How to Benefit From Continuity Clubs

Buy, save and promote with continuity clubs.

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Clubs and continuity mailers offer prospects the opportunity to buy monthly products at a reduced price. They combine the appeal of convenience and cost savings for a very attractive package. Read on to learn how to benefit from continuity clubs.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Club membership

Step1

Conduct research. Ethan Boldt, editor of "Inside Direct Mail," reports that continuity and club mailings have shared a stable portion of the direct mail stream for several years. The percent ranges from 2.3 to 2.7 of Who’s Mailing What! Archive records.

Step2

Track upward trends. While the volume of clubs and continuity mailings remained steady, trends in two particular areas showed marked changes. Premium inclusion increased from 52.1 percent to 59.7 percent within a three-year period. Personalization swung upward on a similar curve from 21 percent to 27.3 percent. Buyers apparently like to be wooed and called by name.

Step3

Face fading mail features. Repeat mailing took a downward turn. Percentages faded from 48.7 to 36.4 percent in the three-year test cycle. While self-mailers didn’t totally decline in usage, they showed a sluggish performance moving from 43.7 percent to 48.7 percent. The marketplace is now demanding original complete content.

Step4

Examine how book clubs work. Most book clubs send their members a book, or set of books, monthly. Certain clubs like Zooba let you choose the book yourself, while other clubs make the selection for you. Members are allowed to return titles they do not want. So club members end up with only the books they really want to read.

Step5

Save and benefit. Many book clubs have special deals with publishers that allow clubs to sell books for much less than retail price. This means major savings for book club members. Some book clubs charge a fixed price per month, no matter what books you choose--a second effective way to save. The promoted books are brand new, hardcover and in true mint condition. Beyond significant savings, book clubs offer free premium gifts like toys for tots or tote bags for teens.