There is no need for you to deal with the common objections your target market might raise about who you're or whether or not you're qualified. All of this is assumed when you're introduced to your target market by your affinity group.

Let's give you a real-world example of how this works.

Here in California we have several theme parks including Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and Magic Mountain.

The example that I want to share with you through this tip is a letter that Knott’s Berry Farm sent to a medical supply company that I did some work for.

In this package Knott’s Berry Farm sent a letter addressed to the human resources department. The letter speaks of an employee discount program and includes several discount coupons for the human resource department to distribute to employees.

The letter was very well written. Nowhere does Knott's Berry Farm lower it's head or beg for distribution of the coupons.

All throughout the letter the tone is one that assumes the HR department will distribute the coupons, while at the same time painting a picture of exclusivity.

Why did they do this? Because they know that families with money have jobs and companies with 50 or more employees respond favorably to incentive and discount programs.

How does the park maximize affinity marketing to assure the coupons get used?

Knott’s sends fewer coupons than there are employees. That adds urgency because people are greedy and possessive by nature. Those coupons will immediately get snatched up because there are so few of them compared to the number of employees.

Does this really work?

Absolutely. Not only did the employees snatch up all of the coupons, but they requested more coupons from Knott's so they could pass along these ‘exclusive’ savings to their friends, families, and neighbors.

Keep this in mind: Knott's had absolutely zero relationship with this company. They were not in the same county. The company's name and address was extracted from a database of corporations with 25 employees or more. And an 'exclusive' offer was made to a company that had absolutely no prior relationship with Knott's Berry Farm at all.

Theme parks are not the only companies that offer affinity group marketing.

Here's another example.

I was recently surprised to walk into an office and see on their employee bulletin board a flyer from Denny's restaurant.

This flyer reads, 'Buy Any Entree, Get One Free... Ask Your Human Resources Contact For Details'

HR received a sales letter and 'exclusive' employee discount cards (printed on cheap paper to look like official identification cards).

Did employees use these? Most did. Denny’s made money from those employees during lunch hours that Denny’s wouldn’t have made otherwise. Those same employees would have eaten at one of the fast food restaurants that were closer than Denny's.

How can you use affinity marketing?

Look at what you're selling and ask yourself where can a large group of your target market be found.

Even if you realize that you're targeting a very different group of people than Denny's and the theme parks are going after, you can still use affinity marketing. Maybe your target market is made up of company owners, self-employed professionals, or entrepreneurs.

What organizations do they already trust? What relationships do they already have that are important to them? Where are large clusters of these people easily found?

In small business associations such as the Chamber of Commerce, independent business-owner associations, Rotary, and other professional and civic organizations.

So instead of sending your offer to an employer, send your offer to the appropriate association presented as an 'exclusive' offer for that association.

In this way the association can do the selling for you.

An association will distribute your offer if it appears to benefit their members.

Regardless of who your target market are, if you would like to see your business grow into a multi-billion dollar industry (or even a few extra thousand dollars), I strongly recommend that you introduce affinity marketing into your marketing plan. Maybe some day you will grow to be as big as Disneyland!

Yours in success,

PS: If you would like to consult with me to create a direct mail affinity marketing package that will generate thousands or millions of dollars for you, first complete my online survey and tell me a little about your company and project. Once I know more about your goals and objectives I will email you a price quote along with more information about how to get the highest possible profit from your affinity marketing promotion.

(By the way, OPE stands for Other People's Efforts)