For the past decade, many business owners have regarded direct
mail as the ugly stepsister of print or broadcast advertising.
Loud, misleading and cluttered pieces mailed anonymously to
millions of prospects only served to reinforce this perception.
Today, however, some of the most innovative and effective
advertising is delivered through the mail, and more and more
business owners are finding the rewards of direct mail are great if
their campaigns are designed with a discerning eye and a realistic
strategy in mind. Looking for some tips to help you create a direct
mail campaign that brings in results without breaking the bank?
Here are 10 smart tactics, culled from my 15 years as a direct mail
professional:
1. Develop a visual sense for what works and what
doesn't. You have an abundance of learning materials right
inside your mailbox. The next time you go through your mail, take a
minute to examine what's there, what catches your attention,
what attracts you and what repels you. Do you have examples of
previous campaigns you've sent out? Or pieces from your
competitors that you can learn from? "Junk mail" has a
unique style--learn to recognize it and think about how you can
create the opposite.
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2. Don't insult your prospects' intelligence by using
cheesy tag lines or see-and-say visuals. Believe it or not,
"FREE MONEY" doesn't attract much attention in the
inundated world of today's consumers. So avoid using bold
with italics, ALL CAPS, and multiple exclamation points
(!!!!), as these are the clichéd visual cues of junk mail.
And try to be innovative in what you do show. Make a point of
avoiding see-and-say graphics, which are too elementary to involve
and activate the brain of a potential customer. For instance,
let's say you were sending out a postcard for your lawn-care
service that reads "Lawn-Mowing Service" and the photo or
illustration depicts a company employee mowing a lawn. (See:
picture of employee mowing lawn. Say: "Lawn-Mowing
Service.") Boring! Instead, be more creative.
The key here is to entice your audience to complete a story in
their minds of how your product or service solves a problem they
have. In the example above, you might show the uniformed employee
mowing the lawn but have the caption read "Honey, did you mow
the lawn today?" "Yeah, it's a tough job, but someone
had to do it." That way, the audience has to figure out the
picture. They might complete the riddle like this: "Why is
this guy taking credit for mowing the lawn? Because he hired this
lawn-mowing service and got the job done. Maybe I could relegate my
lawn-mowing responsibility like this guy did." Involving your
audience lengthens the time they take to look at your mail piece
and improves the odds they'll take in the information they need
to make a decision for your business. Humor can also play a great
part in these visual stories.
3. Don't assume your audience knows everything. An
educated consumer is one that's more willing to make a
purchase. Your headline should draw attention to your body copy,
which is your most powerful selling tool. Ignore what people say
about how no one reads anymore--if compelled by a good headline and
provoking imagery, a potential customer will want more information
immediately. Directing them to a website or phone number is asking
a lot of your audience, so instead, include essential information
right on the mail piece. When writing copy, start from the
beginning, be direct, and include as much information as you can in
five sentences or less. Chances are, the reader is scanning, so use
words that are easy to understand but are descriptive enough to
accurately communicate your message.
4. Use what you know. If you know your customers inside
and out, by all means, use that information in your mail piece.
Meeting your potential customers where they are is a great way to
attain trust quickly. Become familiar with your market so you can
be specific about your mailing list. Consider demographics like
gender, age, income, climate, leisure activities and more when
deciding where to mail each piece. The more you use information
that's been hard-earned in years past, the better your response
rates will be.
5. "You Won't Believe This Amazing Offer!"
At least that part's true, when it comes to your
prospects--people are much more skeptical these days. So do
something completely unusual with your direct mail piece: Tell the
truth. Exposing your weaknesses make your strengths seem even
greater, and (yes, believe it) creates a sense of honesty and
trust. Consider this example: A flooring company boasts "the
best styles at the best prices." While the claim sounds
attractive, it doesn't have the same believability (thus
response-eliciting) factor as a piece that claims "the same
styles at the best prices." Creating a trustworthy message
allows consumers to set positive expectations, rather than refuting
any false ones they might be reading. And when potential customers
set expectations, you can bet they're ready to take a risk on
your business.
6. Ask and you shall receive. Know exactly what action
you want your mail piece to elicit, and then ask for it. Then ask
again. This is known as the call-to-action in the world of direct
mail, and it's the consumers' cue for getting what they
want. If there's no call-to-action, your direct mail piece is
just creating brand recognition. Is there a number to call?
Don't just list the number--ask them to make the call. Is there
a website to visit? A response mail required? Ask, suggest and
entice your audience to respond to your piece. Make the information
accessible, easy to read and effective--which may mean making some
changes in the office, whether that's a designated phone line
or a more memorable web address.
7. Consider the medium. What will your message be
delivered on? Postcards are an effective medium for most products,
because they cut down a barrier (the envelope) between the consumer
and the message. However, some direct mail is more appropriate when
crafted as a letter, especially those that involve high-dollar
sales and financial services.
Think carefully about your product and your message before
making a decision about the medium. No matter what format you
choose, consider the paper your message will be printed on.
Inexpensive paper communicates something very different from
high-quality paper. If you're selling anything that's
considered expensive, high-quality or custom, nice paper will
communicate that message much more effectively than something
inexpensive. On the other hand, the type of paper you choose makes
little difference when you're selling items that are
inexpensive, sold at bulk rates or discounted. Deciding what's
best for your direct mail piece will improve your response
rates exponentially.
8. Use color wisely. Color will always catch more
attention than black and white, but when it comes to color, more is
not necessarily better. Additional colors may cost more money to
produce--and too many colors can create a piece that's
confusing and cluttered--so it's important to find what's
best for your project.
Begin by choosing one or two main colors and one or two
supporting colors based on the feelings they elicit: Warm colors
are exciting and energizing; cool colors are relaxing and
refreshing. Bright colors speak loudly; dull colors suggest
quietly. Think about your product, corporate image and your
audience when choosing color. Metallic colors are a great option
for one- or two-color jobs.
And check with your printer to see what's available that
might make your piece stand out for a small--or no--increase in
price. Consider colored paper, as well as using a color as a field
(covering a large shape area) and reversing out the text (that
means showing white text on a colored background). These techniques
will help you make the most of your budget and color choices for
maximum impact.
9. Personalize your pieces. You've seen them:
"[your name here], you've got to check out this
deal!" Personalization can enhance a consumer's
inclination to read your direct mail piece by creating a sense of
familiarity. It also emphasizes their importance to your business.
For example, are you more likely to open an envelope that says
"Current Resident" or "[Your Name]"? Most
likely, you'll feel important to the second business and choose
to open that mail first.
When it comes to personalizing a direct mail piece, there are a
lot of options, ranging from addressing it to a specific consumer
or including their name in the letter portion to printing their
name in the art area on the actual postcard or letter. Some of
these options can get pricey, so if you think it's appropriate
for your mailer, talk with your printer about your personalization
options so you'll know what options fit your budget.
10. Determine the best way to mail it. When it comes to
mailing your direct mail pieces, you have options regarding the
postage you purchase. Think about your customers and the value of
your product, as well as time sensitivity. Will "presort"
(formerly bulk rate) arrive in time? Do your potential customers
care about first-class postage or not? Are you eligible to receive
special, not-for-profit postage rates? And don't forget to
consider the type of postage for your direct mail piece. You can
choose to use first-class or presort stamps, or you can print the
first-class or presort postage directly on the mail pieces (this is
known as the indicia). In pieces that are highly personalized and
official-looking, a stamp can enhance response rates because
consumers infer a human touch. On postcards, indicias work just as
well as stamps and don't cost anything to apply to the mail
piece.
With fifteen years of direct mail experience, Mark Risley,
president of Dallas-based Dimaco Ltd., a full-service, direct mail
company, specializes in developing highly effective direct
marketing campaigns for businesses across the United States. Visit
the
company's website for more information.