Direct Mail Secrets

Direct Mail Secrets

The direct mail campaign is one that goes back many decades. It is a tried-and-true method to reaching a considerable number of people in a very inexpensive manner. However, while such campaigns may cover a considerable number of potential customers, they are often only minimally effective in terms of return of investment (ROI), often garnering just 1% or even less.

However, if you know the right direct mail secrets, you can up the ROI considerably and improve your bottom line. Here are five direct mail secrets that will improve your campaign significantly.

Persistence: As with any marketing campaign, the key is being persistent and not stopping with one mailing. Remember that on average a customer will say “no” five times before they say “yes” to buying a product or service. This means that you will need to send out multiple mailings in your campaign in order to garner real success. You may not get a response right away, but after the fourth or fifth mailing the numbers should go up.  You may even want to keep sending prospects mail until they say “Im ready to do business” or “Please take me off your list, I keep getting letters from you!”

Targeted Lists: You do not want to send out your direct mail randomly, but instead to a potential prospect who is interested in the products or services that you might offer. So, you will need to understand your target audience and only send out direct mail to those with a real interest. This will require spending more money on getting an up-to-date list, but it will be more than worth it when you send out your direct mailing.

Copywriting: Now that you have your list, the next step is writing the perfect message. You will also need to decide if you want to use a letter or postcard as this will dictate how much you can say. However, you will need to convey your message in just a few sentences for maximum impact. Remember, you may only have the attention of the reader for five or ten seconds, so your primary goal is to hook them in with a short, simple, and powerful statement. If you are not very good with writing, find someone who has copywriting skills and craft the perfect message.

Call System: So, now that your perfect message is being sent to a targeted audience, you’ll need to have a proper call system in place. Remember that many who call will still need to be convinced, so use this as your opportunity to turn them into customers. If you cannot be there to answer all of the calls, hire an automated call center like Pat Live. Remember to take notes on successful deals so that you can learn from them and use the lessons for the next call.

Following Up: Remember to store all the calls and follow up with them within a day of their initial contact. What you say in the next call may be different than your first conversation, but in any case you should follow up even if the person seemed disinterested at first. Basically, you’ll want to follow up with your calls as often as you send out the mailings to ensure that you cover all the potential sales. A CRM and calendar system is very helpful for you to consistently follow up.

The best direct mail secrets can have you multiply your sales and jumpstart your business. Just be sure to write down what was successful and use it time and time again.