Essential do’s and dont’s for making your direct mail produce results.

Direct Mail is a powerful tool when used properly because it gives you direct access to your target customers and clients. But Direct Mail has to be handled with care and precision.

Here are some essential do’s and dont's for making your direct mail produce results.

• The Golden Rule of Direct Mail is to test and measure everything. This is the only way to determine with precision whether your campaigns are successful and should be rolled out on a larger scale.
• Start testing a new Direct Mail campaign with a small number. This may be a just a thousand.
• By far the best place to start increasing your Direct Mail is with your existing customers and clients. How often do you mail them now and what would happen if you increased the frequency of mailing?
• The 1st thing people read is the headline and the P.S., So make sure these convey your message in a concise way.
• Make sure that your mailings focus on the benefits that your customers/clients are going to receive.
• If you get a good response from a mailing – and repeat that mailing two or three weeks later – you are likely to get another significant response – around 50% of the first mailing.
• Consider the break-even concept. This involves using Direct Mail to target new customers and clients – even if the mailings only break even. Providing a percentage of them do repeat business with you - it can be a very effective way to rapidly grow your customer base.

Quick tips to improve your direct mail.

This article ©2005, QuantumMail.com. All rights reserved.
On average, direct-mail marketing yields twice the return of a television ad.* And as with many things in life, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. So with that in mind...

Consider Your List A good mailing list is more than a path to your market. It is your market. So if you're using an in-house list (like a customer database), make sure it’s current. An outdated list is a waste of time, effort, and postage. Of course, if you use the address database of a company like QuantumMail.com, the list issues are taken care of for you. One less thing to worry about.

Write Well

A lack of quality content will rob your direct-mail piece of its selling-power. What makes quality content? It is simple and straightforward. It is factual, rather than boastful. It touches the readers’ emotions in some way. It answers their questions, solves their problems, and meets their needs. It puts the reader first, the offer second, and the company a distant third. It persuades people to respond. Quality content takes practice. But because of its rarity in the world, it’s a practice well-rewarded.

Make It Memorable

The greater the quality and creativity of a direct-mail postcard or flyer, the longer its shelf-life. Some of the better ones find their way onto bulletin boards, cubicle walls, and refrigerator doors. This is what you want for your postcards. So be professional with your design and your message. Have your materials designed by a professional; or at the very least, use a professionally-designed template. Use full-color as much as possible. Select a high-grade card stock. Apply the writing fundamentals mentioned above.

Identify With Your Prospect

Talk to your customers and prospects. Find out their problems, their concerns, their needs. Address those things in your messaging, before you mention anything else. Tell them what they want to hear. Not what you think they should hear.

Close With a Call to Action The call to action tells your prospect where to go, what to do, whom to call. Without it, your direct-mail piece is merely informational. That’s fine if your sole purpose is to inform. But if you’re trying to generate a response, you need to tell your reader how to move forward, how to learn more, or how to purchase. For best results, combine this with your offer: "Call me today for a free market report and in-home consultation..."

Conclusion

Remember, you only get out of it what you put into it. So apply these tips to all your direct-mail marketing pieces. It will take some effort, but the results will be worth it.