Direct mail marketing remains one of the most potent and effective ways for virtually any small business to get new clients and to sell more products and services to existing customers and clients, too.
The reason so many business owners claim it doesn?t work, or have had problems with it themselves is they?re ignoring some essential but very uncomplicated rules. You can?t expect to mail any old thing out to the world and have hordes of eager buyers come knocking at your door seeking to shove money into your pockets. If that?s how it worked, every business owner would be prosperous!
So to be successful with your small business advertising, you must adhere to the rules. These rules have been proven to be effective over a century and a half of experiment.
These are not legal requirements, mind. Instead they?re just guidelines which, when adhered to, have been shown to optimize the Return on Investment. You are free to overlook them if you desire ? but you do it at your own peril.
Lamentably, almost all direct mail campaigns are produced by people who are simply not up to the job. Usually it?s graphic designers, and while they may be fantastic at developing pretty artwork, they are almost never qualified in direct marketing. Your stuff might just appear marvelous, but who cares? if it?s not making you any revenue?
I warn you: your graphic designer and printer will loathe this guidance I?m giving you, and will most likely tell you it won?t work. If they do then, merely tell them you?ll split-test their variation against yours, and the loser pays for the entire mailing. Get them to stick their money where their mouth is. Here are a couple of simple ideas I recommend you try out in your direct mail marketing, and just see the difference they make.
Rule # 1: Don?t scream ?ADVERTISING?
Huge mistake coming up: most direct mail marketing looks like just what it is: mass produced, abstract sales spiels in a low-priced envelope with a trendy logo on the front. This is a really dreadful idea..
Why? Because it?s obvious even to my dog this is an advertising piece ? and it follows you?re going to seek and sell me something, which straightaway puts me on the defensive.
Rather than doing this, invest in some proper ?personal? envelopes, get them hand-addressed or make use of a good handwriting font, and then stick on a real stamp from the Royal Mail. Yes, it?s a bit more bother and a tad more expensive, but the increased responses will more than repay your cost.
If you are compelled have a return address on it, simply put the address in the top left corner ? no business name, no logo.
Just doing this one means your direct mail is going to be delivered to and opened by many, many more people. No one can resist a hand-addressed personal letter.
Rule # 2: Write like a real human being
But ? if you go through most direct mail marketing pieces, they?re dull, humdrum and full of wind. They don?t seem to be there for any specific reason other than ?brand awareness?. Disregard that immediately. Your ?brand awareness? will be a byproduct of your success, not the other way around.
So compose your direct mail piece from one particular person to another, in casual, friendly terms. And then, make sure you?re writing about one thing, and one thing only.
Single out, highlight and promise to fix a SINGLE problem in the headline; inform them you can solve it and how they are able to get the solution in the copy; and then in the call to action inform them plainly and unambiguously what they will need to do to get it, why they ought to do this (and why they need to do it NOW rather than later), and what ?ll happen if they don?t. Simple.
These ideas alone will make a huge difference to your results, I guarantee.
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