Saturday, May 11, 2019

Direct mail: an old marketing tool with new power

Looking for better ways to connect with customers and prospects in this technology-rich, multi-channel environment? If I suggest using a channel developed in the early 20th century, would you think I am crazy?

The channel is direct mail. While many marketers today may see it as an eccentric relic of the past, it is actually more powerful than ever. Surprised? If you understand the factors behind the effectiveness of direct mail, you won't.

Direct mail is the two reasons for the wise choice of today's market. First, fewer companies are using it, so a supervisor who knows how to use it effectively has a greater chance of being noticed. Thirty years ago, your mailbox may have received a lot of letters on any given day, but how many letters have you received now? Finding a letter [especially a letter with a real seal] is fresh these days, so people are more likely to read it than simply throw it away.

"Well, I don't read spam," you insisted. I do not have either. But effective direct mail and spam are two completely different animals, and the second reason is this. The key to effective direct mail is to ensure that the right information is put in the right hands, and today's combination of powerful technology and big data makes it easier than ever.

Spam is something you don't want. You are not interested in doing business with the sender, or it is a product you have never purchased, so you put it in the recycle bin. If you send an error message to someone who doesn't have any needs or interests, you'll waste your money on spam.

However, if you want to send relevant messages and offers to targeted audiences that meet specific criteria, you can use valid direct mail. You have the opportunity to "talk" directly to people who might be interested in what you are saying or offering. Even better, you feel comfortable when they feel comfortable. Many forms of marketing communication are disruptive. For example, when you are doing other things, the phone will always come. But most people have some sort of convention in reading emails.

Now, about the target group I mentioned. I have written many effective direct mail packages for many years, but I am the first to admit that my wonderful text is not the main reason for these efforts to succeed. Direct mail experts will tell you that direct mail or parcels are written and designed less than 10% of their effectiveness. How do they know? Over the years, they have tested millions of emails and made some changes to determine the best results.

These experts will also tell you that your offer is about 20% of the direct mail effort success rate. So what are the factors behind the remaining 70%? This is the quality of the list.

In other words, you can use the most poetic words to develop the most beautiful direct mail package, promoting a truly irresistible offer, and if you mail it to a bad list, it will fail. This list is the most important element.

A good list is completely focused on one type of recipient. The more clearly you can define your target audience and get a list of those goals, the more effective it will be. The list should also be accurate, and it is important to ensure that your supplier or the person who generated the letter merges the correct fields. Otherwise, you may make yourself embarrassed.

Another important factor in effective direct mail is to ensure that your information is personal. Even if you send marketing messages to 100,000 people, you should read them one at a time. You want each recipient to feel as if they are talking to someone in your company, rather than accepting advertising. Copying friendly and conversations will greatly help achieve this goal.

Direct mail may actually be an old technology, but that doesn't mean it's outdated or ineffective. Use today's tools to improve and enhance it, and old standbys may be the source of your latest success!




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