Over the years...
I have heard dozens of clients and direct marketing friends share with me some of their most painful learning experiences in Direct Mail Marketing. Some were obvious...some were not. They've made these mistakes so you don't have to! Learn from the following missteps and increase your chances for success using direct mailing lists. Or, you could pick and choose as many as you like and try then out to prove to yourself that they deserve to be on this list. The first two Don'ts are cardinal rules, and the remaining five are more subtle ways to sabotage your direct mailing efforts. Ignore these at your own risk.
1. Not knowing your target audience.
If you don't KNOW who your target audience is, you better find out before you start marketing. All marketing whether it be direct mail, email, broadcast TV or radio is aimed at a target audience. The delivery vehicles may be broad, but who you are trying to connect with is not! All content should be focused to speak to a specificly targeted group. Know your audience's hot spots and cater to them.
2. Mailing to the wrong mailing list.
I've heard industry Guru's bandy about the number 60% with regard to how important selecting the right mailing list is to the overall success of a campaign. 60%! Apply the knowledge you have acquired from your research to identify prospects that most nearly resemble the key attributes of your customers as possible. If buying response mailing lists (lists of actual buyers of a product or service or subscribers, etc...) does not fit your marketing budget, then work with a Compiled list professional to mirror the demographics and/or psychographics of your customer profile if you are purchasing a consumer mailing list or the SIC's and sales volume and/or company size if purchasing a business mailing list.
3. Not writing to a clear objective.
Before you begin to write your mailing piece, know what the objective is you want your prospect to take. Are you looking to get the prospect to contact you by phone, email, reply card etc...? What do you want them to call for? Are you looking to get them to take a purchasing action? Are you trying to motivate or compel them to visit your location? Make sure your writing speaks to a specific goal. Make sure you know where you're going with each piece you write, then stay focused. Don't meander. Keep it simple.
4. Price before offer.
I don't know anyone who buys an unknown entity because it is cheap, do you? Price may be your chief selling point, but until your prospect knows what they are buying, price is irrelevant. Make sure you tell them about your product first. Then you can talk price.
5. Price before benefits.
Benefits sell. Price sinks the hook. Not the other way around. People buy benefits. You need to tell your readers what makes your price so great - in terms of benefits to the reader.
5. Wrong objective.
Asking for the sale instead of selling the call can be a fatal mistake. Unless you're sending a long, hard-sell direct mail piece your objective should be to engage the reader and compel them to contact you for additional information. Rule of thumb--do not ask for the sale in a postcard or short letter, you ask for a call. Offer the product, show the benefits, and sell the call hard. Cultivate your prospects and then close them. Don't bang them over the head with an anvil and expect them to buy.
6. Wrong headline.
The headline is the single most important element of your direct mailing piece. Solely on the basis of this one line, your reader makes the decision to continue, or not continue to read.
7. Not telling your readers exactly what you want them to do.
You should tell your readers several times (3 seems to be the magic number. In the beginning middle and at the close) exactly what you want them to do. Be specific. Let readers know exactly what action you want them to take; tell them, and tell them again.
Business-to-business direct mail really is different from marketing to consumer direct mail. While you are selling to some of the very same people you might reach with a properly targeted consumer campaign, you're reaching them in an entirely different environment.
First of all, your target business prospect is busy...or they better be. Secondly, business purchasers are rarely spending their own money; so many purchasing decisions must pass through layers of the company to receive approval to buy mail lists. With this in mind, here are a handful of time tested strategies to cultivate more effective b2b direct mail.
Getting Past The Mailroom
Task one is getting past the mailroom! More third class and bulk mail dies here than makes it to the recipients' desk. This is more art than science. The trick is to make your mail look personal or important. Often, a plain outer envelope works best. Try to avoid using peel and stick labels if possible...they just scream to be filed under "G". Additional personalization can help--"Here is the information you requested" or something to that affect. Official looking invitation formats also work. Product samples, and of course the odd shaped package all have been known to get hand delivered.
Mail to Multiple Job Titles
While it doesn't make any sense to send the same direct mail offer to more than one person at a home address-after all, how many times can you expect someone to respond to the same offer-Business addresses are different...and here's why. If you are mailing to large companies and corporations, purchasing decisions are often made on many levels, so you can increase your opportunity to make a sale if you touch the company at more than one level. Try mailing to different job titles simultaneously. If you can, modify the copy to address each level's concerns. You might also encourage pass-alongs of the same piece in your copy.
Provide complete information
Business decisions frequently require more consideration than consumer decisions do. That's why it's vital to provide complete product or service specifications and detailed features. But don't be so dry or sterile that you put your potential customer to sleep. You can't bore business buyers into buying.
Don't be Afraid to Generate leads FIRST to qualify prospects
When you have a complicated sale process, one that can require a significant investment of time and/or resources, or is expensive...making an outright sale is more difficult. Don't be afraid to break your sales process into two or more steps. Collect and qualify leads. Target custom solutions accordingly. This can help you identify the best prospects faster and cut overall new customer acquisition costs.
Make Responding Easy
Make it as easy as possible for someone to buy. Provide them with simple options: a toll-free phone number to call, a fax number, a unique url that takes them to an ordering page on your website, include a business reply card in your mailing piece, anything that makes it easy for someone to say "yes" to your offer.
Use Good Direct Marketing Technique
In general, your copy should be easy to read (High School level). You must present clear benefits. Your design should encourage reading and establish the appropriate image. And don't forget the call to action. Ask for the Order.