Experience has often demonstrated to me direct mail marketing is among the most efficient ways for any small business to get fresh business through the door and also increase sales to its existing client base.
The reason so many business owners claim it doesn?t work, or have had problems with it themselves is they?re breaking some fundamental but very straightforward rules. You can?t expect to mail any old thing out to the world and have swarms of eager buyers come knocking at your door struggling to shove money into your hands. If that?s how it worked, every business owner would be prosperous!
Successful direct mail marketing, like every form of effective and profitable small business marketing is predicated on adhering to the rules of the game, rules laid down over the last 150 years or so.
These are not legal requirements, though. Rather they?re just rules of thumb which, when observed, have been shown to maximize the Return on Investment. You are at liberty to overlook them if you want ? but you do so at your peril.
Sadly, the individuals responsible for creating most of the direct mail marketing campaigns small businesses send out are not actually qualified for the job. Because it is inclined to be left in the hands of graphic designers, and unless they?ve been specifically trained in direct advertising principles, they ?ll design something that looks fantastic ? but in terms of ROI is a disaster.
I warn you: your graphic designer and printer will detest this advice I?m giving you, and will probably tell you it?s not going to work. In this case, just say to 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. So here some simple rules for direct mail. I promise, adhere to these and you?re certain better responses:
Rule # 1: Don?t yell ?ADVERTISING?
Most direct mail marketing LOOKS like advertising. It?s sent in a stock envelope with a label or printed address on it, and as often as not it has the company name and logo on it, to. This is a really atrocious idea..
How come? Because it?s obvious even to my dog this is an advertising piece ? and it follows you?re going to attempt and sell me something, which straight away puts me on the back foot.
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 genuine stamp from the Post Office. Yes, it?s a little more fuss and a tiny bit more expensive, but the extra responses will more than repay your investment.
In case you need to have a return address on it, simply use the address in the top left corner ? no company name, no logo.
This is automatically going to mean many more people will in fact open your direct mail marketing pieces. Naturally, when they?ve opened it, they?ve got to read it and then take action.
Rule # 2: Write like you talk
This is in direct contrast to the direct mail advertising pieces you get daily, I ?d put money on it. Most of them have no obvious reason even for existing ? I suppose the bonehead designing them waxed lyrical about ?brand? or something. But developing your ?brand? doesn?t by itself make you profits. Brand follows and is a result of service.
You need to write your direct mail advertising pieces in precisely the same tone as you ?d write a letter to a valued aunt or uncle. Forget about being ?professional? or keeping to the practices they drummed into you at school. Simply write as you speak, and you won?t go far wrong.
Aim your whole piece at spotlighting one problem and one problem only, by giving a big, bold promise in your headline. Then, in the body of the piece, tell them you CAN remedy it, and then explain to them HOW they can obtain this magic solution you have. To put it otherwise, you need a focused and impossible-to-miss call to action, like ?Ring me on 00000-000000 NOW and set up your free appointment ? places are restricted to the first 7 people to call, so if you are the eighth caller, you?ll miss out?. No sweat.
These tips alone will make a huge difference to your results, I guarantee.
Good Business and Finances creates bigger bank accounts.
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