The #1 Problem with Your Direct Mail

One of the biggest issues I encounter when consulting client on their direct mail campaign is their lack of clarity for the project.

It’s vitally important that you clearly and definitively identify your goal for the campaign. Is it lead generation? Event promotion? Reactivation of dead customers? Sales generation?

Each one requires their own unique approach, so before you start planning your campaign start with the end in mind and figure out your goal.

You then need to identify your target market and ideal customer for your mailing. Every marketing piece you generate needs to speak very specifically to a target market and ideal customer. And you may have multiple target markets and ideal customers.

So don’t skip this step! You cannot create your mailing before identifying which one you are speaking to. If you only have one target market and ideal customer, review it to brush up and make sure you don’t need to update your data.

Enough about that, let’s move on to an actual case study. I encourage you to download a copy of the letter here. This will download a PDF.

As you can tell from the headline, we used our next Barbell mailer:

There are two important items in the letter that I want to address. I often hear from clients that, if they send items like this, their prospects or clients won’t take them seriously.However, there is a line of copy that I use time and time again in my letters and it always diffuses the issue. Here it is:

Go ahead; pick up the barbell, give it a little squeeze, doesn’t that feel better? Have some fun. We could all use more laughter in our lives. Not everything has to be so serious.

However, let me assure you that when it comes to saving my clients up to 28% on their phone system and long distance calls, I’m all business

Second, you’ll notice the letter is a pure lead generation offer. No money is changing hands, no appointment is sought; we’re simply offering a package of information.

In exchange all we want is the person’s contact information so we can continue to follow-up and spend our time and money on only those who are interested in our offer.

The flip side, and what most “traditional” advertising agencies use is “buy now” offer, where the only thing we want them to do is buy what we’re offering right now. For my money, lead generation marketing to a prospect list is the way to go.

A one page letter with the Barbell Stress Toy is 1.8 oz, making the 1st class postage $2.62 for under 3 oz. You can get that number down approx. 25% if you’re sending pre-sort standard (a.k.a. bulk) or pre-sort first class and sending at least 500 pieces.

It’s a formula!

Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be. The sample included this month is for an auto repair shop but the formula is not difficult. Refer to the marked up letter to see the formula.

1. Tweak the headline for your product or service.
2. In this case choose your free gifts or eliminate them.
3. Present an offer, and if your offer is too good to believe, explain why you’re doing it.
4. Include the benefits of doing business with you.
5. Answer objections.
6. Review the entire letter in multiple P.S.’s.
7. Be sure they know what to do next.