Direct
Mail could also be called "selling in an envelope." It is a way
of creating one-to-one selling opportunities through letters, brochures,
newsletters, and other printed materials that can be readily and inexpensively
mailed. When direct mail is allied to database marketing and targeted
to specific interest, industry or demo-graphic groups, it becomes
a powerful tool for delivering the right message to the right person
at the right time. You can use Direct mail to sell products and services
directly; you can use it as one or more links in the chain of contacts
leading to a sale, and you can use it to develop qualified leads from
a list of prospects.
Direct
Mail as a 1-to-1 Marketing Tool
The
power of direct mail is that it is inherently a one-to-one communication
between the writer and the reader. It is the one form of advertising
where you can take as much space and time as you need to tell your
whole story. As long as you keep it interesting, readers will stick
with you. Skilled writers can get inside the heads of the readers
to create a dialogue and evoke the emotional reaction necessary to
get results to make readers do what you want them to do. One of the
powerful bonuses of direct mail is that, after personal contact, it
is the very best way to make your customers feel wanted, appreciated,
and special.
Keys
to Success
• Focus on your mailing list or database.
The better you target your message to the people who can and will
buy your products and services, the greater you results will-be.
• Focus on your offer; it answers the question: "What's in it for
me?"
• Focus on what the readers want to know, not on what you want to
tell them.
• Remember, the more you tell (as long as it's relevant), the more
you sell.
The
Payoff
• Direct mail programs can be developed to fit almost any budget
• Believe it or not, your customers actually look forward to hearing
from you through the mail.