Q. How do you find all the magazines that serve an industry?
A. Use the magazine directories at the library: find any industry and the magazines that serve it in under 5 minutes. Best ones are Bacon’s Magazine Directory, Burrelle’s Magazine Directory, and Oxbridge Communication’s Directory of Periodicals. Check at the reference desk.
Q. How do you find the associations for particular industries?
A. You can usually find the associations in the industry magazines, and at the industry trade shows. In addition, here are 3 great sources for finding associations:
The 828-page National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States ($99) reference tool lists 7,600 associations, and is published annually by Columbia Books, Inc. (www.columbiabooks.com; 888-265-0600, fax 410-810-0911) along with its companion, the State and Regional Associations of the U.S. directory ($79).
Association lists and data are also available in the Encyclopedia of Associations by The Gale Group (800-877-GALE) on disk, CD, and on-line through Lexis-Nexis. This hardbound, three-volume set ($505) is the mother load of associations - showing detailed information on more than 23,000 local, state, national, and international associations.
Another great resource of associations is The Associations Yellow Book from Leadership Directories. It profiles in great depth 1,045 of the leading U.S. trade and professional associations. From Leadership Directories, Telephone 212/627-4140; www.leadershipdirectories.com.
Q. How do I get a copy of a particular magazine?
A. Call the publisher and ask for a media kit (my publisher friends are gonna hate me for this!) A media kit is what publishers send to potential advertisers to entice them to purchase advertising space (Ahem… you were thinking about taking out an ad in the magazine, weren’t you?) Sample copies are sent along with advertising rate information by first class mail.
Q. Where can I buy a mailing list?
A. List brokers are found in the phone book or in the magazines that serve the direct marketing industry (see above to get sample copies of them). Most magazine publishers sell their lists of subscribers. Also look for directories of associations, who usually offer their membership list for sale. Catalog publishers almost always sell their list of buyers.
There is a great directory - the Oxbridge Communications Directory of Mailings Lists - which can be found at the library. It reveals over 20,000 lists and all the supporting data: size of list, cost, origination, broker, and so forth.
Many mailing list companies publish their own catalog. The catalogs are free on request. I’ve written an article showing the content and depth of the top dozen or so catalogs of mailing lists. For a free copy of this article, drop me a large stamped envelope with your request (Jeff Dobkin, P.O. Box 100, Merion Station, PA 19066). Sorry - no email requests for this will be honored.
Q. What’s the most valuable sheet of paper in all of direct marketing?
A. A letter. If you don’t include a letter in just about any direct mail package you send you could be losing up to 40% of your response. At 1.5¢, it’s cheap insurance to increase the response of any mailing.
Q. If a letter is so strong in direct mail, do I need a brochure?
A. You should have a brochure or better yet an “informational booklet”. This is used to build credibility for your letter and bring strength to your offer. The brochure tells, the letter sells. Use product-features in the brochure, and reader-benefits in the letter.
Q. What’s the most effective campaign in direct marketing?
A. It’s a series of mailings. First, it’s a series of letters to your top 100 prospects. Next, it’s a letter series to your top 100 customers. (If you’re in a medium sized business, it’s mailing a series of letters to your top 1,000 prospects and customers.) Then, continue mailing to them - the cost is under $5 to mail a series of 10 letters. If you can figure out a better campaign for under $5, let me know. If you can figure out a better campaign for any amount, let me know.
Press Relations
Q. If the most valuable sheet of paper in direct mail is a letter, what’s the most valuable sheet of paper in all of marketing?
A. A Press Release is the most effective single sheet of paper in all of marketing. A press release is a one page, double-spaced, typed sheet of paper with a description of your product or service written in a crisp, concise newspaper style of writing. It is sent to editors of newspapers and magazines and - if selected to be published - is printed as editorial.
Q . Do I send a letter with my press release? Can’t an editor just see it’s a press release when he or she opens it?
A. To increase the chance your press release will be published, ALWAYS include a letter. Sure they can see it’s a press release. But including a letter builds your credibility. A letter can explain why the press release is important and should be published. The letter can supply additional material that an editor can also pick-up and include in your write-up in their publication, if your release is published.
Q. How many press releases do I send out in a medium sized campaign?
A. In most of the medium sized campaigns I’ve directed, my clients have sent releases to about 100 magazines.
Q. What are the chances of our press release being published?
A. If you're trying to get published in a small trade magazines, figure the likelihood to be about 10% to 20%. Larger trade magazines: 5% to 10%. Consumer magazines: 1% It’s like shaking hands with the Pope - it can happen but not without a lot of time and effort.
Q. How can I increase my chances of having my press release published?
A. Call the editor. A call made correctly: at the right time, with the correct dialog, can increase your chance of being published by 10 times. (For this exact dialog, please see my book, “How-To Market a Product for Under $500”, page 26).
When you place an ad, your chances of having a press release featured in the publication can be as high as 90% - if you go about it the right way. For example, if you say to your magazine sales rep “If I place this ad, do you think I can have a press release run in the next issue?” there’s a good chance it will run. As in life, there are no guarantees.