Every marketer/copywriter should get one package of products from these folks in order to see how a well run direct marketing company goes about packaging products, fulfilling orders and maybe best of all pursues the NEXT SALE.

Here are some quick marketing highlights from the package I received...

BTW this was about a $75 investment after shipping-- To me that is one of the best value "marketing seminars" you could ever sign up for!

Of course I received a decent selection of food, a few steaks, burgers, hot-dogs. Yeah, their stuff is priced high but the quality is always outstanding PLUS you'll get a powerful marketing lesson (or two) in the process.

With the food comes a "free" bonus--a knife set with carving board. Do I know as a marketer that Omaha Steaks isn't paying a lot for these knife sets? Absolutely, but to the non-marketer this is probably an impressive free bonus. It's not a bad looking knife set.

Secondly they send a free cookbook. It's not 500 pages BUT leafing through it quickly I can see that it's well laid-out and its "look" exceeds what Omaha probably paid to have it printed and that's really all that matters. It's all about perceived value. But you want to know the best part about cook book?

In the middle it has a few pages of coupons and cross-sells to other Omaha Steak products-- very smart.

This brings me to my next point... Omaha Steaks hits you with several "up-sells" and "cross-sells" as you comb through the various literature you receive with your order. I mean one right after another.

Heck even the packing list has cross-sell on it.

These folks NEVER stop pushing for the NEXT SALE.

Below are a couple pictures of the package including a closeup of some of the literature:





But you want to know what else they included free?

A little "Conversation Starter" card. It's meant to help people break "the ice" at parties and get togethers.

Yeah, this little card probably only cost a few cents to print but the idea
is that the person receiving it DOESN'T EXPECT IT. It's a wonderful (and inexpensive) bonus.

The entire marketing purpose of the Omaha Steak package can be boiled down into three key areas:
1. To delight the customers with a package that is very well done (both from a graphic design and copywriting perspective).
2. To "give" the customer an unexpected bonus or two in order to "seal the deal" and help reinforce what a "good deal" the customer received.
3. To push for the next sale.

The lessons learned from Omaha Steaks can be easily applied to any business be it online, offline, digital products, physical products or services.

Far too many businesses try to play it cheap on their packaging, presentation and "unexpected bonuses" and instead of ending up with true "customer" they end up with a one-shot sale. I think we all know which is more valuable.

Thanks for the great post, Michael! I know Omaha Steaks are legendary in the direct marketing world.

(By the way, what's that new "Mountain" logo in your sig about?)

My daughter is a medic in the 10th Mountain Division and that is their divisional patch... It's her unit that was attacked by the enemy leaving four soldiers dead and three in hands of the terrorists. Maybe some folks seeing the patch will think about our soldiers-- even if they don't agree with the conflict. I haven't heard from her since Friday. All information has been cut-off. She's in a FOB (Forward Operating Base) about 12 miles from where the ambush occurred.

God bless the 10th Mountain division. A former medic myself, I pray that your daughter and her fellow soldiers are ok.

We'll pray for her speedy return home, safe and sound, Michael.

Thanks for the kind words...

Enough about the 10th Mountain-- what about Omaha Steaks?

Dan Kennedy has a lot of good things to say about Omaha Steaks which is a good sign.

Looking at their website reminds me of one of the very first ecommerce sites I was involved in back in 98, no wonder I was constantly hungry back then...

Hey Mike, You always post quality stuff...I recently ordered two different products from two different marketers that I will never use...but I want to see what they do...what they don't do...I agree I see that as the best value marketing seminar you could ever invest in...

I will probably also do Omaha steaks to just to see what they do for my own sake...

Again thanks, and hope all is well with your daughter...

Best,

Ron

Sorry man, I can't think about steaks anymore. So will you let us know when you hear from her...change the patch or post it or something?

Like the others, I'll remember her in my prayers.

Mike...saying prayers for your daughter's safety. My cousin's boy is over there too...

I had heard Omaha did excellent marketing...but it was great to read the details. Thanks for sharing that.