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Adam's Advice: 8 Tips for Making Direct Mail Work (1-4)

Following last week's discussion on the advantages and challenges of direct mail, we'll now look at 8 key things to focus on to make your direct mail campaigns work for you. We'll tackle the first four today and wrap it up next week.

1. Use the right list. This is the most important element! If you're sending to the wrong audience, you'll never get the results you're looking for.


a. Use a list that includes the appropriate demographics for your target audience.
b. Ensure your list is up-to-date.
c. Examples of lists to consider: seniors with disposable income living in houses or apartments, 45-65 year-old children of seniors, physicians, case managers, lawyers and trust officers.
d. List brokers are one place you can obtain lists. Make sure you request specific audiences, like those in the previous bullet and ask how current the list is.
e. You can also compile your own lists over time, but this will take a conscientious effort and probably someone from your team specifically assigned to this task.

2. Get them to open the envelope! If your direct mail looks like junk mail, it will be thrown away. Design your envelope in a way that will show the recipient the relevance to them and give them a reason to open it.


a. Think of clever, snappy, intriguing words or images to put on the outside envelope to compel them to open. But make sure it's relevant. Appeal to a specific need or a benefit you offer the recipient.
b. Sometimes, a more "personal" look is effective (handwritten with a "live" stamp - not a postal indicia). If your mailing is large (more than 500), try a font that looks handwritten (but avoid those that are obvious - like cursive typefaces). There are many options available these days.


3. Include a letter. Direct mail packages with letters almost always out-perform those without letters.


a. Spend some intensive hours in research before writing the first direct mail letter (or hire an expert). Ask current clients what they like about doing business with you and focus your letter around those benefits.
b. Write in a way that addresses your client's needs and problems. Let them know you are aware of their needs and then explain the solutions you offer.
c. Include testimonials from satisfied clients. Testimonials improve response rates as they offer credibility and a personal touch.
d. Emphasize your unique services. Give them a reason to go to you instead of your competition (i.e. available 24/7, informative newsletters, only one in the area providing a specialized service, etc.).
e. Explain why your staff is the best (i.e. carefully selected, screened, experienced, extensively trained, supervised, highest paid, etc.).
f. Finally, ensure your letter invites them (convinces them!) to take action on the offer.


4. Design your piece for maximum impact. With the multitude of advertising messages people are exposed to every day, you must take time to design a mailer that will capture attention and get the result you're going for.


a. Your headline must grab attention. The headline is really an ad for your sales letter. Ask for a specific action in the headline to get your reader interested.
b. Consider colors. Black should almost always be your main color for the body of a letter. Blue is a good second color, but red with black generally achieves better response. However, don't over-use red as it can become to harsh. Use it as an accent only.
c. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs. People tend to skim, so if they only read the first couple of sentences of each paragraph, they'll skip over a lot of your content if it's too long. Also, use large print to provide enhanced legibility for seniors.

Next week we'll finish up with steps 5-8!