Old Marketing Tool With New Power

Looking for a better solution to connect with customers and prospects on this technology-rich, multi-channel environment? Would you think I was crazy if I suggested by using a channel that’s developed in earlier 20th century?

That channel is direct mail. And while most of today’s marketers may dismiss it as being a quaint relic of the past, it is really more powerful than previously. Surprised? If you comprehend the factors behind the potency of direct mail, you’ll not be.

There are two reasons direct mail is really a wise choice in today’s world. First, fewer companies are utilizing it, therefore the handful that understand how to employ it effectively have a bigger possiblity to be noticed. Three decades ago, your mailbox could have been full of letters on virtually any day, so how many would you receive now? Finding a letter (especially one having a real stamp) is one thing of a novelty currently, so rather than simply tossing it aside, folks are more likely to see clearly.

“Well, I don’t read unsolicited mail,” you insist. Neither do I. But effective direct mail and pre-approved offers are two entirely different animals, and that is where reason number 2 enters the image. The key to effective direct mail is being confident that you put the correct message into the appropriate hands, and today’s blend of powerful technology and big data makes that easier to do than any other time.

Junk mail will be the stuff you will not want. You’re not considering doing business with the sender, or it is just a product you’d never buy, so that you chuck it to the recycling bin. If you’re sending an unacceptable messages to individuals who have no need or interest, you’re squandering your money on unsolicited mail.

But if you are sending relevant messages and provides to a tightly targeted number of recipients which fits specific criteria, you’re doing effective direct mail. You have the chance to “talk” straight away to someone who is likely to be enthusiastic about what you must say or offer. Even better, you’re performing it in a place where they’re comfortable each time when they’re comfortable. Many forms of promoting communications are interruptive. For example, cell phone calls always come when you find yourself doing something else entirely. But most folk have some sort of routine with regards to reading their mail.

Now, that tightly targeted group I mentioned. I’ve written many effective direct mail packages throughout the years, but I’ll be the first person to admit that my brilliant words aren’t the main reason those efforts achieved success. Direct mail experts will show you that the writing and design of your direct mail piece or package makes up about less than 10 % of its effectiveness. How do they’re betting that? They’ve tested a lot of pieces of mail in the past, making slight modifications to pinpoint what works best.

Those experts can even tell that your particular offer is the reason for about 20 percent of the direct mail effort’s success. So is there a factor behind the rest of the 70 percent? It’s the excellence of the list.

In short, you are able to develop the most wonderful direct mail package most abundant in poetic wording promoting a totally irresistible offer, and when you mail it to your crummy list, it is going to fail. The list could be the single most important element.

A good list focuses completely one type of recipient. The more clearly you may define your customers and obtain a directory of those targets, the harder effective will probably be. The list should also be accurate, and it is important to ensure that your vendor or whoever is producing the letter merges the best fields. Otherwise, you could potentially embarrass yourself.

The other element that’s crucial in effective direct mail is being confident that your message is personal. Even for anyone who is sending your marketing message to 100,000 people, it’s being read by one at any given time. You want each recipient to think that they’re which has a conversation with someone in your company, not being afflicted by advertising. Copy that’s friendly and conversational goes a long way toward accomplishing that.