Using Direct Mail to Improve Business

Direct mail continues to be a very targeted and effective way to market to customers. It's far more likely to be read than e-mail promotions. Especially when coupled with offers, such as coupons, medium can be a very cost effective method of promotion.

There are a number of necessary fundamentals. First, you must have an objective. It may be to increase store sales. Perhaps an offer such as a free gift will do trick. Just be sure to have a clear purpose. It reduces chance of passing along a confusing message.

Then, you'll need to have a mailing list. Perhaps you have a customer database you've been collecting. This is obviously a good group. Additionally, there are list brokers who can help you get lists that are very targeted, in terms of geography and interests. These are useful for attracting new customers, while your database is great for increasing purchases from your core of customers.

The next step is creating piece. Working internally or with outside freelance copy writers and graphic designers are possible routes. Letters should clearly explain benefits. Use "you" instead of "we." Offers should have deadlines to create a sense of urgency.

Succession Planning for Your Business - 7 Key Benefits

As manager; leader; ‘boss’; supervisor; CEO; HR Director; you are where pressure is and you need all help you can get, with pressures often coming at you from above and below. Succession Planning is here to help you.

A core activity in many successful businesses, Succession Planning is simple and quick to implement - here are seven reasons why you will find it of great value in your business or organisation. But, you need to lead - it works only as well as support it gets!

• Time

  Succession Planning creates capable people. Capable of taking weight from management, to ensure they don’t have to do it all. This is hugely relieving for a manager and means that they can focus on bigger picture issues. Time is also saved from manic fire-fighting that happens when key people leave. This stops.

• Confidence

  With Succession Planning helping to create a healthy business future, managers can build a level of security into how they do their job. This means that they can try out new things to build their business. Safe in knowledge that they will have right people in place at right time, their confidence swells and they become far ‘bigger’ people in themselves.

• Reward

  Both financial and emotional. Performance usually generates improved earnings, since that is way many businesses reward their people. But there is more to it than that. It is more fulfilling to be rewarded by emotional return, gained by using Succession Planning to create a brilliant team. It is personally extremely satisfying. This has positive knock-ons into other areas of a manager’s well being too.