  See my blog post below.

BOOMER$, a report by Tom Brokaw on CNBC tonght.  It will be a must see.

Today we’re really going to dive into marketing to and attracting more affluent customers to your business.

OK, so you probably realized that I haven’t posted a blog entry in the past week.  Well, I’ve got a good reason for that... 

On Tuesday we spoke briefly about always asking for the order in your direct mail, a place where many marketers wimp out.  To review, see the blog post below.  Today we’ll talk about getting your reader involved

Today we’re going to briefly go over a part of most sales letters, postcards, really any kind of direct mail advertising, where marketers really wimp out, the close.

Did you know that the P.S. is the second most read part of any letter?  So it must be a pretty important part, don’t you think?

Bullet points in your copy can be one of the most influential parts of your sales letters.

We’re going to wrap up our nearly two week long discussion on deadlines and offers.  Who knew there could be so much!

We left off on Tuesday talking about deadlines and offers and I gave you four ways you can use deadlines to help spice up your offers.

Happy New!  Can you believe it’s already 2010?!  Weren’t we supposed to be in flying cars by now like George Jetson?

Let’s face it, busting through the clutter and getting your marketing piece opened, let alone read, is tougher than ever... but you’re reading this right?  When you learn the secrets of using 3D Mail your marketing results will explode.

Alright, so before we took a short break last week for the holiday weekend we left off with a discussion on guarantees.

Last week we hit the tip of the iceberg with headlines.  A conversation that, quite frankly, could last a whole year.

So, where did we leave off after answering Steve’s Question on Tuesday… Ah yes, HEADLINES!

I’m going take a quick break from our discussion on copywriting today to answer a question from a client.

Last week we started our discussion on copywriting that’s going to take us through the next few weeks.  To see where we started, visit that blog post below.

Last week we started our discussion on copywriting that’s going to take us through the next few weeks.  To see where we started, visit that blog post below.

Earlier this week we started a series on copywriting, and on Monday I told you the #1 marketing sin in copy.

The One Eyed Man is King.”
    Erasmus (of Rotterdam)

On Wednesday we started a discussion on sequential marketing and how 2 + 3 = 1.  If you didn’t read it, check out the blog and that will make sense.

I know you may not be a math major, and I certainly wasn’t, but stay with me on this one as we start a discussion on sequential marketing.

On Thursday we wrapped up our series on referral marketing (check out the blog to see the last few entries) and I told you we’d start a topic on the 3rd easiest client to sell to. Did you know who that was?

As you know we’ve been talking about getting new, fresh clients to your business using referrals.  Last week we talked about the psychological reasons your clients refer, and how to tap into those.

Last week we stated a topic on getting more referrals in your business, and who doesn’t want that!?!  To see where we’ve been, visit my blog below.

If there’s one thing every business could use, it’s a fresh batch of new, ready-to-buy referral clients lining up each day.

When I’m speaking with 3D Mail clients on implementing 3D Mail, almost always the envelope question comes up (assuming we’re using an envelope and not something like the bank bag or trash).  What should I put on the outside, should it be mailed ‘blind,’ live stamp or not??  There are lot of questions.  Here’s a quick read on my thoughts on your envelope when using direct mail,either 3D or ‘flat.’

Earlier in the week we talked about all the great reason you should be doing a newsletter.  To see where we’ve been, check out the blog below.  Today, we’ll cover the $10 Million question that I know is on your mind, and that’s content!

Last week we started a new segment on finding the hidden money in your business, and we started talking about monthly newsletters.  To see where we’ve been check out this post.  Today we’re going to cover 3 more advantages of using your newsletter, and why it should be seen as an income producing asset, and NOT an expense.

On Tuesday we started a new segment on finding the hidden money in your business.  I said it all started with the right list.  See that article here on my blog.  Today we’ll talk about a marketing idea that will help uncover more hidden money; it’s something lots of people know they should do, but rare do it…  That’s right, a monthly newsletter!

Today we’re going to start a new series on finding the hidden money in your business.  This will take a couple weeks, so strap in, ‘cause here we go.

Last week we started talking about using a marketing calendar.  We talked about why it was critical that you have one, and a couple things to consider when you’re creating your calendar.  To review, see the blog post from last week below.

Last week we started talking about using a marketing calendar.  We talked about why it was critical that you have one, and a couple things to consider when you’re creating your calendar.  To review, see the blog post below.

On Wednesday we started talking about using a marketing calendar.  We talked about why it was critical that you have one, and a couple things to consider when you’re creating your calendar.  To review, see the blog post below.

Creating a marketing calendar is perhaps the single most valuable time you spend “on” your business each year.  But why should you have a marketing calendar?

Last week I gave you three questions you should consider when you craft your own unique selling proposition.  I also told you I’d dissect two “real world” USP’s that I use in two businesses that I’m involved with.  To see where we’ve been, see my blog below.  For the 2 real world examples, read on.

On Tuesday we talked about the ways you can find your own, unique USP.  Some of those included product or price advantage, or a process advantage, plus a few others.  To review see that blog post below.  We’re going to go over some other methods you can use to create and craft a winning USP for your business.

We kick off a new segment last week on Unique selling propositions, or a USP.  To review click over to me blog below and see what you may have missed on Friday.  Today, we’ll discuss a few different ways to find your USP.

We’re going to start down a new road today.  We’re going to be starting on the topic of a USP, your unique selling proposition.  This may be opening up a BIG can or worms, and it can be one of the hardest things you do with your business.  But it’s well worth read.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve been talking about lead generation marketing, how to use it, and how to integrate it into your marketing funnel.  To see where we’ve been, see my blog posts from the past couple weeks below.  Today we’re going to wrap up our discussion on these two topics.

We’ve been discussing lead generation the past two weeks, and earlier this week I introduced you to the idea of a marketing funnel and using it when you use lead generation marketing.  To see that post just scroll to the posts below.

Last week I left you off with the virtues of lead generation marketing.  To review, see my blog post below.  Now we’re going to move on to using lead generation in your marketing funnel.  There are tons great reasons to use lead generation marketing.  We’ll cover a couple here.

We’ve switched gears here a bit, after earlier this weekdiscussing what business you’re really in.  Now, on to lead generation marketing and what you need to do for it to be effective in your business.

Last week we started a conversation on lead generation marketing vs. one-step sell marketing.  For a review of where we’ve been, see my last couple blog entries below.  I also left off saying I’d tell you what business you’re really in.

On Tuesday we started our conversation on one-step selling vs. lead generation marketing.  To review where we left off you can see my blog entry below.  Today, we’ll talk a bit more about one-step selling.

We finished up our talk on the 13 top copywriting mistakes I often see when critiquing sales letters.  Today, we’re going to move on to a new topic,Lead generation vs. one step selling and tie it back to 3D mail as well.  We’ll start off with an explanation of each.

I had a tip for today lined up, as we just finished up our last series on copywriting mistakes (see past posts below).  However, I received this tip from my friend Zach Entwistle, who got it from Mike Brooks.

For the last three weeks I’ve been discussing the 13 big mistakes I often see when critiquing sales letters.  Below are the final two BIG mistakes I see every day.  To review the previous 11, see my blog posts below.

For the last two weeks I’ve been discussing the 13 big mistakes I often see when critiquing sales letters.  To review where we left off, see the blog posts below from earlier this week.  Below are the next two mistakes copywriters often make.

“Too many marketers deal with premiums almost as an afterthought. This is a huge mistake. I know for a fact that premiums can and do drive sales, and that a change of premium, with no other changes, can dramatically alter the results of a promotion. For this reason, just as much careful thought should be given to the premium as to the main offer.” – Dan Kennedy, Power Points #34