Using Direct Mail in your Marketing

Direct Mail can be the perfect supplement to your marketing plans. Direct mail marketing is oftentimes put down these days by marketing people, saying that the direct mail response is 'only' 1% on average.

Not only is that incorrect - the average direct mail response is dependent on the list, the offer, the time of year, the price and numerous other factors - it is not a good judgement of the merits of direct mail.

Direct mail marketing, if done right, will bring you customers you otherwise would never have had. The only problem is, most entrepeneurs have no idea how to execute direct mail marketing properly! Here are a few pointers to get your direct mail engines revving.

1. Write your direct mailing as if you are talking to an old friend.

Many direct mail pieces fail, because companies or individuels try and use a stuffy or authorative tone. They babble on about how great they are and how big their company is, while direct mail marketing is not about that. Direct mail marketing should be designed to get a measurable outcome in the best way possible. To do that, you don't talk down to your customer, you chat with them. On paper. So imagine you are sitting with someone, having a beer, telling him about yout new product or service. The new summer barbecues might not be the most amazing thing you can talk about with your friends over a cold one, but your enthusiasm has to shine through in your direct mail marketing.

2. Don't limit yourself writing your direct mail

It's true that only a percentage of the people respond to your direct mail marketing. That is completely logical and normal. That percentage of the people was abviously interested in what you've had to say. So don't make the mistake in your direct mail marketing of toning your letter down to 1 page, just because you think it should only be 1 page. If you need 8 pages to tell your story to your customer, take 8 pages! Direct mail marketing succes is dependent upon your ability to tell in interesting, involving story. You don't do that in 4 sentences. You do it by taking the space you need to make your direct mail marketing into a succes!