By Jim Daniels, of BizWeb2000
[October 20th, 1999]

See Also   Email Marketing Primer   How to Increase Your Online Sales   Take Advantage of Google's AdWords   Using Foreign Search Engines to Boost Your Sales   Getting Sure Profits Through Google, Goto.com and DirectHit   Ten Places You Must Submit Your Site   Clever Profit Growth Software   The Power Of Personalized Email   How To Go Long With Your Web Marketing   How NOT to Promote Your E-business   Winning the Search Engine Wars   Latest Tips on Search Engine Marketing   Are You Wasting Your Money Online?   Should I Hire Another Salesperson or Invest in an Affiliate Program?   The Death of Positioning?   Links: Why You Need Them and How to Get Them   Your #1 Overlooked Business Asset

My business is what's known as a micro-business. There are very few companies in the world as small as mine. And I like it that way. It was my goal from the start to run an online business from my home and stay small -- in physical size, that is.

You see, although I'm not much for hiring employees, I certainly don't mind growing the bottom line. And that's what this article is about.

Today I'll be presenting a new offline tie-in marketing campaign that is helping me grow my bottom line. And it can help you grow yours too, no matter how small your business may be.

But first I need to tell you what I mean by "Time To Go Offline"...

Don't worry, I'm not suggesting you cancel your ISP account and take your business into a brick and mortar structure. I'm simply suggesting you add an offline strategy to your existing online presence.

Big businesses are doing it and so should you.

If your small business can't afford to do the types of offline marketing "big" cyberbusinesses are doing -- things like television and radio campaigns -- you must use other offline marketing methods to grow your website's bottom line.

So how does one utilize smart offline marketing tactics that cost little, yet are effective? Thought you'd never ask ;-)

Here's my own example that I welcome you to follow:

I have just implemented a simple "offline" plan that anyone with an online business can follow. I like to call it putting my website in their hands. And it is quite literally just that.

At bizweb2000 we've developed a simple full color brochure, or mini-catalog, which contains our full range of products and services. I'll cover brochure design and distribution issues later, right now I'll remain focused on the strategy itself.

Implementing this new marketing strategy:

This week we've begun distributing our new print "mini- catalogs". Like most strategies we've use, we implemented this one on a shoestring budget and it has already begun to bring in new sales.

So who gets these free mini-catalogs and why are they buying?

Every new customer.

Including a free mini-catalog when we ship orders costs just pennies. When our customers receive their order they are presented with a full line of related products and services. Does this really generate more sales?

In a word, yes! Now, instead of reading email that says thanks for the great product, the feedback comes along in the comments section of a new order! Why?...

A customer who is pleased with their purchase is very likely to buy another product or service from you. By putting your related products and services in their hands at delivery time, you increase your chances of a repeat sale even further.

Who else gets these free mini-catalogs?

Our growing base of past customers.

As internet competition grows in every area, it is important NOT to forget about the customers you've already served. If you are taking orders at your website, your database of customers is growing. What are you doing with this database?

If you're smart, you aren't just letting it build for some future plan. Remember, people move physical addresses every two years on average. By the time you get around to using that database, it may be useless.

You need to start contacting these people now! And you can do it for pennies. My own mailings are just $.16 each using US bulk rate mail. That's cheap. (More on this in a minute.)

Think back to when you fulfilled your first order online. Have you added and products or services since then? More than likely the answer is yes!

Well, these past customers probably have no idea about your new products and services. Don't you think it would be wise to tell them? (Note: If you think your email newsletter is doing this for you, consider how many undeliverable messages you get each week. E-newsletters are great, but keeping up with lost subscribers is impossible. A low-cost direct mail campaign is the answer here.)

Now, you may be thinking, "Gee, this is pretty simple stuff, Jim. I mean, direct mail and catalogs have been around forever. What's the big deal?"

The big deal is that VERY FEW online businesses are using this strategy. Even big ones. Heck, I've bought tons of stuff online over the years. So far I've received just a handful of catalogs from these same companies. Ever buy something from Amazon.com? I have. But I've never gotten anything except my order from them.

One company where I buy my computer equipment, cdw.com has mailed me a catalog every month since my first purchase. I've bought lots of stuff from those catalogs. I suspect their marketing strategies have a lot to do with their rising stock price and reputation!

Starting to get the point?

Remember, there is simply no better place to introduce new products and services, than to your own current and previous customers. Rather than "hope" they remember your URL, why not put it in their hands occasionally?

If you do not currently have a plan in place to send brochures or catalogs to your customers, you need to start thinking about it now!

So that you can get started right away, here are the details on how we created our mini-catalog and how we're distributing it cheaply and quickly...

First, let's talk about the catalog itself.

While I refer to our printed sales piece as a "catalog", it is important to know that your catalog doesn't have to be big. Mine is just four pages. If you don't have enough products or services to fill even four pages, fear not. You can go as simple as a single page "sell sheet". This is a professional, full color, glossy sheet that introduces your best products or services.

As I said, it doesn't have to be big. But it does have to be professional.

Sure, you can put together something quick and easy in say, Microsoft Word, or Publisher. You can even print it out on your color inkjet. But the fact is, you'll get exactly that. A piece that looks like it was created at home and printed on an inkjet. It won't be nearly as professional as the real thing.

If you don't plan to do it professionally, consider writing and distributing a simple letter instead. A poor quality catalog is much worse than any simple well-written letter.

More: How Jim designed his catalog...

Article by Jim Daniels, author of "Insider Internet Marketing", a book that cuts through all the hype and lets you discover how to REALLY make money online. You'll find the 1999 edition at Jim's just updated catalog of books, software and web services.

You can also sign up for Jim's FREE, revealing e-newsletter, the BizWeb E-Gazette.