Approaching your marketing messages from this perspective will deliver memorable and highly effective campaigns that are amazingly easy to write. I’ll liken it to gift-giving at the holidays; you want to pick the perfect present to make the recipient happy and that takes perspective. After all no one wants to get a vacuum cleaner when they REALLY wanted a diamond necklace – anyone ever had this pleasant experience? I can vouch for the fact that it’s not fun and certainly doesn’t deliver the results you want.

Want the secret? Voila, I give you the step-by-step plan for crafting marketing messages that grab attention and get results.

Crafting Marketing Messages that Grab Attention & Get Results

WHO

Know your audience. I mean really know them. Who is your audience? What do they look like? What’s important to them? What kind of business are they in and what are their goals? Why would they be looking for your product/service? What do they do in their spare time? You get it, do your homework. You can’t write WIIFM messages without knowing who you’re talking to.

WHAT

What does your service/product do for the audience? Will it make their life easier? Make them stand out against their competition? Make them more money? Get customers talking about them? Pick the top three reasons that, based on knowing your audience, will be the most important to them. Those are the main topics to focus your messaging around.

WHY

Why is your product/service different from others? Do NOT write this from your perspective, but rather based on reasons that are important to your audience. Listing off a bunch of general sales jargon here will pretty much kill your message. This step should incorporate why what your company does will meet the audience’s needs/desires/goals/etc.

Now walk away from your list for a few minutes or even sleep on it overnight. The final step is to consolidate your Who, What, Why statements into one sentence of only 5-7 words. That’s it just 5-7 words and shorter is better. This will be your company’s main marketing message to build all other campaign content around. I’m not saying this is an easy plan, but it definitely gets easier the more you do it. Not only can this technique be used for marketing messaging, but also to collect feedback from your clients via surveys. If you can get your audience to tell you more about themselves imagine how much easier (and better) your marketing messages will become!

Once you work your creative magic, let Three Dog Logistics get it into your target mailboxes. Remember, we take the bite out of postage and freight. Visit www.threedoglogistics.com or call 410-284-5494 extension 340 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The post The Secret to Great Marketing Messages: WIIFM first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

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The post DID YOU KNOW… first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

It’s tricky to do during the last sweaty days of summer, but first get yourself in the right frame of mind; not the ho-ho-ho kind, but the true spirit of the season no matter your beliefs. What is it that you would like to convey to your clients and how do you want them to feel after hearing from you? It’s important to bring emotion and sincerity into any campaign during the holiday season – it is NOT the time for a hard sell campaign, save that for another season. The exception to the soft-sell rule is that it’s ok to be very competitive with your offer in the name of buying the “perfect gift” for that special someone.

Now that you’re in the holiday spirit, I offer a couple of ideas for you to kick around.

Idea #1: Everyone Loves to Receive a Gift with No Strings Attached

No matter what, it always feels good to receive a gift just because someone appreciates you. It’s important to select a real gift with value that doesn’t require tons of hoops to jump through just to get it. Use the gift campaign as an opportunity to thank your customers for their loyalty. You can ask for some type of action to receive the gift, but make it simple and gracious. For example, a free item/service with any visit to your shop, special commemorative gift for donors, or home-baked goods delivered with your holiday card will all make a positive impact. Even in today’s fast-paced digital world, goodwill goes a long way.

Idea #2: Make It Very Easy to Do Business with You during the Busy Holiday Season

The scarcest resource during the holidays is time. Developing strategies to make it easy to do business with you or quickly respond to your campaign will improve results. Always make the decision easy, whether that means a special bundled package with everything included for one flat rate price or a simple way to respond via email/web landing page that takes just seconds, help your customer simplify their life.

Idea #3: Offer Deferred Billing until January 2015

Offer the option to invoice clients now or wait until January 2015. For some companies the option to push expenses into the next fiscal year allows them to say yes to your proposal on the spot and saves tons of follow-up calls. Clearly tout the special financing option on all promotions, again as a way to make their lives easier during the busy holiday season. Sick of that yet?

Idea #4: Become a Drop-Off Site for a Give-Back Campaign of Your Choice

Offering your facility as a charitable drop-off site gives people the opportunity to interact with your company in a very different way. Trust me, the amount of loyalty and goodwill an event like this generates is mind-blowing. Whether it’s a food drive, Toys for Tots, clothing drive, or gift drive for local military officers that can’t get home, make sure it’s a cause that’s close to your heart. It’s a great opportunity to involve your employees in the selection of the cause, organization of the event, and to experience the great feeling that comes from helping others.

I’ll admit this is premature, but I wish a wonderful holiday season and happy 2015 to each and every one of our client partners! All of us at Three Dog Logistics value your business and are doggone happy to call you a part of our team.

The post Yes,The Holidays are Coming. What’s Your Plan? first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

What once took weeks now takes days, and the United States Post Office continues to bring new innovations to its delivery options – and Three Dog has found ways to harness these innovations so our clients can grow and strengthen their businesses. Best known for Commingling services, Three Dog has expanded to offer multiple innovative services.

Barcodes With Brains

The barcode might be one of the most impactful innovations of our lifetime, ranking up there with the internet. Now commonplace, barcodes have been improved by the United States Post Office through its Intelligent Mail Package Barcode, also known as IMpb.

The IMpb is applied to every parcel and also to packages in the Extra Services class. The bars in each barcode include information about Mailer ID, Zip Code routing, and payment channel information. In addition, mail class and extra service are also included in the code.

Three Dog’s OBBAgistics software suite was designed and customized to take advantage of IMpb. This integration allows our clients to track their parcel mail through our website, and because it is tied directly in to the new barcode system, it is possible for you to track every piece of parcel mail you send out. Great for tracking product sampling, bound printed matter and anything requiring the IMpb.

Reaching Every Door!

When the USPS introduced Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), clients were now able to target specific carrier routes without the cost of purchasing lists up front. Clean, easy and less expensive, EDDM Complete from Three Dog Parcel provides everything you need to maximize the postal discounts EDDM offers.

Don’t forget Freight!

Smarter, Faster Solutions exist.

Innovations in software allowed Three Dog to implement a world-class EDI-based Transportation Management System to provide its clients with instant dynamic rates and rate comparisons. Combined with the use of brand name, known and trusted, carriers to ship, Three Dog gains control over freight shipments, better rates, and shipment tracking for up-to-date status along the way.

No More Ponies

While we do not have any ponies on our property, the Three Dog team is ready to help you get your mail and parcels delivered on time, and at a cost savings to you. If you would like to find out more about our company and services, check out our website or contact us today!

The post Innovations In Delivery first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.