Direct Mail Methods To Create A Wave Of New Business (part2)
Yesterday we talked about narrowing your list down and ONE of the GREAT resources available for Direct Response Marketers. Today we need to address a few OTHER issues like what to do To get them to READ your letter! Idea 2: How To Get Your Letter Opened and Read First things first, you need to get your letter delivered. I know this sounds obvious, but it's more difficult than you think. Many consultants will tell you to save money by using 'bulk-mail' postage or as it’s now called 'standard rate'. Bulk rate is the dumpster rate. After taking the proper steps to get the best list, a GREAT looking piece of marketing media don't blow it by being cheap on the postage. In fact, the Post Office freely admits that 20%-30% of all bulk mail gets thrown out for various reasons. The reason is simple; when your mailman's sack gets heavy, which letters do you think he would dare not deliver? That's right - bulk mail. So if something looks like its junk mail it is more likely to get tossed. PLEASE if you are a mail carrier, do NOT think for a second That I believe that this is a common occurrence, but when your own industry talks in the range of 1 in 5 or 1 in 3 not being delivered, there is definitely something amiss! More likely it’s merely the fact that MANY folks who are getting their feet wet in Direct Response are trying to do it with the smallest investment they can. Unfortunately you will find that your customer response can almost ALWAYS be tied directly to YOUR investment! So in order to get your mailings respected (by the post office and your customer) all your mailings should go out first class and use a real "live" stamp. That also means don't use mailing labels or even worse than that, is a "postage indicia". That’s a fancy way of saying postage meter. All these smack of "junk mail". The closer you can make your envelope look like personal correspondence the better since people sort their mail over the trash can. That means you only have only a split-second for them to decide if they'll open your letter or not. There is also a HUGE push towards something called 3D MAIL.3D mail is just what it sounds like, a “package” or mailer that has that all important 3rd dimension to is. The thinking being that if it’s NOT flat, than it can NOT be on the bottom of the stack under the phone bill, water bill and Time Magazine. It MUST go on TOP! For more information search your favorite search engine for 3D Mailer, there are some VERY interesting ideas out there, many of which are VERY reasonably priced! Idea 3: BULK Means Action Face it Brochures and self-mailers do not work. What do you do when you get a brochure in the mail? Most people will either toss it out or file it away. Hardly anyone gives it more than just a casual glance on the way to the circular file. Post cards get even LESS. I have seen professionals absentmindedly throw away their licensing notifications for their Medical/Professionallicense, just because it came on a post card! What you need is an action device, and that's what bulk will give you. You need to take advantage of the greatest benefit direct mail has for you - personalized, intimate conversations. A letter allows you to "talk" one-on-one to your prospect. That means you should use "I" and "me" and "you" freely in your letter. Don't use the corporate sounding "we". Make it Valuable, make it convincing and just as real estate is all about location location, location, direct response marketing is all about content, content and more content! I signed up for a “free” trial offer that must have contained 17 pages of material, folded “loosely” (loose created bulk). Remember just one person is reading your letter at once. So don't write in the plural, even if your mailing is going out to thousands and thousands of people. Just sit down and write the same way you'd talk to a friend over dinner explaining the advantages and benefits of the product or service you're offering. Start your letter with a compelling, benefit-driven headline. Prospects will decide to continue reading by the headline. If your headline fails to capture their attention and keep them engaged, your letter will quickly end up in the trash. One of the most common mistakes you can make is to put your company name, big and bold on top of the letter. This is the worst thing you can possibly do. You see, every person is concerned with one thing: *What's in it for me?* Your company name does not show what, if any, benefits, the prospect will get from your letter. So put your company name at the bottom of the page where it belongs. However several OTHER ideas for your letter, Headlines, Bold Colors, “Hand Written” stickies, highlighting ideas, DEADLINES and best of all your OFFER! Wait, WHAT OFFER? Well that my friends is available in 2 places, you may either recheck BACK for part three, or for IMMEDIATE assistance head on over to: http://www.TrueNorthTrainingSolutions.com/resources.html And ask for our Remote Control Management kit! About Author Award winning speaker and author Jerome has been a Self Employed Business Consultant for over 20 years, having focused on business development in the Healthcare, Technology, Banking and Real Estate Industries he has developed a unique training method that allows him to present material in a manner that leads to successful follow through in all of the best students in his classes. Disclaimer: Article submitters are solely responsible for the content of their articles. ArtiLib can't be held liable for the contents of the articles. Report Abuse | Browse By Category |
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