Direct mail is the process of selling products or services directly to the public by mail or by telephone instead of selling through a retail outlet. It is a way to make a connection with the customer or the client. There is no middle man involved. Direct marketing happens when there is a clear connection to reach the target market. There are several different ways to implementdirect marketing so that it communicates with the customer and deliver products. This may include using a sales force that goes directly to the prospective customer’s home, with multipage catalogs, websites, email, direct mail pieces such as postcards, brochures and flyers, telemarketing, seminars, trade shows, and other techniques to communicate and sell to customers and clients. Direct marketing methods have become even more diversified with the growth of marketing on the internet. Companies in the nonprofit sector use direct mail for fundraising. Exercise equipment, computer and auto companies all use direct mail for product announcement along with other marketing channels. But, in order to understand direct mail marketing and to figure out how it can work for your own company and business, you will have to understand what each type of direct mail does and how it can benefit your business. Each direct mail piece has its own personality and purpose.There are general types of direct mail, each with its own specific abilities and audiences. Picking the right type of direct mail for your needs, you can better reach your audience and meet your marketing goals. Direct mail has existed for a long time in the form of only printed materials. But, when Cds, audio tapes, video tapes, fax mail, email, and voicemail came about, they were also used in direct mail campaigns. Direct mail lets you be selective in your target market. It can be personalized, flexible, and it allows early testing and response measurement to take place. A highly targeted and accurate mailing list can determine the success of direct mail efforts to enhance response rates and control costs. The Internet is another aspect of direct marketing and it has revolutionized the industry for promoting the sale of products and services to targeted audiences. Access to the Internet provides users with services in information, entertainment, shopping and communication. The internet has allowed borders to disappear and the ability to market to people around the world as a major asset. The Internet makes direct marketing easier, more targeted, more flexible, more responsive, more affordable, and potentially more profitable than ever. Telemarketing is another form of direct marketing. This is the process of contacting people on a qualified telephone list to sell services over the phone. Successful telemarketing campaigns depend on a good calling list and an effective script with a well-trained staff. Direct-response advertising is done through television, radio, magazines, and newspapers. The prospective consumer watches, hears, or reads about the product or service and initiates a telephone call to place an order. There are many choices for direct marketing, but for direct mail marketing, there are a few avenues that can be taken to get you message out through the US postal service. The following is a list of useful direct mail pieces and their benefits: Postcards are the most effective tools that you can use for a variety of products and services. They are very economical and have been proven to effectively generate leads. They come in different sizes from small to oversized and can offer a strong visual impact.They can give a casual, friendly feeling to their message. A postcard is a perfect choice for a short, bold statement. They work well for coupons or quick announcements such as grand openings. You can include bright colors, photos, and other eye-catching graphics. The only drawback of a postcard is that there isn’t a lot of room for a long explanation with text. Lists of benefits for services and products don’t work well and instructions must be said in a very short and precise way. If your marketing campaign is designed to communicate a lot of information, another size will be a better choice. Flyers are single sheets of paper with print and text on one or both sides.This is one of the lowest cost options for direct mail. They are very casual and get right to the point. Flyers have a low production cost and they don’t have the elegance of some other options. If budget is your primary concern, a professionally produced flyer is a solid option. Self mailers are made as brochures and leaflets. Self mailers are best used if you want to introduce products to new customers. Adding color and artistic designs can make them more appealing and attractive and pictures and product information can be included to highlight your company. They are sent without an envelope normally folded in half or in thirds. A traditional form of direct mail is the lead letter. These letters are sent to reach highly targeted customers and current customers. They can be highly personalized and very professional looking. A letter may cost a bit more to send, but it can convey a lot more to the customer or potential customer. Letters also lend a certain formality and luxury to a campaign. Newsletters are sent to existing customers but on occasion they will go out to a mailing list. Newsletters can to keep them informed about updates, news, and sales. Brochures can bridges the gap between a letter and a postcard. They photographs like a postcard, but they have more room for more content. Bullet lists work particularly well on a brochure. Brochures can also be made with a tear off section for coupons and other offers. They can be casual, colorful, serious or sophisticated. Catalogs showcase your company's products. Catalogs are most often used for companies that offer multiple products. Companies can put their best selling products in front in order to draw people into its pages, and then introduce them to newer products inside the covers.They can complement the full product listings available online or in a bricks and mortar store. Direct Mail Marketing is one of the best advertising strategies you or your business could utilize to reach customers and prospective clients. It is cost-effective, versatile, highly customizable, quick and easy to set up, reliable and helps you stand out from the typical marketing routines of your competitors. The advantages of direct mail marketing are limitless! Also, the results of your marketing efforts can be measured and tracked easily when using direct mail – no more complicated analytics or time wasted wondering what works and what doesn’t. Using highly-target mailing lists, coupled with unique letters and envelopes, direct mail campaigns ensure your potential customers heed your message by putting your advertisements directly into their hands. In the spam-riddled world of today’s online marketing, using direct mail to publicize yourself makes every cent of your marketing budget count with a high chance for a strong return on your investment. LetEverest Direct Mail and Marketing help you create a direct mail campaign that ensures great success! ...read more

Social media pages, Pinterest categories, and a little bit ofdirect mailcan make you feel that you have done a thorough job of marketing your business. But, it is not enough! A website is the basis of all of your marketing strategies. It is the starting point AND the finish point. It is where you bring your customer or client and it is where you tell your entire story.    A website can take some work, but once it is up and running, it simply needs occasional tuneups and updates. Your website is your main marketing asset. As a business, it is expected that you have an online presence. The amount of time that people spend on the internet between their phones and all of their devices is a huge amount of their day. It has become their world. And your business needs to be in that world. If your business isn’t online, then you simply don’t exist! Four out of five consumers use search engines to find local addresses and information. 93 percent of online actions begin with a search engine. Your business website needs to be there so that you can be found.   People use websites to find a business. 63% go to the websites of services and products they are looking for and this is where they engage with the company for the first time. They also look into at least three sources before they make a purchase. And 48% say a website is the biggest reason for considering a business is credible. People also said that they trusted a business more if their website design was professional looking, well laid out and easy to navigate.   The reason that people go to a website is that they are looking for answers. And, they expect to get those answers immediately. They want to know who your business is, what does your business offer and how do they get hold of your business? Your website needs to answer those questions right on the first page.   If you have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, it is essential that you have a website. You want to post something exciting on your social media and then take your followers back to your website for further explanation. Social media is your lead in to the in depth look at your business and who you are. Your website is your number one marketing asset.   If you have more business than you can handle, good for you! But, you still need a website. A website doesn’t need to be built just for adding new customers. A good website answers basic questions which could free up time. You can add a page on your site for reservations, orders, how tos and other problem solving situations. Add a blog, a recipe page, a video tour, and a list of community affiliations and their contacts. You can become not only a local favorite, you can gain popularity nationwide and turn your brand into a product all its own. A website can do much more than just adding customers.   Even if you think that your base customer or client does not use a computer, you still need a website. A computer isn’t just that thing sitting on a corner desk in the house. Phones are computers and everyone has a phone. I know an 86 year old whose fingers fly across a keyboard while they look up restaurants in a town they are traveling through. She is doing this on her phone in her hand. If those restaurants that she spent the time looking up didn’t have a website, she wouldn’t go. She has dietary needs and through the restaurant’s websites, she was able to find one that had a menu that met her needs!   If you don’t do business online, that is fine, but you still need a website. Your customers and clients still need to find you. They need to learn about you, and trust you because they buy from you. Your brand and image is now created online with a website, not in the design of your front window.   The key to spreading your online visibility and establishing business credibility is a well-built website that reflects your products and services in an organized, modern, and aesthetically pleasing design. We at Everest Direct Mail and Marketing, can help you boost your online presence by creating an original website, fit to your business’ specific needs. We know that no two businesses are alike – so we won’t just throw your content into a basic pre-created template Our experienced web designers will work with you to make sure each page reflects your products, services, and anything else you’d like to include. We guarantee we’ll provide you with a website you will be proud of, that reflects your professionalism, pride, and hard work you put into your business. ...read more

The whole world has gone movie mad!!! And by movies, I mean mini videos that appear on social media, websites and youtube. You can be the star of your own show and build a following that rivals those of anyone in Hollywood. But, for most of us, the mere thought of creating videos can be overwhelming. The possibilities are endless, and that can be the issue, how to get started and what do you make a video about. The following are some of the most popular types ofbusiness videos to help get you started. Product videos are probably the most popular. If you sell a product or service that is a bit tough to explain, a video is a great way to demo how to use it. Product videos show your product's features and benefits and includes examples of how it works. This engages your audience and keeps them on your website for a longer period of time. These can also be done for product updates where you keep your existing customer base knowledgeable about the latest changes and upgrades to your product. And they can teach your customers about new features and help to increase product purchases. These videos should be from two to five minutes so that you keep the viewer engaged. They can be posted on blogs, your website and social media platforms. Next, are videos called explainer videos. These are educational videos that teach your audience how to solve a problem. That problem could be related to using your product, or it could be about a method of service. Your audience should be able to take action based on the new skills they've learned while watching. These videos are good to partner with your blog as the content should be shared in both. If you customers seem to have lots of questions about your services or certain products, these videos can explain it. Give helpful tips to customers who might not be familiar with your entire product line. Or show the 101 ways that a product can be used. Again, the video should last just two to five minutes. If instructions take longer, divide the directions into a couple of videos. Onboarding videos are for welcoming a new customer or client. They are the first impression they will have about your business, your service and your products. You want them to feel comfortable and “at home” with their decision and you want them to understand everything there is to know about what you offer. Customers should be shown the ins and outs of all that your product has to offer them. They help your customers start off on the right foot. Your message in the video should be polished and valuable and easy to understand. These videos are covering a lot so they can be a bit longer than the other videos such as five to ten minutes. Make sure that you keep the viewer engaged throughout the entire video. Internal training videos are for employees and staff. These videos should be pointed towards the culture of your business. They are designed to cover subjects that may have otherwise taken a lot of time to explain a process or product. They can be watched repeatedly as references. It can take new employees through in depth processes about how your product and company run. Video length should be five to ten minutes and if they have to go longer, break them into chapters or training subject matter. Testimonial videos work wonders on a website because real people can influence real people. People influence people. Honest reviews can change one's opinion of a product or convince others to buy. That’s why these videos are so valuable.They show prospects the positive impact that your product has on real people. Listening to an existing customers while seeing a product in action is more engaging than reading a statement from that same customer. These videos should be short with multiple customer testimonials in each one, such as three to five minutes. Promotional videos are fun because they are like an invitation. You want a piece that is all dressed up and ready to go to a party. Conventions, trade shows, webinars and open houses, these videos work well for any of these events. They are a pitch for your event giving your audience a feel for your brand. First, you give a brief but detailed overview of the event you're promoting and then emphasize a call to action that asks the viewers to sign up or save the date. This is how you generate leads or attendees. These videos are super short, just one to three minutes, so they must be exciting and to the point. Video voicemails are videos that employees can use to connect with customers and leads. Using just the computer's camera, you can record a memorable short video that may answer a customer’s question. You can insert a thumbnail video into emails and send that to a customer. Or you can send one on to your email list with a fast message about a new idea. Any voicemail video should be under a minute long. And finally, social videos are created for your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. They are designed to drive traffic to your website to build brand awareness. They are a virtual video teaser as in the movies. If you have a longer training or promotional video that you want the world to see, you can cut it down to a shorter length. Then, encourage followers to click the link you’re promoting to watch the full video. Keep these videos short and simple as many people will see these for the first time on their phones. These should be less than two minutes long. In order to market your business and solidify your brand in people’s minds, you have to think outside the box. What are your competitors not doing? Sometimes potential clients don’t want to read a letter, an email, or a short postcard. They might not even want to scroll through a website to learn about a business.They want something quick that excites them and teaches them at the same time. This is where a professional, high-quality promotional video can come in and save the day. A unique, interesting and short promotional video can help display your business and the products and services you provide, while adding to your professionalism and helping your name stick within a person’s mind.Everest Direct Mail and Marketing employs talented multimedia producers, highly trained and skilled in all aspects of video creation. Let us create an original and captivating promotional video for your business! ...read more