GRINCH + SEE YOU IN '08

Today's posting doesn't have anything to do with sending out direct mail. Instead, it involves children receiving it...because
I've decided to be season-appropriate and feature an item from my most recent newsletter (if you don't subscribe, email me and I'll send you the latest issue). Here's the piece:

THE GRINCH WHO STOLE SANTA’S CORNER
Normally in my December newsletter, I tip my cap to Canada Post for its
complimentary mail-a-letter-to-Santa program. It’s great. And the volunteers
deserve an extra candy cane for ensuring that Santa’s replies get back to
kids.

But this year there isn’t a permanent link to Santa’s Corner on the home
page. (Just now I discovered that the page is featured among several in an
ever-changing parade of messages that quickly appear and disappear. If you
don’t happen to time your visit right, you won’t have a clue that
Santa’s Corner still exists.)

Because there’s no permanent link, I had to search the whole site for 15
minutes before stumbling onto the right page via a press release:
http://www1.canadapost.ca/dec/santa/writesanta/default-e.asp

On a merrier note…if you have little ones, be sure to check out
http://www.noradsanta.org Right now there are games. And beginning the
morning of Dec 24th, kids can track Santa as he makes his way around the
world.


HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
This is my last posting for 2007. I look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season, from...

Dr. Bob
symbiomarketing@telus.net

NEWSLETTER + QUESTIONS + FOLIO FOLK

RANTS ‘N RAVES
The next issue of my “Rants ‘N Raves” newsletter is going out this week. If you’re not yet a subscriber, email me at: symbiomarketing@telus.net


QUESTIONS
“Which affects more Canadians: Ovarian Cancer, Leukemia, Muscular Dystrophy, Lupus?”

That’s the question Lupus Canada asked on the outer envelope of their most recent mailing. And the answer given – Lupus.

I hadn’t known that and I doubt if most recipients of the package were aware of it before receiving the mailing. Of course, once an envelope tells you that you’re misinformed, you simply have to open it up to see what else you don’t know.

TIP: Questions are often a good way to get attention and create reader involvement. But avoid questions that can be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, since that ends the involvement and/or you might not get the answer you’re hoping for.

Instead, go for an informative little Q & A like Lupus Canada did, or ask an open-ended question.


FOLIO
I received a package from The Folio Society with, “An exclusive invitation from England’s leading publisher of fine books” written on the front of the OE. On the back, there’s a photo of two thesauruses (thesauri?) and a statement that they can be mine for free.

Inside the package there are colourful book catalogue sheets, a lift note that had been written by the late author Robertson Davies, an invitation/reply card, and a 4-page letter.

It’s all very dignified, from the design to the language in the copy. And even though the letter presents more offers, there are no screaming call-outs or starbursts. Obviously these people respect their audience’s intelligence.

I’ve seen this package in the past and expect it’s working well for them…certainly well enough for them to keep repeating it.

TIP: Know your audience and address them accordingly. Even though you might want to grab Mr. Target by the lapels and shake him into submission with your outstanding, limited-time offer, resist the temptation if you’re promoting a high-end product.

By presenting such a rationale and restrained sales argument for buying upper end books, the Folio Society people are generating considerable new business from readers like…

Dr. Bob
symbiomarketing@telus.net

TRUMP TIPS+1-TRICK PONIES+NEWSLETTER

TIPS FROM TRUMP
Whenever I get mail addressed to someone who used to own my house, and whose forwarding address I don’t have, I recycle it. But last week I just had to get nosey and open their mail. That’s because a man who used to live here was sent a very unique invitation-size envelope.

The upper left of the OE read, “Donald J. Trump, New York City”. I’d never seen that before.

The envelope featured a live stamp. The addressee’s name was written in a blue-ink handwriting font. And the flap had The Donald’s return address, again in a handwriting font, but this time in gold ink.

Inside were two free tickets to his upcoming seminar, along with an invitation card that explained all the details.

Normally I wouldn’t consider attending a get-rich-quick presentation. But if this were an opportunity to see the man himself, I thought I might break my rule. So I searched diligently for confirmation that The Donald would indeed be there.

Alas, the closest I could come to the truth was copy written in small type at the bottom of the invitation: “Donald will be here recorded live”.

What does that mean?! How is that even possible? He’s either going to be there or not. It’s either going to be a recorded message or a live Trump appearance. I decided not to waste my time finding out.

TIP: If you want to generate as much traffic as possible to an event and don’t care about ticking off a percentage of disappointed attendees, go ahead and replicate the Trump approach. But if you’re wanting to attract a high percentage of genuine, qualified customers, tell them up-front what they’ll be getting – “here recorded live” won’t cut it.


ONE-TRICK PONY?
For non-profit organizations, an emotionally touching true story can generate a lot of donations. I recall being affected by one, in particular, a couple of years ago.

I presume that a lot of other people were moved by that sad tale too, because the organization repeated the story in a mailing they sent me a few days ago.

Is there a problem with that?

There is if people like your scribe conclude, after receiving the same story, that you only have one tale to tell. It causes them to think that yours isn’t such a powerful organization after all. It’s like a commercial organization only citing one testimonial from a satisfied customer.

TIP: If you’re going to use human interest stories, make sure you have enough to make it appear that your organization is having an impact on a lot of people…not just on one.

NEWSLETTER TIME
The next issue of my “Rants ‘N Raves” newsletter will be coming out shortly. If you’re not yet a subscriber, get in touch with…

Dr. Bob
symbiomarketing@telus.net