Direct mail should be just that: direct. As Bill Cockburn of the Institute of Direct Marketing states, ìThe message must make an impact within the first seven seconds. That is the creative moment of truth.î But Bill is now wrong. These days, with more DM landing on our desks than ever before, it’s closer to three seconds.
There are five essential steps to a successful DM campaign. And having worked for a variety of agencies and companies over the last few years, I can confirm most marketing directors neglect at least one of them. I can also say that when you ensure all these factors are spot on, you can look forward to a fantastic pull.
How can you grab attention? Very often it’s about making the one promise that will really excite your target group. But to really stand out, you sometimes need to work harder and incorporate a gimmick. In other words a device that dramatises your message and creates excitement. Reader’s Digest for example make you respond by suggesting you are close to winning £250,000 in its prize draw. Coupled with well-honed database of prize draw responsive consumers, it regularly achieves a response rate of around 30 per cent.
Now it’s unlikely that a prize draw will work for a typical B2B organisation. It seems tacky, and the audience is too DM-savvy for this approach. But the attention-grabbing principle is spot on.
Another example ñ a charity sent out a small cardboard box that contained a real apple. When the box was unfolded it read on the inside, ìWe apologise if this apple has been damaged in transit ñ but in life we all take a few knocks and bruises. There are seeds of hope in every apple.î The package asking for a donation was attention-grabbing, emotive, memorable and very effective.
So think laterally. I’ve personally seen some huge responses from mailings using toy snakes, brochures that look like fairy tales ñ even a life-size spade.
An award-winning campaign is a waste of time if you’re not using the right data in the right way. Ask yourself if you are targeting the right person in the right company. And think how you can source a more intelligent list of targets that would be more likely to respond.
Say you are selling commercial property ñ why not look for a list of fast-growing companies who are expanding and more likely to be looking for a new premises? Or maybe if you are an interior designer, why not target companies that have recently moved? Logical when you think about it.
A creative idea targeted to the right people only gets your foot in the door. You still need to sell your product. It’s about discerning the most persuasive benefits ñ the ones that will really excite your customers ñ and saying them concisely and clearly. Out with the corporate clichÈs. Imagine you are sitting in front of your customer and explaining how you can help him. Use emotive, sincere language. And crucially, think how you can personalise the package to your customer and make him or her feel special (not sold to!).
So you’ve got the right person’s attention and made them want to buy the product. You’ve still more work to do. Now you need to make them act. Most companies think a call to action is simply slapping ìcall John on 0845 101 978 now)î on the artwork. This is not a call-to-action! The key to successful direct mail is to create a genuine feeling of urgency.
A simple trick is to offer a final incentive for response. For example, a CRM company might offer a free expert guide to improving customer relations. Another common method is to remind customers that your product is limited so a quick response is needed.
If you have the luxury of a large database, then you should always test your mailing. A test ideally consists of a mailing of one thousand. Try your package with a letter ñ see if it improves response. Try it with a different headline ñ or a different incentive. Try it to a different group of data. Eventually you will find the optimum mix to get you the best response ñ then send it out to the full database. But please be warned ñ try not to get too scientific. Many DM houses allow testing to stifle creative thought and their DM quickly becomes dated and dull. Remember that DM is still an art, not a science. Use the stats as a guide, but intuition rules.
I could continue and reveal easy ways to personalise your mailings. I could explain ways to put key positive ideas into your customers’ minds, and ways to bury negative inhibitions. I could explain the power of commands over suggestion, but I don’t want to give away all the tricks of the trade. Finally I urge you reconsider every aspect of your direct mail output in terms of these five steps. When the factors work together, you’ll achieve a sales boost that above-the-line can only dream about.
