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Direct
mail is the number one form of marketing investment made by most Microsoft channel
companies. It is relatively easy to administer and can be effective if done
correctly. It is a tangible advertising medium available that can give you a
variety of options for success. This guide will offer some general rules for
effective direct mail marketing.
Guidelines for Writing Copy
General principles applied to other forms of marketing are applicable
for direct mail.
- Getting the Best Response:
- Personal mail receives a better response than standard form
letters. Your customer will know you invested more in them
and the content is relevant to what you know about their interest(s).
- Always mail to an individual as opposed to a title or a
company.
- Creative:
- Use imagery only when it is directly correlated to the message
you are attempting to convey.
- Match the "style" of the publications you advertise
in when possible.
- Let the picture tell a story. You have less than 3 seconds
to attract and communicate to customers.
- Writing:
- Direct Mail should be treated like any other sales pitch,
eye-catching and compelling, defining a customer need.
- A company background should be included but concise. Your
customers are more interested in the solutions you offer than
your entire company history.
- Use "active" words as opposed to "passive"
words. For example, "Contact us today!" as opposed
to "Our content information is as followsà"
- Provide valuable information, facts, research or tips to
keep customers' attention.
- Differentiate between campaigns aimed at existing customers
and new customers.
- It is easy to damage customer loyalty by sending a prospect
mailing to companies you are already engaged in business with.
- New customer mailings should highlight your skill set.
- Existing customer mailings should remind customers of your
skill set, new information and the quality of work already
delivered.
Lists
If you choose to mail collateral to people on "outside"
lists - individuals not on your current customer database - a list
broker can help you obtain the best lists for your mailing. Many advertising
agencies will act as liaison to your list broker. If you are working
with a list broker, these questions will help you determine if the
broker is providing quality lists:
- How often is the list cleaned? Cleaned lists have been checked
for people who have moved, changed titles, etc.
- Is this a "compiled" or a "response" list?
- Is this a four-line address list? Four lines mean the list contains
business addresses, not home addresses.
- Are titles available for your target audience? For instance,
can you select "MIS Managers" from the list?
Measurement
Your
ad should have a clear call to action which will allow for easier measurement
of the ad. Here are some examples:
- Contact
us at (888) XXX-XXXX for more information!
(Note: If you do this you must ensure that
anyone answering the telephone at your location asks the customers
where they heard about your company and takes note of their response.)
- Visit
us at ______@_______.com for more information!
(Note: This should be a hidden URL so that
you can track how many visitors you receive as a result of the
ad. You can redirect traffic from this site to other areas, but
make sure you can distinguish where your visitors came to your
site.)
-
Purchase our product at any reseller and give them this code _______ to receive
your 10% discount!
(Note: The reason for this is in order to track
the number of customers who follow up on a promotion.)
Customer
Follow-Up
Any
campaign is futile without a commitment from your company to follow-up with
your customers. If you ask customers to contact you or take part in an action,
it is imperative that you proactively follow up with each customer regardless
of how much potential you deem the lead to have. Often the least likely opportunity
becomes a significant source of revenue to your company.
For more information on successful customer follow-up and relationship
management, read about a solution from Jim Cecil located in the Tools
section of this Kit.
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