DIRECT MAIL: MASTERING THE LOGISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL MAILING

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1 DIRECT MAIL: MASTERING THE LOGISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL MAILING INCREASE YOUR RESPONSE RATES AND PROFITABILITY WHITE PAPER

2 - 2 - Before you develop the content for your next mailing, there are logistical and strategic considerations you ll want to take into account. Here are a few crucial issues to consider that greatly affect the success rate and profitability of your effort. MAKE AN OFFER THEY CAN T REFUSE For every mailpiece, you want to create a unique message or offer that stands out from the competition, and also communicates a strong incentive to act. So what kind of reason can you give potential clients to respond? What can you offer them to entice them to start a business relationship? Is it a free report or white paper with information about a particular challenge they face? Can you offer a free trial of your product, a free consultation prior to service, or a 10 percent discount on their initial order? You need to give prospects a compelling reason to pick up the phone or to visit your website. FIND THE RIGHT FREQUENCY A one-time mailing is rarely successful. The chances of reaching its target, when that person is receptive or ready to buy, are slim to none. A strategy of successive mailings improves your chances of making an impact. Ideally, you ll want to aim for at least two or three mailings per campaign. That way, at least one mailer is bound to hit at an opportune time. These multiple mailings will also keep you in prospects minds when they re in a pre-decision or just-shopping mode. RUN TESTS WITH LOWER-COST MAILINGS In addition to being a cost-effective option, direct mail postcards all but guarantee that the recipient will see your offer. There s nothing to open or flip through. The promotion is right there for them to see even if they ultimately throw the piece away. Many businesses use a simple, two-step mailing strategy. They send a letter, postcard or to interested individuals then follow-up with a larger, high-quality piece to qualified prospects. It s also smart to mail to a small, random sample of your mailing list to check results. If a piece doesn t elicit a good response from five percent of your list, it probably won t do any better with the remaining 95 percent. The majority of the cost of direct mail is in printing and mailing. A simple test can save you a lot of money. WHAT S YOUR CALL-TO-ACTION? Here are a few examples: Call today for a free, no-obligation consultation Limited time offer: 10% discount off your first order Free white paper: How To Save Costs On Electricity MAKE IT ACTIONABLE Always close your mail piece with a call-to-action that lets the recipient know what to do and when to do it. Make sure your contact information is visible and easily readable and be sure to include your website address. If you don t already have a full website, then a single-page site or even a Facebook page can help support your campaign.

3 - 3 - MAKE IT MEASURABLE To know if a campaign is working, you need to be able to track the results. There are a number of mechanisms to help you do this, including: Redemption codes Dedicated phone lines Website landing pages Also, think about experimenting with different versions of your mailer to see which one generates the most responses and conversions. You can track the relative success of each by using distinct tracking mechanisms for each. DEVELOPING THE MESSAGE The process of starting a new client relationship is a lot like courtship. Before you get involved, your prospect wants to get to know you. It s unrealistic to ask that prospect to commit to you right away. What you really want is your prospect s permission to contact him or her again to continue the conversation. This is how valuable client relationships are born. Here are some tips for developing a message strategy that will ease the process and establish a connection. COMMUNICATE YOUR UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION Maybe your first mail piece shouldn t take a selling posture. Many companies start by educating a potential client. Tell your prospect what s unique about your company and your approach. Warming a prospect up builds trust and credibility. Invite your prospect to call or with questions about your products and services. CUT TO THE CHASE In this over-communicated society, it s important to get to the point. Because the majority of readers will only glance at your entire mailer, it s crucial that the headline be relevant and interesting. Make sure your headline, subhead and images work together to quickly sum up your message and proposition. On average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90% of your money. - David Ogilvy, Adverstising legend BE RELEVANT Don t let your mailer get lost in a sea of messages. Consider the client s perspective. What would inspire him or her to pick up the phone or visit your website? Think about sending unique pieces to certain demographics, highlighting the benefits of a product or service that would be relevant to each. Testimonials from existing clients, when done well, can also add credibility to your mailing.

4 - 4 - BE PERSONABLE When writing the copy for your mailpiece, it s good to visualize yourself across the table from the prospect. You re not talking to a faceless audience, you re communicating one-on-one with a friend or associate. This will make a real difference in the tone of your language and approach. Explain your product, benefits and proposition in a straightforward way. Use words that are clear, concise, honest and believable. THINK BENEFITS INSTEAD OF FEATURES Many marketers make the mistake of simply enumerating the features of their product/service in their copy. They expect the reader to make an instant connection to what that feature means to them. The fact is, you need to do the heavy-lifting by turning each feature into a benefit for the prospect. Here s a helpful example: FEATURE: BENEFIT: Our 1200 dpi inkjet printer is 30% faster than competing models. With a resolution of 1200 dpi, this inkjet printer gives you crisp, professional quality results. It s also 30% faster than competing models. This is an important factor for extended print runs, and when time is particularly of the essence. FINE-TUNING THE CREATIVE LESS IS MORE IS TRUER THAN EVER You don t need to convey everything you offer in a single mailer or postcard. In fact, this is often impossible. When an advertisement is too busy or wordy, you run the risk of prospects missing your message or not reading it at all. So, when it comes to design and content, the simpler the better. Here are some helpful tips to remember: FOCUS ON A SINGLE SERVICE OR PRODUCT This gives you the space to do that product justice, and helps to make a lasting and meaningful impression on the prospect. KEEP IT SIMPLE Make sure your content is as sparse and succinct as possible, leaving lots of white space in the layout/design. This improves the readability and impact of your message.

5 - 5 - LIMIT YOUR COLOR PALETTE When you use more than two colors, your mailpiece can start to take on a circus-like effect. Great if you re promoting a local carnival, but less than ideal if you re trying to project a professional image. LIMIT YOUR TYPEFACES Similar to the restraint you should have with colors, select just one or two typefaces. You can use boldface type or italics to draw attention and create variety. But avoid the overuse of these devices, as that can actually be more distracting than useful. AVOID JARGON AND BUSINESS-SPEAK Use language that the average person can readily understand. The use of jargon can actually make you look like an amateur who is trying to fit in, rather than a confident professional with a true understanding of the industry and issues at hand. AVOID EXCLAMATION POINTS Nothing says hype to a customer more than this all-too-common punctuation mark. And today s prospects, particularly younger ones, have a natural aversion to being hyped. SPEAK WITH NEOPOST USA To find out how Neopost USA can help you cut mailing costs and improve your mailing productivity, visit or call us at NEOPOST ( ) ABOUT NEOPOST USA Neopost USA provides mailing, communications and shipping solutions. For generations, we have worked with our customers to prepare, deliver and manage their customer communications in the most secure, efficient, and professional manner possible. As businesses increasingly move to digital communications, we continue to help our customers communicate whether in traditional mail, digital communications, or packages. All of this is provided by a network of sales and service professionals providing sales, supplies and service to their customers. For more information on Neopost USA, visit