51 helpful DM ideas

How would you like 51 helpful marketing ideas – 100% free?

These tested ideas and the thinking behind them have helped sell to customers of all ages, businesses and consumers, for boring things like home improvements and insurance, and fun things like holidays and cars. In fact for almost anything you can think of from investments to property to seminars – in this country and abroad, online and off.

Each idea is easy to implement.
Each costs very little – or nothing at all.

Famous brands and unknowns have profited from these ideas. Some are tactical, some strategic. They’ve helped sell very expensive products and services and very cheap ones; simple things people buy every day – and complex and costly IT gizmos we had to fight to understand.

But we believe that no matter how similar what you sell is to your competitors’ product or how hard it is to explain, everything can be made to seem better – or more easily understood – and above all sold.

Check out the first ten of these helpful ideas. It only takes a few minutes – then, if you like what you see, register or login to read the remaining 41.

You’ll be in good company. Although they are simple, their readers include senior managers for famous brands, celebrated business school professors – and multi-millionaire entrepreneurs.

Start right now!

(Click each idea to read more)

1. Communicate more than your competitors.

2. Do what a salesman would do.

3. Try running longer copy.

4. Try an editorial style.

5. Put more effort into enquiry responses.

6. Who is your customer? An individual – not a type.

7. Try an incentive.

8. Use emotional appeal.

9. Write from me to you – never from a ‘team’.

10. Talk about what you can do for your customers.

11. The obvious is always overlooked.

12. Ask for a reply or action – repeatedly.

13. "Use simple words everyone knows ..."

14. Online marketing is just accelerated offline marketing.

15. A quick creative checklist.

16. Use ‘reason why’ copy.

17. Good creative costs no more to run than bad creative...

18. Make sure your pictures are relevant.

19. The X factor – words that paint a picture.

20. Study! Recommended reading list.

21. Always make it easy to respond.

22. Don’t take your customer for an idiot.

23. Always differentiate yourself.

24. Make sure your database people talk to your creative people.

25. Times change. People don’t.

26. Read your copy out aloud.

27. Use research for illumination. Not support.

28. If language is used incorrectly...

29. Leave well alone if tests prove something new won’t do better.

30. Try exclusivity. Make it a privilege to buy.

31. Why powerpoint speeches don’t work.

32. Search the world and steal the best.

33. Once you have a good idea – try and make it surprising

34. Never put your slogan before the thinking

35. How much is a customer worth to you?

36. Playing on people’s inadequacies is a smart thing to do.

37. Don’t be fooled by digital drivel.

38. Spend 90% of your time thinking about how to single out your prospect.

39. When something sounds good get an exact definition.

40. Start with the truth, not what you wish it to be.

41. Look beyond the numbers.

42. Never forget why you are here: "To get more people to buy more stuff more often at a higher price so the company makes more money".

43. Where to get good ideas ...

44. Understand brands – or find out the hard way ...

45. Get a consistent look – but don’t be rigid.

46. Want results? Give people the time and money to get them.

47. Until you know how to do better, copy.

48. Why are you advertising? To familiarise? Overcome inertia? Add value? Spread news? To remind?

49. Do a better job before doing anything else.

50. Find a real life comparison to what you are trying to do.

51. Don’t think! Act!

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