Direct Mail

Home

Articles and Ideas

More Ideas

Direct Mail

Direct Mail Success!

(For great promo items that are easily mailed see below)

What was the outcome of your last direct mail campaign? Why settle for a 1-2% response rate when you could be pulling in 4%, 8%, 20% or even more? According to a recent study by the U.S. Post Office, only 44% of direct mail is ever read. Your direct mail either succeeds or fails based upon how well you convey your message.

If you want to get the most out of your sales letter, follow these important guidelines:

Get attention - The headline should answer the question: "What's in it for me?". An imprinted product is a great way to quickly answer that question of course.
Focus on the reader - focus on the recipient's benefits from using your product or service.
K.I.S. (Keep it Simple) - Short sentences are easy to understand.
Use action - Use powerful, active verbs in your writing.
Make responding easy - Include a return postcard, web site, email address, faxable order form, or toll-free telephone number.
Use Premiums - Double your response rate by tempting readers with a free gift when they respond. The gift should tightly relate to your product or benefits.

Now to give you more examples: I have a lot of clients who do a regular newsletter. These can be a great marketing tool!

However, far too many do not include a reason to "call now" or "send your friends". Again, what's in it for me?

Determine Your Objective -- Having a clear objective for your direct mail program is absolutely critical to its success.

What are you trying to accomplish? New clients? Repeat business? Announce new office location?

Doing a newsletter to just "stay in touch" is okay, but for the money spent, wouldn't you like to get a return on your investment? And although including a promo items will increase the rate at which your mail gets opened, does it make your reader respond the way you want them to? Do they come by and see your new selection? Do they come in for a test drive?

Also, there are a lot of companies who do a coupon in direct mail. These also can be good , but repetition - repetition - repetition is the main key to success for any direct mail piece. Change each one just slightly, and offer some type ofincentive. A percentage off, a free gift with purchase, or better yet, send a promotional item with the coupon or newsletter.

You response rate will soar!

And by far the best way to get the maximum out of your advertising is to make it two, three or four fold.

1. Here's the promo piece inside to make sure you open it.
2. Now that you've read it, come by, test drive and we will give you a FREE XWZ item that you cannot live without!
3. Once you buy the car, we will now thank you by giving you a travel cooler full of munchies and sun glasses, or CD case or travel mug!
4. And when you refer your friends and family we will thank you again with a Leather Rand McNally Map and a Safety Road Kit!

Oh sure, I am in the promotional products business so I would say that! Look at the photos below.

Which do you believe would get a higher response rate? Meaning more orders & referrals?

Or a simple postcard? Or Newsletter?

My last Promoz! direct mail piece was sent to 207 clients & prospects. I sent a simple flyer on "What's New at Promoz!," a flyer of items on current special, a sticky notepad and paperclips. Obviously all imprinted with my information. I spent $247 on these 207 letters.

The profits from this mailing were:

6 NEW Clients! Total of 13 orders!
5 established clients who placed exact re-orders!
11 established clients who placed orders for NEW promotional items they had not previously ordered.
3 Referrals to New clients! Two placed orders!
7 price quotes on items to be used at a later date. (Honestly, five will probably become orders)

That's 31 orders out of 207 mail pieces. That's 15 percent return of those sent. Not 1 - 2 percent!

As for Return on investment, I assure you I made that back a few times over.

Other thoughts:

Pick Your Targets. Depending on your answer, the form of your direct mailing and who it's directed towards can change dramatically.

Research Your Message. Before dropping your first mailing it is essential that you research your targets and learn what it is that will turn them on and get their attention. Without knowing their "hot buttons" your chance for success are minimal. A strong warning here, don't assume you know what your customers want!

Test, Test and Retest -- Even after you've think you know what your prospects want and what will turn them on, it pays to test the market. This is particularly true if you are contemplating a large mailing that could cost thousands of dollars. Take the time to create two or three different offerings and mail these to small random samples of several hundred targets. Carefully track the results to determine whether there is any significant difference in the results from the different sample groups. It is not unusual for offerings to be revised several times before a final package has been developed.

Track the Results -- To insure your direct mail program is achieving your objectives you must track the results.

This means tabulating how many responses you get and determining whether different classes of targets behave differently; if you're selling, whether targets buy or don't buy; how much they spend and how much your profits are (and whether these exceed your investment!).