Advertising Effectively with Postcards

Even though we are in a digital age and more and more businesses are moving toward paperless offices, postcard advertising campaigns still remain an extremely effective way to promote your business.  A printed postcard works well for several reasons:

1. Even in today’s digital age people still like to get mail,
2. When a person receives mail they generally read it instantaneously,
3. Postcards allow you to reach out to your prospective clients on a personal level,
4. Postcards can be a low cost solution in reaching clients from all over,
5. You can pass them out when at seminars, meetings, trade shows and exhibits
6. For the eco-conscience business, choosing eco-friendly products when designing or ordering postcards is easy to do.

The design of your postcard is crucial and should be well planned. Even if you choose to use a simple card and print them one at a time on your own printer it is important the design includes an eye-catching headline and a strong marketing message. Don’t just talk about yourself; be sure to promote the benefits your clients receive by hiring you. Spend time on creating your message and what you want your readers to know about your services.  A good headline should grab your recipient’s attention immediately…even if it is on the way to the trash can.

If you have a large target list consider using a reputable printing company. Sending postcards via bulk rate saves time and money.  If you don’t have your own bulk mail permit number use the services of a local mailing company.

Advertising Effectively with PURLS

PURL stands for Personalized URL. PURLs are custom websites designed for each of your target clients. Quite simply, a landing web page is created for each name on your target list. Personalized URLs allow you to promote the individualized websites to your target audience with a postcard or email with each customer’s custom website on it.  The sites are very brief, often with a survey page for the customer to complete. Personalized URLs are a hot trend theses days but I warn you this is not a cheap form of marketing.

Many business owners use PURL marketing if they have a very individualized list of people they want to approach. I admit it is a very cool and impressive way to reach your audience. Who can resist opening a website that has his/her name on it?

If you are interested in PURL marketing and have a difficult time finding an integrated marketing company in your area I will be glad to refer you to a very progressive printing and mailing company here in Ohio. (For the record, I do not own or have any interest in any printing and mailing company, but I have used several companies and would be happy to refer you to someone reputable).

Finally, remember to feed your mind… Read… Learn… Do. Tap into experts. Study a variety of business magazines.  A good idea elsewhere may be a great idea you can apply to your business. You already know that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing you have always done and expecting different results. Don’t go insane. Try new marketing techniques. No better time than now.

All best wishes,
Bob

Bob Mackowiak
Mackowiak Communications
Helping PI’s Market their Services since 1988.
755 Bronx Drive
Toledo, Ohio 43609
Mackowiakcom@aol.com
www.letbobhelp.homestead.com

However, as if to validate the concept that ‘Timing is Everything,” this idea is about to receive a tremendous blast in its sails due to none other than the Disney Corporation, particularly its well-known division called ABC-TV.

ABC is launching a new primetime series called “Find My Family,” from the same producers as the longstanding hit, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”  According to ABC,  “With the help of a dedicated team of researchers, hosts Tim Green and Lisa Joyner guide people searching for lost loved ones through the emotional journeys that will change their lives forever.”

Do you know anyone who can help locate “lost loved ones?”  Isn’t this a skill that virtually every PI in the country has? Do you see the opportunity here? I’ve said for years and years that one of the best ways to get your name in your regional news media is to find a local angle to a national story. This new show will be passing out that opportunity across the country. You need to be willing to pick it up.

Granted, over the years there have been several attempts at television shows that feature private investigators, sometimes with a nod to the sensationalistic  spouse-caught-in the-cheating-act mode. But “Find My Family” is a tug-at-your-heartstrings kind of show, and it is produced by the same folks who have advanced the home renovation show to an art.

(Last year, “Extreme Makeover” built a house in my hometown of Toledo. It was a massive event.  Obviously the local ABC affiliate had top-of-the-line access to the show’s stars, but every local TV station and newspaper covered the event. It was news, good, positive news.  And those are the forces behind this new show. )

I can hear some Pursuit Magazine readers saying, “But I don’t want to focus on lost loved/missing persons cases.” Understandable. That’s fine. Just step aside and let someone else – - one of your competitors – - become the most visible, well-known PI in your market.

Here’s what to do:
Contact the news department of your local ABC affiliate.  Tell them their new primetime show sounds like it has mass appeal, and ask if they would like to have a talented, professional, comfortable-in-front-of-the-camera PI like yourself do the same kind of work for them for a story, or for a series of stories.

If you are the chosen one for this project in your area, yes, it will take some of your time, and, no, you won’t get paid for it.  But the positioning your agency will receive will be remarkable.  And it extends beyond just the TV show.  When the local Kiwanis or Rotary want a PI to do a presentation on locating lost assets, who do you think will be the first PI they will think of and offer that speaking engagement to?? The local PI on TV!

Can you imagine the kind of positive publicity and name recognition your agency will have if you do this on the local ABC news show week, after week, after week?

Now, there’s no guarantee every news editor at every ABC affiliate in every city will necessarily make a routine feature of this. Furthermore, some cautious editors may want to wait to see how the show takes off before spinning a local story off the show. But I think that most will do at least one story, and that story may feature you.  How well it goes depends on the particular case, the talent of the reporter, the skills and comfort a PI has in front of the camera, etc.   But the bigger the show becomes, the more likely local stories, even a local series of stories, will become a reality.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and the holiday season enable us all to focus on the people who are important to us: family, loved ones and close friends. But many people have loved ones they have lost touch with. So, as a smart marketer of your services, take advantage of it.

Three final points:

1. What do you do if you would like to be doing this kind of local TV gig and the slot is already taken?  Well, you’ll have to monitor things for just a bit to see how the show takes off; but you can still approach a local community newspaper or radio station and do the same kind of thing with them.  Any news media or publication could do such a story at any time between Thanksgiving and New Years, and you can be the one interviewed, regardless of what happens with the new ABC series.
2. In the news world, “Not now” does not mean no. It really means not now.  Give them a chance to chew on the idea.
3. Finally, if you pursue this marketing/warm-hearted holiday vehicle, let me know what happens.  I’d love to hear of personal success stories.

Bob Mackowiak has been helping private investigators market their services since 1988. He has spoken about marketing at private investigation conferences from Florida to Alaska, is the author of the classic manual, “How to Market Your Private Investigation Agency,” and helped hundreds of PIs with his COPI Brochure Development System. You can learn more about Bob and his services at www.LetBobHelp.Homestead.com. His email is mackowiakcom@aol.com.

Your marketing efforts are generally best spent on targeting your best prospects, but there are times when you, too, should do some “mass communicatin’.” I explored one aspect of that in my recent Pursuit Magazine column on using the news media for free publicity.

Another popular vehicle for reaching the public requires you to spend some money, but it’s worth pursuing now because pricing is in your favor. This vehicle is advertising, specifically radio advertising. If all you ever, ever, ever want to do is perform surveillance work for the XYZ insurance company, then spend all your marketing dollars taking as many people as possible from the XYZ Company out to lunch.

But these are not typical times, and you might welcome a wider variety of work that may be available. Besides, if your investigative workload is like most PIs it includes cases for attorneys, background checks for businesses, serving the general public’s needs and, yes, also doing some surveillance for XYZ.

Why consider radio advertising now? Three main reasons:

1) Your target audiences listen to the radio: attorneys, and their families, and their staffs, and their staffs’ families; people who own businesses; people who work at insurance companies, etc. Your target audience is everywhere….just like radio.
2) You’ll cut through the clutter. All sorts of businesses advertise on the radio, including professional services, such as dentists and lawyers. I’ll wager you almost never hear an ad for a PI, which is why you will stand out from your competition.
3) Radio advertising is down, so ad costs are down as well. It’s not like newspaper advertising which is down because fewer and fewer people read newspapers, it’s down because of the economy. That means very attractive pricing, especially when you buy a radio package.

What do you say in your ad? That is even easier, because radio stations will help you write the ad (again, if you buy a package of commercials, and not just one or two spots). Furthermore, the radio station will typically professionally record it for you at no extra charge. Sound good?

Keep in mind that you are not likely to get potential clients to go from zero (never having heard of you) to sixty (hiring you) by hearing your ad once or twice. Frequency is key in advertising, so the package price is important. Also, encourage people to call for their no-cost, no-obligation booklet: “Ten Things you must know before hiring a private investigator” or something that gets them to contact you with no strings attached. It’s easy for them, and good for you.

As the economy begins to stabilize and the holiday season approaches, more companies will return to advertising. Now is the time to advertise on the radio.

Bob Mackowiak has been helping private investigators market their services since 1988. He has spoken about marketing at private investigation conferences from Florida to Alaska, is the author of the classic manual, “How to Market Your Private Investigation Agency,” and helped hundreds of PIs with his COPI Brochure Development System. You can learn more about Bob and his services at www.LetBobHelp.Homestead.com.

Click Here to Email Bob.

You…in the News!

In my first Pursuit Magazine column, Be Positive and Do Something!, I tried to give you a big picture about the importance of taking action to market your services. This time I will be very specific about one of the best things you can do to market your private investigator services. It’s something every PI wants, and it is something almost every PI can obtain.

And it won’t cost you a penny.

It’s getting your name in the local news.

And it’s easier than you think.

You can get your name in the news when you actually have news to share: a merger, an expansion, a new location. That kind of stuff is legitimate news, and a basic press release should get you on the business page.

But what about when you have no real news about your agency, which is probably most of the time?

That’s when it’s even easier!

Why?
Let’s pause for just a second to discuss why you want your name in the news. Yes, it’s visibility for your company, but it’s more than that. It’s the stamp of approval, or what I call the halo effect. You can say you are great, the best expert in your field. You can write a letter or an advertisement telling someone how fantastic you are, and it all might be true. But it is perceived as promotional, as you marketing yourself.

However, if you get yourself interviewed by the news media, it carries with it the halo effect, the power the media has of declaring you to be an expert. It amounts to a third party endorsement. After all, why would the media talk to you about a topic unless you knew what you were talking about? Even though the news media does not carry the same level of high regard, trust and respect it had with the public a couple decades ago, people still turn to TV, newspapers and online sources for information. For news. And people still listen and believe. So you being interviewed, quoted, featured, photographed and visible in the news media is still good.

Furthermore, media begats media. What gets in your local newspaper also gets on the local television news, radio talk shows, blogs, etc. Do one interview well, and you will have proven yourself to be an expert, which will attract other media interviews. Plus, it can also serve you long term, because the media will turn to you first the next time they have a story idea that may involve investigative services.

How?
How do you get your name on the nightly news when you have no news? The easiest and the most consistent way to get on the news has little to do with what is new in your office and everything to do with what is going on in the world. What you want to do is find a local angle to a national story.

When a big or timely story hits, it is big news not only on the national news, but it becomes the top story on all versions of the local news…and there are typically multiple news shows on the same channel: 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 11 p.m..

When a big story breaks, the news is about who, what, where, when, etc. At first, local angles to national stories are typically the reactions of average people. But what happens when time goes on? The media is still looking for a different local aspect to a story, and if you can find a way to present what you know as an investigative professional, then you can be an expert quoted. And you will also be amazed at what can be a big story.

What?
Let’s take a couple examples.

One enterprising PI was featured in the Associated Press – - I repeat, was featured nationally – - by explaining that there are three professionals always busy on Valentines Day: the florist, the chocolate maker, and the private investigator. The first two professions are obvious, but the point is that someone suspected of cheating on a spouse will definitely seek out their lover on Valentine’s Day. So the public learns that’s the day to hire a PI to have that person followed. What really struck me about that story, however, is that it did not have to be a short syndicated story tucked inside a newspaper on page three; It could have been a local story about a local PI in virtually every newspaper in every city in every state, if someone had taken the time to call the city editor of a newspaper or the assignment editor on a TV station and present the idea.

For our second idea, fast forward in the year to May. It’s prom time. Although most high schools would love to have the media come out to film their prom, TV stations can’t feature one school and not others. But prom time makes many people remember and long for their old high school days. A local TV station might be looking for a prom related story, and would be interested in a feature entitled “Where is your old prom date now?“ You, as a professional private investigator who knows how to locate people, can show viewers interested in revisiting their past can how they can find their old high school sweetheart, even if they are not on Facebook.

Here’s one more idea I have lectured about at PI conferences, and many PIs look at me like I’m crazy. But I’ve seen it work. Every two years or so, a new James Bond movie comes out. It’s always a box office smash, and it always features high-tech gadgets. Contact the assignment editor of a TV station or the city editor of a newspaper and explain that you are not a spy, but rather are a licensed private investigator. But, just like James Bond, you use some intriguing technologically advanced gadgets that many people would find interesting. You would be glad to show the reporter how they work. It helps if you have a sense of humor about this story, but this works….and I’ve even seen this exact story featured on CNN. You can get that story, featuring you, on your local media.

Where?
Where do you go from here?

Well, I’ve already exceeded the length of my first column with this piece, and I sure want Scott to have me back each month to help you with your marketing efforts. But if getting your name in the news piques your interest (and it should) and you would like three timely story ideas that you can pitch to your local media between now and Labor Day, just send me an email with the subject line of Three Ideas, and I’ll email them to you. My email is mackowiakcom@aol.com.

Bob Mackowiak has been helping private investigators market their services since 1988. He has spoken about marketing at private investigation conferences from Florida to Alaska, is the author of the classic manual, “How to Market Your Private Investigation Agency,” and helped hundreds of PIs with his COPI Brochure Development System. You can learn more about Bob and his services at www.LetBobHelp.Homestead.com.

Consider this:

In early April I was at an awards presentation by the college of business administration of a major university. They recognized outstanding undergraduate and graduate students, which in itself was inspiring: young men and women achieving fantastic grades in the classroom, making an impact in the community, and usually having great jobs already lined up after graduation. Some had already started their own business. Incredibly inspiring stuff.

The local businessman honored that evening had started a bank less than two years ago with $27.5 million in assets. That bank now has over $150 million in assets. Think about that: While the banking industry has been taking tremendous hits during the last couple years, this guy was growing a brand new bank….to five times its original size.

The message for your business: Do something. Take action. Now.

You have to maintain a positive attitude. It shows, and it helps convey your confidence in your ability to get things done, including your ability to solve your client’s problem. Don’t be down in front of former, current or potential clients. Be a professional. Show them that you are ready and able to help them.

Do something. Anything instead of sitting around and worrying.

Don’t fool yourself into the popular attitude that nothing is happening and that there is nothing you can do about it. Fortunes were made even during the Great Depression…by people who did something. They started a new business, seized and acted upon a creative idea, and, perhaps most importantly, offered products and services that people want. Take a step away from your business and analyze what it is your existing or potential customers want. Then give it to them. If it means going back to serving process, then do it, with a smile and better than anybody else. And remember, now more than any time in decades, price is critically important.

What specifically can you do?

Offer them a sale.

No, you won’t call it that. You will call it a preferred customer, new customer limited time discount. Times are tough. Make it easier for people to do business with you. Go ahead, be aggressive. Create a coupon for 25% off a new client’s first case with you. Then extend a (one time) 50% discount to your best clients. Send them a real coupon, signed by you. I’d recommend adding an expiration date to avoid someone hanging on to it for a long time and to help motivate someone to use your services now.

People who may have been on the fence about buying a car are now going into showrooms because they know that they can get unbelievable deals. People understand that deals now available will not always be available, that today’s special prices will not be the regular asking price when the economy improves. Besides, if you are not busy, what would you rather have: fifty percent of your usual fees or one hundred percent of nothing?

A discount is something you can extend to all your best clients… or clients-to-be.

In January 2009 I wrote and edited a newsletter for a non-profit client I had previously done volunteer work for. The association director told me to be sure to track my hours and submit a bill. When I did, I made a point of not charging my regular rate, as well as to point out that I had also donated several hours to the project, making sure she understood that the project could never have been completed for the limited number of hours for which I had billed. Billing at my regular hourly rate and for all the hours I worked would have netted a bigger paycheck for me, but the way I did it provided three positive results. 1) I still received collected a nice fee; 2) I voluntarily helped a non-profit cause I believe in; 3) Since I started the project they have asked me to write the newsletter for the rest of the year, which of course translates to additional paychecks throughout the year. The same benefits may await you for being creative and for taking a short-term loss for a long-term benefit.

Attract new clients with a special promotion, then continue to market to your newly obtained clients throughout the year. Keep in mind the long-term value of getting a new client in the door.

Bob Mackowiak has been helping private investigators market their services since 1988. He has spoken about marketing at private investigation conferences from Florida to Alaska, is the author of the classic manual, “How to Market Your Private Investigation Agency,” and helped hundreds of PIs with his COPI Brochure Development System. You can learn more about Bob and his services at www.LetBobHelp.Homestead.com.