Direct marketing success relies on three key words: Know, Like, Trust. If you want consumers to buy from your business, you need them to trust it. In order for them to trust your business, they first need to like you. In order for them to be able to like you, they actually need to know you. It’s a simple picture. But how can one build this knowledge in a digital environment?

Actually, the Internet has turned into a goldmine that allows us to get to know each other. Alongside websites, social media campaigns, or email newsletters, direct marketing can play a crucial role in the whole process.

Each time you post on social media or send a direct marketing piece, your prospective clients get to know you. According to experts and recent researches, consumers trust direct mail more than they trust email. So why not use direct mail – alongside other marketing channels – to help consumers know, like, and trust your business?

Know

Since you now know how important it can be for prospective clients to get to know, like, and trust your business, here are some valuable tips on the best ways to ease the knowledge process:

Get to Know Who You Are Talking To

In all honesty, it is impossible to market to everybody. If you and your team have not identified a target group based on demographics yet, it’s time to do it straight away. It is important to do so because direct mail and all other marketing materials have to address directly a specific group. Else, they will speak to practically no one at all. As soon as you establish a buyer persona, allow that persona to guide all your marketing efforts. And this includes direct marketing pieces or giveaways such as a custom USB memory drive.

Make Sure to Use Your Acquired Expertise

If you are in business, you – more than likely – are an authority on a specific topic: cars, homes, finances, etc. However, prospective clients cannot automatically know that you are an expert. This means that you have to slowly build your authority, one step at a time. So make sure to talk about past experience, offer case studies, or even feature testimonials proving your value and worth.

Learn How To Deliver

Each and every marketing touch-point must be thought out to achieve something specific, moving along prospective buyers in the process. Direct marketing is nothing but one piece of the whole puzzle. If you want to take buyers to the following stage, your team should know exactly what content works best for conveying your expertise.

Make An Offer

Free offers represent one of the most efficient methods to engage prospective clients with your expertise and knowledge. Are you, for instance, the best at removing any carpet stain? Offer prospective customers a free home guide that will help them get stains out (even before they actually need to call a professional), alongside your carpet-cleaning services.

Learn How to Use Clients To Spread The Word

Undoubtedly, you are not the only professional in your sector. Encourage your existing customers to help out. Post social media messages about the benefits of your products and ask your customers to share it. Take it one step further and post a thought-provoking message conveying your authority. Ideally, prompt your clients to share your direct marketing offer with all their friends and family as well.

Use The Internet

You can connect direct marketing material to your blog or website, where you also keep a wide range of free articles showing how you solve your customers’ problems and pain points. Linking direct marketing to digital assets is an awesome way to connect online and offline marketing efforts.

Like

Now that you are establishing your authority and value so that prospective customers get to know you, you can simultaneously help increase your likability by using and posting authentic content. If you manage to come across as a genuine and real person who is truly interested in his or her prospects and customers, there is no doubt that people will get to like you. Keep in mind that if you try to fake this approach, prospects will not fail to smell a rat.

Creating a real conversation with your customers is another efficient way to get to be liked by both your loyal and prospective customers. Make sure to encourage people to feel connected with your brand by commenting on blogs and interacting with them on social media. A brand that is able to make itself always available to interact with its customers will increase its likability.

Trust

Now we have reached the final chapter on our road: engage prospective customers and get them to say ‘yes’ to the actual sale. Getting customers to trust your business is relatively easy, especially if you give “quality” a priority. Make sure to always put the customer first and offer excellent customer service. It is also very important to always follow through on 30-day risk-free trials or the money-back guarantee.

Make sure to be so good that they have no other option than to fully trust your products and services. Make sure to be that good that your customers have absolutely no reason to go elsewhere.

How to Put It All Together

It is true that the road to getting customers to know, like, and trust your business may be a long one. However, the journey is definitely worth it. When customers really get to Know the brand you are promoting, figure out exactly what you stand for, how you treat customers, and what you really are like as a business, they will be ready to move to the following stage: Like.

Once you become a likable brand, you have managed to establish a common ground where your prospects know exactly what you are about and get to see the authentic brand or person behind the business. You are inviting them to join you on the journey, offering them the opportunity to have a voice in the community of your brand. At this point, you have reached the last stage: Trust. When customers get to trust you, they will choose your services or products every time.

So, how can you get customers to say “yes” to a sale? It all starts with three words:  know, like, and trust, ending with a sale and money in your pocket.

Promotional USB Memory Drives: Inspiring Ways to Use Them to Your Benefit

How to Get Creative With Your Promotional Memory Drives

You can use flash drives to store exclusive pieces of content (e.g. a sneak peak of an e-book or a book, a video clip, or even a speech). This is an awesome way to offer your clients a sneak peek of what your business has to offer or may have to offer in the future. Once the recipients preview the uploaded content, they can always use the imprinted memory drive for something else.

You can use promotional USB memory drives to create digital copies of your website link, business card, or even work samples/resume if appropriate. By making your contact details digital, your website, social link, and email address become easily accessible.

If you are going to speak at a conference or convention, you can always upload a copy of the presentation on USB drives. By doing so, your audience will be able to look back on the presentation whenever necessary. This allows your presentation to be referenced and shared with interested prospects in the future.

If you are going to participate to an expo or trade show, you can pre-load USB flash drives with printable or digital coupons. This is a great opportunity to get leads from the trade show. Paper coupons can easily get lost among flyers and other papers at trade shows.  By storing a digital coupon on a flash drive, you will make sure that your coupon actually makes it home with the attendee who receives your flash drive.

Imprinted flash drives can be used as an orientation day giveaway or as part of welcome packages. Flash drives offer sufficient storage space to include employee handbooks, welcome letters, or other policy information. Uploading this information on flash drives allows it to become easily accessible. Or it can be easily transferred to a PC or other devices for quick reference, while also providing students or employees with a branded flash drive they can make use of for future projects.

Flash drives can be used as an efficient way to thank event attendees, students, or employees. Upload your branded memory drives with thank you letters, pictures, or .Gifs for the recipients to view as soon as they use the flash drive. By doing so, you will reinforce the positive image of your business and make them remember you.

Promotional USB drives can be used in many more creative ways that may be more specific to an industry or organization. However, keep in mind that promotional items must make sense for your marketing message and your business.