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B2B Direct Mail Lead Generation Success Needs Planning, Testing, Measuring.
Is Direct Mail Useless for DMers?
Is direct mail useless at helping direct mail businesses
generate leads?
That's the question I was asked last week by a reader of Alan
Sharpe's B2B Direct Mail Tactics newsletter. Here is her...
How To Get Past C-Level Gatekeepers With Your B2B Direct Mail Lead Generation Sales Letters
If your business uses direct mail to reach C-level
prospects, you face a unique challenge: getting past
the gatekeeper.
Gatekeepers are usually found in Fortune 1000 firms,
where the CEO, CFO, CIO and other chief executive
officers are...
Read This, Sell More: Direct Mail Marketing Is About Benefits, Not Features
Your customer wants a cleaner kitchen, not a kitchen cleaner.
Your customers are interested in benefits, not features. So sell benefits in your sales letters.
The difference between a feature and a benefit comes down to this: A feature is what...
Seven reasons to use direct mail for sales lead generation.
1. Personal Unlike an advertisement in a trade publication, which can be read by anyone, your sales letter arrives at your prospect’s place of business as a piece of personal communication from your mind to his. Also, unlike any other medium, direct...
Using Direct Mail to Improve Business
Direct mail continues to be a very targeted and effective way to market to customers. It's far more likely to be read than e-mail promotions. Especially when coupled with offers, such as coupons, the medium can be a very cost effective method of...
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10 Elements Every Direct Mail Piece Should Have
Don’t want your direct mail to end up in the trash with the rest of the unread mail?
Studies show an effective direct mail campaign should draw a .5 to 1 percent response.
These 10 tips will help you get the results you want:
1. A clear, bold headline.
On the envelope or front of the mailer there should be one central message. The best way to achieve that is with a bold, clear headline that’s not cluttered up with other text. A good guideline is to have the headline fill up at least 15% of the front of the mailer.
2. A graphic that supports the message.
The graphic should be easy to understand and add to the message the headline is trying to convey. For instance, if you are trying to get people to list their home you would want to show a home with SOLD sign clearly visible out front. That graphic reinforces the message more than a simple picture of a home.
3. Color that pops.
Make the headline and other text stand out by using a color that stands out from the background color. When you look at the card, ask yourself, "What do I see first?" If your answer isn't the headline, you might want to tweak the colors.
4. Subheads that lead into text.
If you have a couple of paragraphs of text with no lead in, there’s nothing to entice people to actually read the copy. A subhead will give people a place to start reading. If you have only a 100 words or so you may be able to get away with it, but if the text gets any longer than that the average reader will want to have some guideposts along the way.
5. Benefits, benefits, benefits.
One of the biggest
errors people make in advertising is stating features, rather than benefits. For example, never assume recipients know what benefit can be derived from a lower interest rate on their mortgage. Let them know how their monthly payments will go down.
6. The offer.
An offer is always a good idea and should represent a specific reason to call now, such as “Limited supply” or “Interest rates are climbing.”
7. Your company name and logo.
Although this needs to be on the mailer, it shouldn’t overshadow the offer. Customers care most about what you can do for them.
8. Call to action.
Tell prospects exactly what you want them to do. “Call today for more information” or “See us online” are two of the most common desired actions.
9. Contact information.
Provide your name, phone number, and Web address directly following the call to action. Whatever you ask prospects to do, give them the means to do it easily.
10. Return address.
A return address ensures you’ll get returned mail from the post office and sends a message that you’re an established professional. People feel better knowing the company they’re dealing with has an actual location.
About the Author
Joe Niewierski, VP of Marketing & Promotion at PostcardMania, became published after graduating with a BA in Advertising from USF. Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998; her only assets a computer and a phone. In 2004 the company did close to $9 million in sales and employs over 60 persons. For more free marketing advice, visit her website at www.postcardmania.com.
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