Even though some pros might be hesitant to approach prospects, it’s never too late to learn the basics of direct marketing/direct mail. Here are some tips to maximize your direct mail response.
Use the name of a person.
Use a person’s first name whenever possible. “Dear Richard” and “Hi Rachel” will always attract more attention than “Dear Homeowner”, although I understand that the latter may be more expensive.
Please make sure you get their attention quickly.
Your headlines don’t have to be long, but they should grab the reader’s attention and ensure your message is heard.
Be clear about your goals.
Sometimes the direct mail copy doesn’t convey the intended message because the writer didn’t know what was expected. What are you asking people to do? For more information, please get in touch with us. Request a catalogue? Contact a telephone number. Do you want to make a purchase? Potential customers should not be able to miss your call to action.
Keep your paragraphs brief.
Sub-headings should be engaging. People are busy and will quickly scan your direct mail copy to determine if it is relevant to them. (See below point 8 regarding including a ps). People may be unable to understand complex ideas, so keep it simple (unless you sell complicated products to savvy customers).
Talk about them, not you.
Get to know your customer. They don’t need to hear from you. They want to hear about how your product will improve their lives.
Benefits are more important than features.
It’s not enough to talk about your widget having 720 hand-stitches. Who cares? Your widget has 720 hand-stitches, making it 5 times stronger than the best. And that you are happy to include a 5-year guarantee as a result. Now you can speak in a language that is appealing to their emotions. To determine if the feature or benefit you are referring to is one of the benefits, add “which means that” at the end of your sentence and then complete it. You are probably now closer to a benefit. Continue doing this until you are unable to add any more. E.g. “Our fence panels have been treated with wood preservation” is changed to “our fence panels have been treated with wood preservation, which means that one coat of colour will last at most for five years.” Okay, it’s possible that your entire piece would be littered with “which is this”, but you get the point.
You can add additional layers of incentives.
Your headline should have included your ‘offer’ or major benefit. What other information will help your customers follow the route you have chosen? This offer has a time limit. A money-back guarantee? Do you offer a “try before you buy” option? You have more chances to make that “no” into a “yes” (or a “not now”) by having more reasons.
Send your message as a scan.
For direct mail, including the end of any direct mail correspondence. People are often in a hurry, as with point 4 above. Your reader might scan your name, the first paragraph (which should be quite short), your signature (to find out who sent them this DM) and the P.S.
Split testing
This is something I will talk about later. However, split testing allows you to evaluate multiple approaches and determine which one generates the most response. You could use a freephone number for one mailing and a local number for another. You can try two different brochure covers or catalogue covers. You can test different colours to see if your customers respond differently to each. Keep track of the results! You don’t need a complicated system to track responses. All you need is to see what worked and what didn’t. Next, take the best of what you have tried before and make some changes. Even those who say they cannot afford to test… Can you afford not?
Follow-up.
Do not assume that one campaign is sufficient. Spending all your budgets on one campaign is impossible and still generating enough sales to pay for the next. You’ll be in tears. It’s better to spend less time on the right people and at a smaller scale. This is it for now. Next time, we’ll talk about choosing whom to contact and who your best prospects might be. All feedback is appreciated!
