Redhead Marketing

Quirky Marketing Greeting Card Contest Launches

Okay, you are probably wondering what the *Quirky Marketing Greeting Card Contest is, right?

Glad you asked!

In celebration of the launch of my new book Quirky Marketing Calendar – 365 Ways to Use Zany and Non-traditional Holidays to Promote Your Business  we are hosting a contest.

And there are lots of prizes.

Here’s the rules:

Create a fun, quirky, unusual card message as a promotion for your company, product or service and tell me what you did.

The message should be creative and promote something you want to spread the word about. It can be a product, a new product launch, an event, a celebration, a strategic alliance, does not matter. As long as the message can be expressed on a greeting card or postcard.

And you can even test out the card using the place I use to send out cards and that is, you guessed it… SendOutCards.com.  When you click on SendOutCards.com it takes you to my SOC website and you can have a FREE card on me just to try it out!

Send your entry to:

Redhead Marketing Inc.
Attention: Quirky Contest
P.O. Box 550856
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33355-0856

Cards will be judged by a  panel of marketing experts from the Florida Direct Marketing Association.

Contest ends February 28th so you have to hurry! Winners will be announced during Quirky Marketing Month in early March in honor of the launch of Quirky Marketing!

Oh, and the prizes…

Grand Prize winner will receive a two page article interview in the Spring Issue of WE Magazine, a copy of your choice of one of the books listed below AND a $25 gift certificate from SendOutCards (choice of Visa Gift Card, Candy, Brownies and more).

The Prizes:

2-  $25 gift certificates from SOC for brownies, truffles and more!

A dozen Roses delivered anywhere in the US

Several books including:

Power and Wisdom, the New Path for Women by Dr. Priscilla Marotta

Rose Marketing on a Daisy Budget by Heidi Richards

Full page ad in WE Magazine for Women

Half page ad in WE Magazine for Women

A one-year Charter Membership in the Women’s eCommerce Association

and more!

1st, 2nd, 3rd place and Honorable Mention Winners will also receive a frameable Certificate customized with their names and date of the Quirky Marketing Contest as well as a mention in the accompanying media release announcing the Winners!

 Be sure and go to SendOutCards.com/Heidi and sign up for a free account.

And send me your cards!

FYI: Heidi Caswell and I will be hosting a live demonstration of the SendOutCards system on Thursday January 29th at 9 PM EST. You are welcome to join us and see what all the excitement is about and learn how to use Send Out Cards to grow your business.  Call the teleconference bridge line ~ 1-641-715-3840 participant access code is 361467#

Note: Greeting cards or post cards are acceptable entries. And you do not have to use the SOC site, but we hope you do! Multiple entries are also acceptable. All entries must be postmarked by February 5th in order to qualify.

The fine print: If we receive less than 7 entries, contest may be cancelled or postponed due to lack of sufficient samples to “judge.”  In addition, if judges don’t feel entries warrant a first, second or third place honor, no prize will be awarded in those categories.

(*void where prohibited by law).

7 comments January 28th, 2009

Make Direct Mail a Part of Your 2009 Marketing Plan

So you want to start a direct mail campaign for 2009, but you aren’t sure where to begin or what type of campaign to run? Before you do, you should know your options.

Here are Eleven time-tested direct mail options for you to consider:

Package inserts ~ a package insert can be anything from an informational brochure to a postcard to a little business card size document. The purpose of the insert is to get the recipient to take an action such as go to a website, call the company for more information, send in a warranty card, redeem an incentive such as a coupon and gift certificate.

Co-op Mailings ~ A form of trade sales promotion where a marketer offers non-competing companies the opportunity to share the cost of mailing to a particular database or group of customers and prospects.  

Postcards ~ an economical way to promote a business or particular product or service less expensively than mailing a letter. Postcards can be very effective because there is no envelope to open and the prospect can see the offer at a glance .

Flyers ~An offer detailed on a single sheet of paper.

Card Decks ~  a package of individual cards wrapped together and mailed to prospects. These decks vary in quantity,  and can contain 60 cards or more, each competing for the prospect’s attention.

Sampling Programs ~ A method of encouraging trying products free-of-charge or very inexpensively.

Statement Stuffers ~ Marketing brochure in a customer’s  billing or account statement containing an offer or brief sales message along with a call to action mechanism such as a short-form, postcard or toll-free telephone number. Statement stuffers are an inexpensive way to market additional products and special offers to current customers.

Catalogues ~ A publication, such as a book or pamphlet, containing  a list or display of products, services and offerings to a specific group of prospects and customers.

Door Hangers  ~ door hanger marketing is where you create a small flier (often in mixed in with a few other direct mail pieces that are included in a plastic bag to be hung on the door knobs of prospects. This form of direct mail is often seen in residential areas however has also been effective in large office buildings (provided leaving them is allowed).

Webserts ~ A websert is a text or graphic link that appears after an online purchase is made.  Webserts are more cost-efficient, offer more accurate source tracking, and can be dynamically served more easily.

Classifieds ~   Print advertising that is limited to certain classes of goods and services, and usually limited in size and content.  Classified ads can appear in print media such as newspapers, magazines and catalogs as well as in digital media such as ezines, online magazines and websites.

In my next post I will be sharing 8 tips to run a successful direct mail campaign.

For a complete list of marketing definitions, visit: Speaking With Spirit and download your FREE copy of the Self-Marketing Dictionary TODAY!

1 comment January 8th, 2009