Going direct

The mail's here! Great. I hope there's a cheque... Bill, Bill, Junk, Junk, Bill, Ahh cheque, Bill, Junk...

Isn't this the way most people get their mail? You know the general public receive volumes of mail every day.

The last thing any business owner wants is to have all his time and money affectionately seen as JUNK MAIL. So if we want our direct mail to work, we need to be a little more creative and resourceful.

Successful Direct Mail is much more than a pamphlet or brochure distributed in volume. Direct Mail is a personalised mailer intentionally written to ONE person. When that ONE person receives the mailing he or she should feel exclusive and not just one of 100,000 other recipients.

You first need to identify exactly WHO is going to receive your mailer before you start designing or writing your mailer.

There are several ways of finding the right customer. You could try approaching a complimenting business who caters to the same people you do, or maybe you could advertise for people to respond through mass media and use the respondents as your mailing list. There are always 'list brokers' or you could contact Anne Humphrey at Australia Post for their 'list of lists'.

A known way to create interest is with a personally addressed letter. People love reading their own name. Try to use backup material like brochures or testimonials.

Now about that letter...

If you're the type to say 'G'day John' on the phone then feel free to write it that way! Maybe you'd feel more comfortable saying 'Hi Mary!' or simply 'Hello!" In any case it shouldn't read 'Dear Mary'.

Let me give you 3 key points to help you write a better letter.

1. Create a great opening

According to the letter writing giants you should spend at least 80% of your time getting the opening right. That's a lot of time, but look at it this way, if you don't grab your reader early they won't read your letter. So spend the time to give your letter that initial impact.

Have quick snappy sentences to capture their attention. Whatever you do make the opening paragraph SHORT. The shorter the better.

2. The body copy

Keep them interested and involved so your letter becomes the most important thing they've seen all day. Tune in to their WIIFM - 'What's in it for me'. People are only ever interested in what they can get, so tell them - in plain, simple easy to understand words. Never try to use Jargon if you can avoid it.

The more you tell in WIIFM terms the more you sell.

Don't be afraid to write long letters. You're writing to someone who is 'hand-picked' and you're telling them exactly what they want to hear. As long as you're giving the reader a reason to read on, he will.

3. Great Closes

Ask for ACTION and expect to get a response. If it's a letter to make an appointment, make sure you always stay in control of the follow up. Avoid saying 'I hope you call me soon'. Always stay on top of it unless the quantities of your mail outs are too great (in which case you may need to review the quality of the list).

Don't forget the power of the P.S. Always the last thing written but inevitably the first thing read. Reinforce the offer or the WIIFM in the P.S.

If you have the budget and want to be memorable, (and of course depending on what exactly you're trying to achieve from your mailing) it's always a great novelty to include little things for the recipients to play with, like stickers, pop out cards, keys or any other promotional gimmickry. People love to play, but it must be relevant!

You can see what I mean by looking at a successful company like Readers Digest. Readers Digest is renowned for being the most successful magazine in the World with over 28,000,000 copies circulated annually in 17 different languages. (Isn't it amazing no one ever seems to admit reading one?)

They're world leaders in direct mail, sending out direct mail packages to millions of people every year - each package personally addressed, with plenty of WIIFM and ALWAYS something to stick, peal, prod or scratch. And needless to say they work their little cotton socks off!

So don't give up on Direct Mail. It works and works well. All you need is the right message aimed at the right person at the right time!

Good luck with your next ad campaign!