Marketing While You Sleep

by Ann Barr
 

It is always surprising when business owners tell me they do not use direct mail marketing.  In an industry where there is so much competition, where customers have so many choices when it comes to buying office equipment and imaging supplies, resellers would benefit from taking every opportunity to connect with prospects and customers.

Along with telephone marketing, direct mail is the most effective way to establish and maintain a one-to-one personal relationship between you and your prospects/customers.

In 1993, I started my business with direct mail marketing, and have found out what works and what doesn’t work, through trial and error. Creating a really successful direct-mail piece involves a lot of little details.  It’s a lot like baking a cake.  Leave out one ingredient and the cake will not taste right.  A good direct mail piece must contain both a letter and a colorful flyer.

If you have decided to give direct mail marketing a try, follow these tips and you will be successful.

Your List
Mailing to the right audience is the number one priority for success in any direct-mail effort.  The results from your mailing will be directly dependent on the accuracy of your mailing list in targeting prospects most likely to be interested in your product or service.

The Envelope
The envelope must get to the right person who – when s/he sees it – will be curious and want to open the envelope.  To make sure the letter reaches the right person – and gets opened:

   l   The envelope should be addressed to a person, by name, not just by title.
Reason:  Letters addressed to “Purchasing Agent,” or “Office Manager” often end up in the trash can without being opened.

   l   Hand-address the envelope.
Reason:  Hand-addressed envelopes are more likely to be opened.  They look less like junk mail.

   l   Send the letter first class and use postage stamps – not a postage machine. 
Reason:  Using a postage machine makes the letter look like it was bulk-mailed to 1,000 other people.  Postage stamps look more personal.

   l   For more success, use a combination of stamps, like one 34 cent stamp and a 3-cent stamp.  Or a 22-cent stamp, a 10-cent stamp and one 5-cent stamp.
Reason:  Calls attention to the envelope and looks more like a personal letter.

   l   Fold the flyer inside of the letter, so it doesn’t show through the envelope.
Reason:  If the person screening the mail sees a flyer through the envelope, s/he is more likely to open the envelope and throw away the letter if it appears to be a sales letter.

The Letter
To make it easy to read, the letter should be short and to the point, with short sentences and short paragraphs.  To get the prospect’s attention, start out by asking a question with the word “you” in it.  Then use bullet points with features or benefits. 

Example of a letter written to a law firm by a company offering video conferencing facilities:

                     “Would you like to reduce the time and expense of traveling to out-of-town
                      depositions and meetings?  Would you like to increase valuable chargeable

                      time?

                       “If your answer is ‘yes’ to these questions, [company name] has the

                        solution for you.  With the help of our unique network of dedicated and

                        skilled professionals, your firm can use video conferencing for:

 

§         Witness testimony

§         Depositions

§         Meetings where face-to-face communication will be more effective

§         Communicating with out-of-town clients and opposing counsel”

Focus
Highlight only one product or service.  Too much information on more than one product or service will confuse or bore the prospect. Focus on one product or service and on what you want to achieve.  Do you want to get an appointment for a demo?  Do you want the prospect to visit your web site?  Or do you want to get an order with the letter?

Use a time-sensitive offer and end the letter by asking for the action you want the prospect to take.  Tell them exactly how to take the action.  Example:

“Visit our web site www.ourwebsite.com to see this exciting new fax machine.”  Or:

“Call me today at [your telephone number] to order this cartridge at the special introductory price of [price] good through July 30^th, 2004.”

Make it Easy
The easier it is for the prospect to respond, the higher the probability s/he will respond to your mailing.  A toll-free telephone number is an incentive for readers to respond immediately.  Include a return envelope and/or fax-back form.  If you do not make it simple and easy for the recipient to respond, your mailing will be doomed to failure.

Add Power
Use testimonials from your happy customers.  Testimonials add credibility and are an extremely powerful marketing and selling tool.  Use real names and businesses.  Make sure to get their permission first.

Use a P.S. at the bottom of the page.  Research shows startling jumps in response when an offer is repeated in the P.S.

 

The Flyer
Make it visually attractive so the prospect wants to read it.  Some flyers are so cluttered, it’s almost impossible to find necessary information.  More white space makes the flyer inviting to read.  Remove words that are not necessary.

Repeat the same time-sensitive offer that’s included in the letter.  Time-sensitive offers are successful because they prompt the prospect to take action by a specific date.

If you want to double the response from your direct-mail letter, call the prospect to follow up, five business days after mailing the letter.

Test and Track
After you have created your perfect letter and perfect flyer, send out no more than 100, to test results.  If you don’t get at least a two percent response, re-write the letter and flyer.  Get opinions from at least three people who are objective, before sending out the next one.  When you get good results, keep track of which letters bring in the best results.  When you have created a successful direct mail letter and flyer, don’t be afraid to use it again and again.

Benefits

   l   A small business can begin a direct-mail marketing campaign on a shoestring

         budget.

    l   Direct-mail marketing provides your company with a consistent source of sales

          leads and increases your customer base

    l   Expands awareness of your products and services and increases sales

    l   Targeted direct-mail marketing, combined with telephone marketing is the most 

          effective way to get in touch and stay in touch with customers on a consistent basis.  

One of the nicest benefits of direct-mail marketing?  It works for you while you sleep.
Your letters go through the postal system and on their way to your prospects at all hours

of the day and night.
 

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Ann Barr is a consultant and sales trainer who has

written eight books on sales and marketing
available on her web site www.sellingsupplies.com