My topic for my three hour seminar: How to Build Relationships With Your Customer Using Your Brand …Virtually! While I was preparing my session, I was wondering: why would a customer want a relationship with their dry cleaner? It is about trust, and delivering great service, and caring.

But, then the night before I was flying out, I tried on my own suit. I couldn’t even squeeze into it. My dry cleaner had somehow shrunk it and I had just worn it to Toronto only two weeks ago. So, I either bulked up two sizes or it was ruined.

I mentioned this to Nora Nealis, the President of the NCA, and Ann Hargrove, who works with her (pictured above),  They said it was probably “wet cleaned”, and had shrunk (thank heavens it wasn’t that I’d bulked up 15  pounds), and she said to mail her the suit when I came back to Florida. I sent it out to her today.

They have a lab on West 29th Street, and they analyze these things, so they can send out information and help dry cleaners not to do this to their customers. I’m one of those  people who just  silently defects. So, I’m searching for a new cleaner.

The dry cleaners that attended this brainstorming event are always the best and the brightest. I told them how to give their websites and their businesses a “brand personality”, and invite people to interact with them online. They can build loyalty, by having some fun with their customers, and starting contests, selling ancillary products. Some had never discovered the magic of search engines, or even tried offering Pick Up and Delivery as an online option.

One website we created at Lois Geller Marketing Group is Apthorp Cleaners (http://www.apthorpcleaners.com), and the owner, Debra Kravet was there. The website features a lady in red walking her dog, and Debra Kravet has expanded that brand to appear as posters on her windows, and in direct mail invitations, and a host of other programs she’s working on now. Soon her New York City trucks will have her “lady in red” doing many pickups and deliveries… which is really a moving billboard for her business.

Please visit her website: www.apthorpcleaners.com

One gentleman there has a dry cleaners in Belize. It is the only one in that country, and he built it from scratch… never having been in the business. He showed us his commercials, and we were all impressed. Here’s someone who has used his great ingenuity to build something wonderful and employ many people. He does quality work too.

So, all in all…it is a joy to teach dry cleaners how websites, and blogs and social media can all help them build their community outreach, and relationships with their customers and prospects.

Here’s 40 ideas that work! How do we know? We’ve tested them many times and every one of these ideas will help you boost response.

1. Know who you are! A unique brand personality makes you stand out, makes people like you, makes them want to do business with you.

2. Include some kind of letter. Even a fake “on-page” letter in a self-mailer or catalog. Packages with letters outperform letter-less mail 99% of the time. Even a boring, self-serving letter can be better than no letter. A well-written, 1 to 1 letter with some personality in it is better than anything. Get a pro to help you. It’s important.

3. Letter layout is almost as important as copy. Make it look inviting, easy to read. Use short sentences, short paragraphs, indents, double space between paragraphs, cross-heads, Johnson boxes, and a signature that looks like a human being wrote it. Not something like this: Marilyn Monroe

4. Make the signature any color you want, as long as it’s blue. It makes the letter look like it was signed by a real human being.

5. A lot of people read the P.S. before they get into the letter. It’s a great place for your single best point.

6. Urge them to respond now! Do it several times. Give them a reason why “now” is important.

7. All that white space in your letter margins is costing money. Use some of it for handwritten margin notes to make compelling points stand out. Looks more human, too.

8. Don’t let headlines just sit there. Pump them up with action words, solid promises, real benefits. Make them tantalizing. Get people curious. Usually we’ll write 20 headlines for every one we actually use.

9. Your outer envelope has only one job: to get opened by someone in the mood for what you have to say inside. Want to try a blank OE so they might think it’s from a friend? Not a good idea, because as soon as they get inside and realize it’s advertising, they’ll think you tried to fool them. Try really outrageous things on your OE. Big, interesting graphics, intriguing headlines, genuine promises, all work.

10. Test different OE creative. It’s not expensive and you might find that one OE kicks the pants off the rest.

11. Put your return address on the back flap of the envelope.

12. Turn your OE into a kind of brochure.

13. Put your offer prominently on the outer envelope, especially if it’s short, and a great offer! This really works with “glamour” products like jewelry, clothing and furniture.

14. Try putting an involvement device of some kind on your OE.

15. They won’t give you as much response as a traditional package, but postcards are a quick and easy way to test the relative merits of new lists, offers, personality.

16. Keep tweaking until your offer is irresistible. Remember it’s got to be unique, something they can’t get any other way. It’s your whole proposition, the combination of price, premium, membership, privileges, terms, future benefits, etc.

17. Restate your offer several times in your package: on the OE, in your letter and brochure and certainly on your response form.

18. FREE is still the best offer! In direct mail. For some reason it doesn’t work on the Subject line in an email.

19. A lot of people spend more time poring over creative than they do investigating lists. Creative is important, sure, but lists are twice as important. Get more list brokers working on your business and make sure you test new lists all the time.

20. Your best list is your current customer file. Your second best list is probably past customers. They’re your greatest direct marketing assets. Use them! But make sure the files are clean and up-to-date.

If you have any direct marketing questions, email Loisgeller@loisgellermarketinggroup.com

Continued…

20. Your best list is your current customer file. Your second best list is probably past customers. They’re your greatest direct marketing assets. Use them! But make sure the files are clean and up-to-date.

21. Direct response lists are always your best bet for outside lists. Someone who’s bought something through the mail is more likely to buy from you … especially if they’re recent buyers.

22. Have you ever tried a compiled list? Of course. Have you ever tried slanting the creative to the compiled list? Probably not. Names on most compiled lists have one thing in common (lawyers, accountants, soccer Moms, etc.). Whatever that one thing is, try reflecting it in your creative.

23. Use a great list broker. Ask for references, and describe your goals, package and target market. These are bright, dedicated people who want to do a great job so you’ll use them again and again.

24. Try to make your direct mail look and sound like it was touched by a human being. Customers and prospects tend to respond better when they feel like they are interacting with a real person.

25. Make sure all of your communications have the same brand personality.

26. Put the offer on your OE- especially if it’s short and a GREAT offer!

27. Try putting a special coupon on your OE.

28. Add a lift note (a.k.a. publisher’s letter). It’s another voice that adds credibility and focuses on the offer.

29. Test a live stamp on your OE. This makes the envelope look like a human being has touched it.

30. Invest in design! If you need a brochure, it should look great! A well designed brochure is almost always worth the extra cost.

31. Try a brochure CD.

32. Narrow your focus. One offer is plenty for a brochure. Think about using a catalog for more than one product or service.

33. Show people in your brochures and catalogs. Show them using your product. Your customers will be able to see how the product or service works and/or its actual size. Besides, people look at people before anything else.

34. Don’t forget to have the basic four: product description, price, offer and a guarantee, in your direct mail package.

35. Testimonials work! They add credibility to your products. Real names, real people. Show their photos if you can.

36. Features, advantages, benefits, benefits, benefits.

37. Guarantee is key! Make sure you have a great one- and this helps build trust between your brand and your customers.

38. Always use serif fonts on printed materials (fonts with feet). They are the easiest fonts to read.

39. Avoid hard-to-read text. Customers can ignore vital information simply if they can’t read it. The easiest to read is black face on a white background.

40. Put your contact information on more than just the order form. Don’t lose a sale because your customer/prospect lost your number, address or URL.

If you have any direct marketing questions, email Loisgeller@loisgellermarketinggroup.com