The National Federation of Independent Business reports that “Direct mail gets you into the homes and businesses of your customers -- where you might never be, even if you called and asked for an appointment. And it lets you reach many, many more people than you could by yourself.”
But direct mail campaigns involve more than sending out a company brochure or postcard. Many direct mail campaigns fall flat due to these common mistakes.
Not Using the Right Mailing List
The purpose of a direct mail campaign is to generate awareness about your product, service or company and one of the most common mistakes is not contacting the right recipient. Knowing your target market is critical. It’s important to keep your client list up to date, or if you’re purchasing a list, buy it from a reputable source. A list provider should be CASS certified, which verifies the validity of the addresses.
Poor Copy
The problem with direct mail pieces is that many go straight into the trash can without being opened, much less read. Good copy means your pieces get noticed and strike your recipients' curiosity. Find out what the customer wants to know about your product or services—and then tell them. List the benefits before features. Sell the offer not the product and clearly describe how your solution will benefit them by making your copy simple and easy to read.
Not Testing
Another reason many direct marketing campaigns fail is that they don’t take into account the rapid changes in the marketplace that should be monitored by testing. Middleton Hughes of DM News says, “Make every single promotion a test. By not testing, you are throwing away a golden opportunity to improve, an opportunity that may give your competitors an edge. Study and act on the results of your tests.” How many leads were generated? How many qualified prospects were obtained or appointments scheduled? Testing will help you develop ways to improve the results for your next campaign.
No Offer or Call-to-Action
Sending out a brochure or a letter doesn’t create excitement or generate much business. Your direct mail piece should offer more than price reductions; it needs an offer and a call-to-action, which tells your prospect what you want them to do, and how to receive their reward. Some of the most effective offers are free trials, free gifts, money-back guarantees and sweepstakes or contests. Most readers will skim your mailer rather than read it so briefly describe the offer (a free gift, for example), then tell readers to respond (a call-to-action would be offering a free gift to customers who book an appointment).
Poor Follow-up
“There are three types of people you should be following up with, suspects (people in your target marketplace), prospects (people who have responded to your marketing but have not purchased, and customers (people who have purchased something from you),” says David Fey of Business Know-How. “With suspects, you’ll want to entice them to call you or visit your store / office. With prospects, you need to persuade them to make their first purchase. And with customers, you want to convince them to come back and do more business with you and give your referrals.”
Ryan Derousseau of FORTUNE Small Business says, “You want to show a personal touch when contacting prospects for your company - but the phone may be too intrusive. You might have to spend a little money to get the return you want, but you can do it in ways that minimize costs maximizing the impact of the campaign.”
Mimi Hashemi - Mimi Hashemi has more than twenty years experience in marketing, public relations, and new business development. With particular emphasis ...
