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Using Your Fax To Generate New Business

Author: Allyson Huggett 

While most faxes are sent and received via email these days, it is still possible to generate new business using your old, reliable fax machine. Over the years, we have sent well over 10 million faxes, proof that you are getting your message out to the people you are contacting.  So why not use your fax machine/e-fax to send out your marketing materials? While effective, there are laws governing using your fax for advertising purposes. Here are some reasons why fax advertising is effective...

• Delivery is instant.
• You can use a "fax bureau or bulk fax service" to send your fax.  In 30 minutes 200,000 faxes can be delivered.
• A bulk fax service also has their own list of companies which can be broken down by industry, postal code, number of employees, etc...
• Depending on the volume of faxes you send at any one time, you can pay as little as a few cents per fax. So for 10,000 faxes you could pay less than $100.
• Because delivery is instant, you can expect to receive responses within minutes of the faxes being delivered.

How does this differ from an email blast?  Some people still don't use email, believe it or not. However, they may have a fax machine.  You also do not need someone's email address to send to. All you need is a fax number.  You should never send out a "fax blast" on a Monday or a Friday, and time the fax to be sent between 11 am and 3 pm. For maximum success, your marketing piece should look like it has been "ripped out" of a publication and sent by a friend.

Don't forget your customers either run companies or work for them. Send the fax to companies where your target market work and you can still generate good results.

Should you have any questions, please contact the specialists at The Tax Office, Inc.  We can help you determine your target market, design your marketing materials, headlines, or discuss your marketing plan.

3 Effective Tips That Create A Sense of Personalization

Author: Allyson Huggett 

Day after day the mailbox is filled with advertisements and mailers.  What differentiates your advertisement from every other advertisement out there?  Why do I want to read your marketing piece? Is there something that is going to catch my eye?  A bold headline? Or maybe it's something else.  Maybe your company took the time to do something a little different, and made your marketing more personal, JUST FOR ME.

Taking the time to personalize your marketing pieces can increase response in your customers and therefore increase your sales.  While it may take a little more time in creating the advertisement, the good news is that it's very easy to create a sense of personalization with some little known yet easy to apply tricks of the trade.  Here are 4 things that you can do to create that sense of personalization in your marketing pieces.

1. Use the prospect or client's name. Everyone like's to see their name so addressing your material to a named person will always bring about a response.  You do want to make certain you use the correct spelling. If you are going to take the time to address the material, at least spell it correctly.
2. Use "handwriting".  Addressing an envelope by hand almost always will get that envelope opened.  That doesn't mean use a "handwriting font." It means that you get a pen and literally address the envelope. You can always outsource this if you do not wish to do it yourself.
   
   You can also use handwriting to write your marketing piece. Or write a note on a Post-It note and attach it to one of your marketing communications.  This can make your marketing piece seem more relevant and personal.
3. Written Just For Me.  Perhaps the most important method of personalization is to write your marketing piece focused entirely on your target market.  When you write, write as if you were writing to one person - the reader, even if you are sending it out to thousands.

Remember, it takes more time and effort to create personalized marketing materials but this extra attention to detail will increase the returns for your business.  Should you have any questions regarding this or any other marketing issues, please contact us, The Tax Office, Inc.  Our specialists are here to assist you in all business related matters.

Every Marketing Piece Must Have A Powerful Headline

Author: Allyson Huggett 

When you are writing your marketing pieces the primary goal of the piece is to grab your customer's attention. The best way to do that is with a powerful, eye-popping headline. But how do you know if your headline is one of those? There are four key objectives to a great headline:

1. to get attention
2. to select an audience
3. to deliver a message
4. to draw the reader into the body copy - or keep them listening to you.

If you fulfill these four things then you can expect some improvement in your results. Fulfilling theses four things (all of them) may seem complicated at first, but we have 5 rules that simplify the matter and can multiply your sales and profits:

1. Your headline should always stand out. Make it big and bold, generally at the top of your marketing piece.
2. Your headline must be clear and direct. Nothing complex and difficult to understand.
3. Your headline should be specific. People in general always respond better to specifics. For example, "Lose 20 Pounds in 4 Weeks!" is a better headline than "Lose Weight Fast!"
4. The headling must promise a reward or benefit for reading on. See the above example.  Who doesn't want to learn more about how to lose 20 pounds in 4 weeks?
5. Use powerful words in your headline. Studies have been done to determine which words in the English language are the most powerful words to use in headlines. The top 20 words are...

Now that you know the rules about headlines, we'll give you one more as a bonus rule:

Always test your headlines! For example, create a letter with two different headlines. Make certain that the only difference between the two letters is the headline.  Send them out to your target market and compare the results. The one that receives the best results is the one with the best headline.

The Tax Office, Inc. would be happy to assist you with your marketing program. Should you have any questions, please contact us.  Our specialists in our Client Accounting Services, Business Services, CFO Services, or Marketing Division would be happy to assist you.