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Estimates vary as to how long the
average manager looks at the content of direct mail before deciding
on its fate. The pessimists say about four seconds. If you
believe the optimists, relax - you may have as much as eight
whole seconds in which to grab their attention.
Much has been written about direct
mail letters, with conflicting advice available on every aspect
from envelopes to endings. When you are planning a direct
mail, put aside these details for a moment and focus on what the
letter has to achieve within a few seconds of being opened. The
recipient must understand:
Be realistic about what you are
up against. The Direct Mail Information Service (DMIS) estimates
that the average manager receives 14 items of direct mail weekly.
So what tactics can we use to make our mailings stand out and bring
reluctant readers to the three levels of understanding above?
The Opening
Is a message on the envelope going
to aid your cause? A teasing phrase can convince the recipient
to at least open it up. But beware - a poorly chosen message
just screams out 'SALES LETTER!' and may have the opposite effect.
Targeted mailshots to named individuals do not need such messages
- a plain envelope addressed to a senior manager will always be
opened.
Grab Their Attention
Most direct mails use an attention
grabbing statement as an opening. The safest option is the
punchy summarising of a key benefit. Provocative openings can be
effective, ie challenges to the reader to take a certain course
of action - but don't imply any criticism of their current operations.
Off the wall, zany statements can
work - but make sure the link to the main text is not too contrived
and the relevance to the reader is quickly established.
Get To The Point!
After you've drawn the reader in,
don't try to be too clever or subtle. 'Fifty years ago,
Tommy Smith was selling vinegar hardened conkers in the playground...'
may make the odd person misty eyed over their own entrepreneurial
beginnings - for the rest, life is too short. Hit them with
your best shot. What's in it for them? Ensure that you stress benefits,
not features. Make sure the letter is written from the customers'
perspective, not your own.
To Joke Or Not To Joke
It seems obvious that a humorous
mailing stands a better chance of registering in the memory. But
some direct mail experts feel that humour rarely works in direct
mail. If you think you have an amusing line that doesn't mask
the key benefits, run it past enough people to ensure it's not just
your own warped sense of humour. If you decide to play it
straight, avoid stuffiness and appearing to take yourself too seriously.
Feed The Eyes
Whether you are using letters,
cards, leaflets or a combination of these, make all the elements
of your mailing visually appealing. It's amazing how many
large companies send out glossy, well-designed leaflets accompanied
by a plain, stodgily worded letter. If your budget doesn't
run to multi-coloured cards, your letters can be pepped up with
clip-art or other graphics. Eye-catching images also aid telephone
follow up, serving as a useful memory jogger to mail weary recipients.
Whatever presentational methods you use, don't let them distract
from the core aim of getting the reader to quickly understand the
relevance and benefits for their business.
Don't let the desire to be different
lead to bizarre approaches unsuited to your market. A radically
different approach may be right for certain markets - sending out
vegetables tattooed with feisty messages could be a hit with an
advertising agency, but may not cut much ice with your average manufacturer
of extruded plastics.
Play Your Cards Right
Promotional offers can increase
response rates considerably. But rather than leading with
this offer, try to convince the reader of the benefits of the actual
product first. For example, the overline '20% off Whizzy
Wham Software' will lose people whose knee-jerk reaction is
'I don't need any more software'. If they see however
that the product improves customer relations, pinpoints red hot
prospects and volunteers to organise the Christmas party - and then
they discover there's a 20% discount - the response may be more
positive.
End With A Bang
If you are sending out letters,
use a 'PS'. According to American direct mail guru Herschell Gordon
Lewis, the 'PS' is the most read part of a letter after the overline.
Use it to maximum effect. It should reinforce a key selling
point, exhort readers to action, or introduce an extra benefit.
Invite Action
Ensure you are making it as easy
as possible to respond to your mailing. Include reply-paid
cards, envelopes or fax back sheets to minimise effort on behalf
of your prospective customers. Offer more than one method
to respond.
Now Don't Just Sit There!
It's proven that follow up mailings
can increase response rates. Herschell Gordon Lewis explains
helpfully that the success of our mailings depends on 'the reader's
demographic, psychological and attitudinal position of the moment'.
Roughly translated, he's telling us that our mailings may
be offering the right product at the wrong time. So keep plugging
away until your time comes.
Targeting
We all know about the power of
truly targeted marketing, but it's worth making the point that mailing
to named decision makers in your target market is the single most
important element for a successful campaign. But if you can
combine this with a mailing that grabs them by the purchasing intentions
- you've got it cracked.
Analysis Of Direct Mail Pieces Received
By A Dealer In One Week
1. Sun Microsystems
A4 letter with leaflet giving details
of the free 'Sun Developer Connection Progam'. The leaflet
is laid out logically with the benefits clearly expressed. The
minimal use of colours/graphics makes the text look rather dense
- but it has a pleasingly 'clean' appearance. The letter is
a let down. The overall appearance is bland - no colour, small
font, with a rather vague 'Are you ready to join the . com revolution'
as the 'attention grabber'. It takes ten lines to find out
what they're offering -the first 9 lines are devoted to describing
the web revolution. A mailing of two halves - the letter needs
a team talk. 6 out of 10.
2. Extended Systems Ltd.
One piece mailing offering resellers
the ExtendNet 4000 solution for networked Internet access and e-mail.
The phrase on the front of the eye catching folded card
'The Internet is moving fast.. . make sure your customers move forward
with YOU!' is a little obscure. Inside there is no clear
'opening' that the eye is drawn to first - but the benefits of the
product are well laid out. Readers are offered a free 15 day
evaluation and additional £50 margin. A reply paid tear-off card
is included, but no other suggested method of requesting information.
Good colour design, slightly cluttered, but the right messages are
there. 7 out of 10.
3. Best Power Technology Ltd.
A one side A4 letter with an A5
folded card opening up to five panels, seeking to recruit resellers
for their UPSs. The mailing makes its offer - a chance to win a
holiday - as the central feature. This becomes rather distracting.
The 'attention grabber' on the letter is 'Your chance to win
a holiday to the value £1000' rather than driving home a key
benefit of becoming a Best Power reseller. The fold-out card
is laden with holiday images (let's remember that only one person
is going to win this prize) - but it's well written and really pushes
the 'what's in it for us' buttons. There are three ways to
respond - free phone, pre-paid reply card and Internet address.
Great in parts, shame about the overbearing beach theme. 6
out of 10.
4. Wick Hill Ltd.
An A4 letter with an A4 information
sheet. The mailing is seeking resellers for a range of business
solution software. The letter is very direct: the 'attention
grabber' alerts us to increased revenues and good margins, and the
first line spells out why the reader has been targeted. But
the letter lacks zip - if you opt for a straightforward, visually
unappealing letter, at least the text should be snappy and enjoyable.
There's not much excuse for a line that starts 'We, working
closely with our Business Partners, as an added value distributor,
provide joint marketing initiatives, training...'. More
emphasis on benefits is required. There is a good range of
response methods - phone, e-mail, fax-back and web address for more
information. There's merit in a 'tell 'em as it is' approach,
but give it more oomph! 5 out of 10.
5. Computer Books Direct
Double sided A4 letter accompanying
booklet detailing book offers. Letter is simple but effective
- the relevance to the reader and the benefits are established in
the first three lines. The 'hand written' message scanned
in at the top right hand corner works very well and serves as the
'attention grabber' - 'Our members save up to 25% on every book
they buy. Why should you pay more?' However the box
bulleting the three key benefits is rather uninspiring. The
offer of three books for £1. 99 each is brought in at the right
point after the 'what's in it for me' message has hit home. Simple
reply coupon and pre-paid envelope provided. The booklet is
attractively laid out. A winner! A neat, readable letter that
needs no effort to understand relevance, benefits and action required.
8.5 out of 10.
For further information:
Please contact David Eaton, Director,
The Business Advantage Group Plc,
PEL House, 35 Station Square, Petts Wood, Kent, BR5 1LZ
Tel: 01689 873636; Fax: 01689 878070;
E-mail: david.eaton@business-advantage.com
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