Direct Mail Can Work for You

It can provide a carefully orchestrated story that leads the prospect to action. Direct mail allows a business to select and communicate directly with targeted prospects in a relevant, one-to-one conversation that conveys the benefits of a product or service to each targeted audience. It is an excellent form of advertising to drive sales.

In fact, direct mail has proven time and again to be one of the most reliable and effective media and can serve a crucial role as part of an overall marketing mix.

One of direct mail's most distinctive features is its ability to target a very carefully defined group of people.

The second desirable feature is its ability to measure the impact. Simply, mail goes directly to your prospect's address and greets them personally by name. It allows businesses to make their pitch like no other medium.

But details are extremely important, especially elements such as copy, paper and colors. The look and feel of the packaging can make a difference in how the consumer responds.

Another advantage of direct mail is that a campaign can be launched in a timely fashion to meet seasonal trends or accommodate other factors. It can be used to test price points, specific offers, styles, sizes and colors.

Free premiums generate good responses. But it's a good idea to test different ones. One of the most attention-getting is cash prizes as in sweepstakes. Free offers and low prices also build up initial responses.

A simple and effective direct mail package should have an outside envelope, a brief one- or two-page letter and a response mechanism. Most research indicates that more leads are generated with a postage-paid reply card than with a toll-free phone number. But the choice is yours.

A more complete package might include a brochure including pictures, charts and diagrams to help sell the product or service.

The best advice for success is to keep the package as personalized as possible and sell benefits, not features. The consumer could care less about a widget being made of aluminum or steel, he or she just wants to know why it will last longer or will work better for the user's purposes. Including a no-risk offer and a deadline will help motivate the consumer to action more quickly.

Be friendly and conversational in style in writing the copy for your direct mail campaign.

Within the first few sentences, deliver the point or you may lose your audience before you ever get your message across.

Some direct mail pieces include only a letter, which is unquestionably the most critical part of any direct mail package. If done correctly, letters can actually be perceived as a personal communication and the recipient may believe he is just one of a few receiving this opportunity.

While direct mail is used mostly to generate sales by "making an offer and getting an order," on some occasions direct mail can be used to increase awareness of a product or service. A business can create top-of-mind awareness by targeting a specific demographic, psychographic or geographic area of the population.

Regardless of the approach, without a doubt the mailing list is the key element to the success of a direct mail campaign. It's worth the time, effort and expense to find the best possible list.

Many list brokers can actually do the research taking into account your product or service, selling strategies and kinds of people you wish to reach. The broker will consider such factors as location, age, gender, income, educational background, occupation, hobbies and interests. Depending on the resulting lists, you may know specific details about your prospects and can include such personalized information in your letter.

Of course with any direct mail campaign, follow-up is essential. If you send a brochure and a letter to a qualified lead but then wait a week or more to call, the sale may be gone and the campaign will have failed.

You need to maintain a sustained effort over time.

A typical response on a direct mail offer is 1 to 2 percent. If you do not break even at 1 percent, it's best to revamp the package, the offer, product or price.

The best rule of thumb in figuring out the formula for success is the cost of the mailing, plus the cost of fulfillment, subtracted from the amount of money received.

The good news, of course, is that with most direct mail, the results are quantifiable. It's clear how many pieces of mail were sent out and how many responses came back.