McCarthy and King Marketing

What they don’t tell you about online (inbound) marketing

admin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:05:24 +0000

I’m a big fan of online marketing, also known by many as inbound marketing.

I see a lot of value in SEO, blogging and social media. I believe every business should make some level of commitment to it.

I love being able to produce sales leads at a very low cost.

I love having my [...]

FREE Report: Making Snail Mail Work

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:36:19 +0000

I just published a new report for those of you using or planning to use direct mail.

It’s called “Making Snail Mail Work: 13 Lessons in Direct Mail Strategy.”

The report is intended to look beyond the mechanics of direct mail and to put all the new formats and new technologies into some perspective.

To [...]

Do you have a Direct Response Mindset?

admin — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:27:18 +0000

Chances are you don’t. Not yet anyway.

It’s more likely you have a Branding Mindset … because that’s the popular view.

A Branding Mindset sees advertising as an exercise in exposure – getting your brand or your message seen and remembered by as many people as possible.

Marketers build brands through effective media [...]

Do repeat mailings work?

admin — Wed, 18 May 2011 00:10:42 +0000

Does it make sense to send a second or third mailing to the same target audience?

Intuitively, repeat mailings make sense. It’s just logical to expect that if you mail to the same person a second or third time, you will increase your exposure to that prospect and you will improve your chances for a [...]

Mailing Lists: Should you buy, rent or build your own?

admin — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:24:10 +0000

You don’t have to be in the direct mail business to realize that a good mailing list is an essential starting point for any sales and marketing program.

Whether you’re using the phone, direct mail or email, nothing is more important than a good list. Nothing.

The question is “how do you get a good [...]

Why free publications make better lists

admin — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:32:43 +0000

So you are looking over some potential mailing lists – all subscription lists from trade journals your audience reads – and you come to the following conclusion:

“The better lists will be those created from paid subscriptions if only because the people on those lists made a commitment to buy the publication and are therefore [...]

Direct Mail Planning and Execution – a 19-point checklist

admin — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 13:44:51 +0000

Direct mail seems like a pretty simply process. You get a list, write a letter, print the mail components, stuff the envelopes and slap on some postage. Then you wait for the response. And wait you will.

Yes, getting into the mail is pretty simple, but getting response is another story.

With this checklist, we’ve [...]

Sorry, but your price is too low

admin — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 15:19:47 +0000

My price is too low? When did that become a problem?

Of all the complaints you might get from a prospective customer, “your price is too low” has to be at the bottom of the list – right?

Actually, it is more of a problem than you might expect – especially if you are trying [...]

The 5 Levels of Lead Nurturing

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:11:54 +0000

Lead nurturing has a gotten a lot of attention in recent years.

Lead generation has been around forever, but with the advent of email marketing and lead tracking systems, more and more sales and marketing departments are now also focused on lead nurturing.

Lead nurturing is a wonderful idea. It’s hard to understand why it [...]

Are you still using reply cards?

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:46:12 +0000

For years, the reply card was an absolute must for any direct mail package to succeed.

But now with the availability of 800 numbers, faxes, email and landing pages, some marketers have decided skip the reply card altogether.

“We have enough response options,” they argue. “We no longer need a reply card?”

Is this smart? [...]