I must be the world's worst blogger. I freely admit it. It's been 4 months since my last post!But I think it will be worth the wait. Because I'm about to reveal to you the key secret to making your direct mail campaign work like gangbusters. Most businesses fall short in one or more of these areas.
But not you... Not after today!
Here the 4 critical steps to direct mail success...
Step One: Choose Your Target
Pick a target and know your target well. The list is absolutely critical. If you're selling ice, your list shouldn't contain a list of Eskimos. Try a list of desert sheiks instead! And find out what motivates them. What are their beliefs, feelings, and desires? You'll need to know this because in step two, you'll give them their hearts desires...
Step Two: Create An Irresistible Offer
In other words, give them what they want! And make it a good, enticing offer. Like free (and very relevant) information. Or a free trial. Or a huge discount or bonuses just for trying you out. Make an offer he can't refuse! But make only ONE offer. Don't try to sell your whole product or service line in one letter. That's just a really dumb mistake that anyone with 2 cents should be able to avoid!
Step Three: Pick A Format
99.9% of all direct mail winds up in the trash because it looks exactly like what it is: junk mail. To get past the clutter, you need a different tactic. Try a letter that looks personal, such as a plain white envelope with a simple return address, hand-addressed, and a real, live first-class stamp.
Or send a "lumpy" envelope. Or a brown, oversize envelope. Or a package. Or send it priority mail. Anything to get past the clutter and get attention.
Step Four: Create A Magnetic Message
This is where it pays to hire a professional direct response copywriter. But here's a quick tip: focus on benefits, and not just features.
People ultimately buy benefits. Benefits evoke an emotional connection. No one connects emotionally with features, unless they can connect it with a benefit.
This post, for example, is about 475 words long, and is in five parts. Do you really care about that? Or do you care about the benefit of what this post will bring you? Namely, better success with direct mail... and ultimately, more money... and ultimately, the ability to have something that money can bring you, like a new vacation or time with your family or that new car you've been drooling over!
See my point? Focus on the benefits and you'll have better chances of success.
To learn more about how to craft a powerful, persuasive message, I invite you to download my FREE How-To Guide available here: www.EngineeringPersuasion.com.
Until next time...
Joshua "Aaron" Stanley
Direct Response Copywriter - Persuasion Engineer - "Salesman in Print"
