Friday, September 25, 2009

Advertising in the B2B Market

Any advertising that sells products or services to businesses, industries, or professionals, not to consumers, is business-to-business advertising. Products and services featured in these ads are bought by business people for their professional, not personal, use.

People buy high-tech products for solutions to specific problems.

Very few high-tech ads are designed to sell the product directly. Their purpose is to build a comfort level for the buyer to feel good about the product and the company.

Good advertising copy should focus on the client 1st, the product 2nd, and the company 3rd.

Advertising promotions vary from a single page ad to several pages targeted to certain audiences that need the company products.

Business-to-business advertising copy typically addresses these audiences:

Users, like secretaries or mechanical operators who want to try out a product.
Choosers, like purchasing managers who have the power to place an order.
Proprietors, like directors who have the authority to issue the purchase orders.

These advertisements need to quickly list the unique features and benefits of the products and company in an organized 1 to 2 page copy that keeps the reader interested and wanting to find out more. The ad must give more information about the product, not the company, and the reader should learn something from it.

For example: an advertisement of a new computer and the company that makes it should include pictures of the product, all the features, what advance technology is included (i.e.,faster speed processor), how the user can benefit from this new machine (less processing time), and that the company will be around to support it and stand by what they sell. Also include the company logo, web site, and contact information.

This will keep your business to business audience looking forward to your next advertisements.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

10 Tips for Writing B2B Direct Mail pieces and Increasing Response rates Continued

Hello business owners:

Here are the other 5 of the 10 Tips for Writing Direct Mail pieces in Business to Business (B2B) that will increase your response rates:


6. Add a Call to Action. If the prospect is to call, e-mail, or go to a landing page, tell them in bold type. Put the call to action in a bold, legible, easy to read font.

7. Add Company contact information. Make sure the contact information is large and in a bright color so it stands out on the mail pieces. Add it on all pieces contained in the package where applicable.

8. Make sure the offer appeals to the right audiences. Sell windshield wipers to car owners, dog food to dog owners.

9. Use the word “Free”. “Free” is a stronger motivator than any amount of “percentage off”. For example, “Send in the mailer for a Free booklet on....”

10. Personalize the direct mail piece. Use a simple mail merge lists –or more complex personalization techniques –to make the mailers more direct. Do not write “Dear Employer” or “Dear Executive”. Personalize it. “Dear Mr. Trump”.

If you missed the first 5 tips, go back to the previous blog post and look up 10 Tips for Writing B2B Direct Mail pieces and Increasing Response rates.

These tips really do work and will increase response rates.

Your comments are welcomed.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

10 Tips for Writing B2B Direct Mail pieces and Increasing Response rates

Hello business owners:

Here are 10 Tips for Writing Direct Mail pieces in Business to Business (B2B) that will increase your response rates:

1. Change the Envelope. Readers do not want to see the same old envelope that is sent out repeatedly. They know it's coming, what it looks like, and it's going directly in the trash. Ask your copywriter to change the paper, color or size of the envelope.

2. Use teaser copy on the envelope. Make the teaser a shocking fact or something so enticing that the recipient wants to open the envelope to learn more. “Stop Hackers on Your Network Using these 3 Steps. Open to Read How”

3. Add a “reply by” date. Adding a “reply by” date adds urgency to the direct mail piece. It makes the prospects respond to the offer quickly.

4. Try a lift letter. A lift letter is an extra letter tucked into the main offer. A lift letter gives you one more chance to sell your products or services. For example, “A Note from the Publisher” lift letter urging the recipients to renew their subscriptions.

5. Highlight the Benefits. Show how the product or service is going to make life easier or better for your clients and prospects.

You'll have to come back to my Blog in a day or so for the other 5 tips.

See you then. Comments are welcomed.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Direct Mail in Business to Business (B2B)

Business to Business (B2B) Direct Mail and indirect mail packages are valuable marketing tools for companies in their line of business. This may include new product announcements delivered to certain companies that have bought from them before. For example: a new paper tray is available for a multi-page color copier that now holds twice as many pages.

Other Direct Mail packages may include mailers to new businesses to spark an interest on what the company offers; i.e., a new product is out, an enhancement to an existing product, a reduction in price of an existing product, etc.

Direct Mail packages are also used by companies that do not use a direct sales or marketing organization to create a sales interest and to make the deals. “Try X-Y-Z Corporations new computer laptop for your field personnel's mobile sales kits. Read on”

Direct Mail packages are short and simple depending on the materials and the message intended to be made. Caution: long copy is not well received now due to everyone's busy work load and lack of time.

Direct Mail packages are generally organized per offer or product and include pictures, graphs, charts, and content to describe the product features and benefits and the company that makes or offers it. A graphics artist may be required depending on the layout and images desired.

Layout of the DM package should be short copy, contain precise information, product pictures, features and benefits if a product is part of the mail campaign, and how to go about getting the offer.

The package needs to present a non-sales approach that would result from the mailing being tossed in the trash or deleted if sent on-line. And, most importantly, it should “Wow” the recipient with what the offer is all about.

If the direct mail package does not get and keep their attention, it is likely headed for the trash bin for sure.

You only have a brief moment of the recipient's attention and interest. Take advantage of it.

Look for some helpful tips on writing B2B Direct Mail and increasing response rates in my next blog.

Comments are welcomed.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

5 Tips for Writing Effective B2B Marketing Emails

Hey gang,

Here are 5 tips to writing effective Business to Business (B2B) marketing emails that will get your prospects opening and reading them:

1.Make the “Subject” Line Strong. It doesn't matter how compelling the email offer is or how brilliant the message is written. If the Subject line is weak, the email will never get opened. Keep the Subject line short (never more than 40 characters including spaces.), and make it communicate extremely quick with a little “punch”. For example “Four Ways to Get Our Software”.

2.Add Web Address at Top and Bottom. Include the Company URL link to their web site landing page at the top and towards the end of the email message. Readers may not want to go through all the copy to get to the web site hot link. They're ready to click right to the web site. Make it easy for them to do so.

3.Identify the Reader's Pain Quickly. Let the prospects know immediately that you understand exactly what they're up against, and that here's the answer to their problem. Do not start out with benefits and features of the product. Get to the problem solutions quick.

4.Do not make the E-mail too short. Prospects will read the email if it has valuable information for them. Acceptable content may span 7 to 8 paragraphs and use bullets where needed. Some people like to read all that the email has to say. Others will click on the URL and not read much of the email. So do not short change any of the readers. Provide just enough copy content to make it valuable to the reader, and provide a URL for the ones ready to click away to the web site.

5.Keep the E-mail lively. Writing in a flat, boring style is not good. Write with a little energy and a sense of fun. Sometimes when you add a little attitude, you can cut through the clutter and get the reader on your side. “Firefox is Free and It Deserves a spot on your hard drive. It's Super Fast”.

Well there you go. Try this and see if you don't get results. These methods do work.

In my 27 years in the business to business (B2B) market, I had to use any methods I could to get my best customers to open an email. Even after I called them and told them I was sending one to them.

Your comments and tips are welcomed.