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Member You - Nine No-no's of a Direct Mail Letter
Ours is said to be an age of dissatisfaction where, no matter what you do, the customer is not satisfied. It is for this reason that customer gratification and happiness is of prime concern, no matter what business one is into, be it a large-scale industry or a small business firm. If you have a product or service that is being aggressively marketed to people, chances are that your customers will expect the moon from you.This is where a call center has become an absolu
3) No benefits. The copy was laced with features which spoke about the company and their products. How important they were. But not even a hint about what the prospect was going to get.
4) and 5) No offer or any sense of urgency. The letter stated the products they were selling. Take it or leave it. Not very exciting or would motivate people to buy.
Even
What is B2B?B2B stands for Business to Business. B2B e-commerce is the most cost effective way for sellers to reach buyers around the globe.B2B MarketplaceA Business to Business (B2B) marketplace is an Internet marketplace where exporters, importers, traders, traders, brokers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and other business communities from around the world meet for buying and selling. From meeting the customer to fixing the deals
I displayed some writing samples and she loved them.
Then I got a chance to look at a direct mail campaign they were sending to their database. It consisted of sample post cards, invitation cards, four-color flyers, door hangers, and a bulletin leaflet all stuffed inside an attractive 9" x 12" graphic-intense envelope. And there was a single page cover letter: which was the weak link.
Why is that? Because it was lacking so many important elements of a killer direct response letter.
Your letter must be the strong link in your direct mail campaign. It has the power to double, triple, or quadruple sales for the same postage. It has the ability to paint compelling pictures and persuade your reader to take action. Nothing else in your campaign can match your letter's power to convert prospects into customers.
Let's make your letters produce more money. Let's take a critical look at that company's cover letter:
1) No headline - just a company logo and a mission statement in reverse text on company letterhead. And nothing else.
You must write a "grab 'em by the throat" headline in all of your marketing campaigns. It's the ad for your letter. It works similar to a first impression. Its job is to compel people to read the next line. It has to scream, "Hey, buddy! This is important. It's for you. Read on."
2) A plural salutation. Never write, "Dear Friends... Dear Partners... or Dear Members." It screams of a mass mailing and not a personal letter. And you know where those type of letters end up?
3) No benefits. The copy was laced with features which spoke about the company and their products. How important they were. But not even a hint about what the prospect was going to get.
4) and 5) No offer or any sense of urgency. The letter stated the products they were selling. Take it or leave it. Not very exciting or would motivate people to buy.
Even
Picture this…The typical business owner starts a business. Usually it’s just them by themselves or maybe one or two other people.They do a great job. As the number of staff is small everyone is working together and they are getting things done.They become successful and it’s time to employ some more people.A couple more people are employed – but some cracks start to appear.As the business employs some more staff – the cracks become wider and
Why is that? Because it was lacking so many important elements of a killer direct response letter.
Your letter must be the strong link in your direct mail campaign. It has the power to double, triple, or quadruple sales for the same postage. It has the ability to paint compelling pictures and persuade your reader to take action. Nothing else in your campaign can match your letter's power to convert prospects into customers.
Let's make your letters produce more money. Let's take a critical look at that company's cover letter:
1) No headline - just a company logo and a mission statement in reverse text on company letterhead. And nothing else.
You must write a "grab 'em by the throat" headline in all of your marketing campaigns. It's the ad for your letter. It works similar to a first impression. Its job is to compel people to read the next line. It has to scream, "Hey, buddy! This is important. It's for you. Read on."
2) A plural salutation. Never write, "Dear Friends... Dear Partners... or Dear Members." It screams of a mass mailing and not a personal letter. And you know where those type of letters end up?
3) No benefits. The copy was laced with features which spoke about the company and their products. How important they were. But not even a hint about what the prospect was going to get.
4) and 5) No offer or any sense of urgency. The letter stated the products they were selling. Take it or leave it. Not very exciting or would motivate people to buy.
Even
Direct mail campaigns don't have to be expensive. In fact, you can do it yourself and save tons of money. Here are a few tips:First, determine what you want your prospect to do. Are you selling a product? Gathering leads? Inviting them to a seminar? What do you expect the end result to be? Write it down.Next, who is your target prospect? Make a profile and include age, gender, geographic location, and any other pertinent information about your prospect that will
Let's make your letters produce more money. Let's take a critical look at that company's cover letter:
1) No headline - just a company logo and a mission statement in reverse text on company letterhead. And nothing else.
You must write a "grab 'em by the throat" headline in all of your marketing campaigns. It's the ad for your letter. It works similar to a first impression. Its job is to compel people to read the next line. It has to scream, "Hey, buddy! This is important. It's for you. Read on."
2) A plural salutation. Never write, "Dear Friends... Dear Partners... or Dear Members." It screams of a mass mailing and not a personal letter. And you know where those type of letters end up?
3) No benefits. The copy was laced with features which spoke about the company and their products. How important they were. But not even a hint about what the prospect was going to get.
4) and 5) No offer or any sense of urgency. The letter stated the products they were selling. Take it or leave it. Not very exciting or would motivate people to buy.
Even
Many businesses of today are often driven to compete striclty on price, quality, and features of their products and services. Companies who prosper over the long term don't simply offer the best deals, the best quality, or the most impressive bells and whistles. If you want to win big in today’s cutting edge world of business, you have to begin by thinking differently and by challenging the status quo. Whether you are a new or an established business owner, these ten power
2) A plural salutation. Never write, "Dear Friends... Dear Partners... or Dear Members." It screams of a mass mailing and not a personal letter. And you know where those type of letters end up?
3) No benefits. The copy was laced with features which spoke about the company and their products. How important they were. But not even a hint about what the prospect was going to get.
4) and 5) No offer or any sense of urgency. The letter stated the products they were selling. Take it or leave it. Not very exciting or would motivate people to buy.
Even
Whether you have already started a career in mold inspection or you are interested in starting one, you will likely find that training is necessary. Inspecting mold is an important job. Mold can have a negative impact on the health of individuals that regularly come into contact with it. This means that if you are inspecting mold, your job may have an impact on the health of your customers. A job this important often requires training. If you are interested in undergoing
3) No benefits. The copy was laced with features which spoke about the company and their products. How important they were. But not even a hint about what the prospect was going to get.
4) and 5) No offer or any sense of urgency. The letter stated the products they were selling. Take it or leave it. Not very exciting or would motivate people to buy.
Even if she had written:
"Sale! Take 15% off your grand total if you order within the next 10 days" ...she would have created an offer with some urgency.
6) No call to action. Most people aren't thinkers. They have a herd mentality. And they need to be led. Really.
If you believe people will automatically call you and give you their credit card number just because they read your letter - you are sadly mistaken. You must lead them by the hand into each step of the ordering process. This erases any doubts of what to do next.
7) No guarantee. This is a major reason many companies are losing sales.
This direct mail company has a 30-day return policy for their standard products, but none for their custom print jobs. (Except in cases of a printing or production error.) Nevertheless, anything that reduces risk should be mentioned anyway to ease prospects' fears and anxieties.
8) No premium. Since a good portion of their database for this campaign is usually strapped for cash—a gift can mean the difference between making a sale or hearing silence.
9) No post script. The P.S. is an excellent place to restate the benefits, tease them with a surprise premium, or paint the picture of deeper benefits not previously mentioned.
In short, it was a boring cover letter lacking any punch. There wasn't anything that would excite a prospect to act. Can you imagine how much money they're losing?
But you don't have to follow their example. You don't have to make the same mistakes. Because you now know some of the killer secrets of a succesful direct mail letter.
Use these tips today to strengthen your letter and watch your response rates soar!
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