[Inzvestor]

Everyone is obsessed with their websites these days and often neglect other forms of marketing (for example direct mail marketing)

Royal Mail have a fabulous offer - a Free book - Direct Mail for Dummies

Once ordered it is dispatched and delivered within days.

Click here to order your copy today.

Direct Mail should be included in your marketing plan as most websites benefit from offline exposure.

Explore the offline world - you'll be amazed at what other forms of marketing are out there!

[Beneddie1112]

I got one and was quite an interesting read, plus it's free, what have you got to lose?

[admagic]

Originally Posted by Beneddie1112

I got one and was quite an interesting read, plus it's free, what have you got to lose?

What you have got to lose is a a great deal of money! -and most people do who try direct mailing

Just a cautionary note!!!

The only advice I would ever recommend anyone takes on direct mail, is that of one of the true greats in the field, like gary halbert , bill myers etc etc. Beware of anything in a book! Unless it is written by a multi £m direct mailer - and very few of them have ever gone into print on the subject.

For a free resource look at www.thegaryhalbertletter.com


Gary (sadly RIP a year ago) wrote some of the highest selling direct mail letters in history - single letters that generated £50-£100m!!....Gary was a flawed person, and always in scrapes - but as a direct mailer and marketer he was probablythe greatest that ever lived.

Whilst I cant speak for that book (dont know who wrote it) much of what has been written on mailing I can tell you from practical experience is wrong, misleading or both.

Many people are tempted to direct mail just on demographics from a list- and it is almost always a mistake.

Here are what I regard as the keys....

1 the list

Unless you can find a list of people who have not only shown that they have proven they will buy a product of the same or a similar nature - my advice is either:

(a) Do direct mail by joint venture with someone who has a list of people who have bought a complementary product and who is willing to recommend yours to their list - the recommendation is worth its weight in gold

(b) Use flycatcher ads on the web, or in small classifieds to prequalify people to whom to send the direct mail - adwords, feeding a direct mail name capture and conversion can often work well. - and it is worth going offline. Conversion with this two stage is generally better than all on the web...it is more personal, andmakes you more real.

(c) Some other means of qualifying...eg when advertising copywriting, targetting people who are already advertsining in local media is clearly a good prequalification.


Many list brokers are scammers ...see my remark under test lower down.

2 the envelope

If they dont open it, they wont read it!!

Gary halberts advice on "a" pile vs "b" pile mail is the guide.

So use non standard colour envelopes , simulated or actual handwriting, and a real ( generally first class) stamp.

If you must use the junk mail logo ( ie the franked mailing symbol - purple is the best colour....(that one tip will save you oodles)) - but you will never get the same response as using real stamps. (thats my gem not gary halberts)

One or two things can help B2B but are time taking...like showing the customers own logo or adin the window of a window envelope is a good way to get business owners to open. Bet direct mail for dummies doesnt tell you that!!! (again one of mine!!)...now that was for advertising copywriting. Can you adapt that to whatever you sell???

Web designers for example...if you put their web logo visible through the letter...dont you think they would open it, particularly if you use a copy doodle!

3 Grab attention

Always attach something to the letter, and dont skimp here.
Anything from a lottery ticket to a bag of dirt.....but something to grab attention. Lots of other ways have been tried but that way is the best

So your letter explains why you have attached the bag of dirt!!!


4 Professional Copy

Unless you are a professional copywriter either
(a) Hire one.

(b) Find an old direct mailing swipe piece and just change the context

(c) Spend at least 6 months studying the copywriting greats, from collier , caples, kennedy, abraham , sugarman, nicholas, bly etc etc.

And more than anything write out the sales letters LONGHAND...only in that way do you ever get inside how a letter works.

Dont try to make it up as you go along. You will fail.


COPY DOODLES WORK!!!
The simulated hand written note on a type letter, the ring the coffee stain and so on all help make you human
I recently put a smiley face next to the guarantee inone of my offers, and that alone kicked up conversion!!!


5 The irresistible offer

Load up so much in the offer that the reader would be nuts NOT to accept it, and prove the value of the offer. That is why information products are great to bundle in with a real product.


6 YES or NO by THEN>

Like any website, like any sales letter , like any ad.

Dont let the reader have any other choice than YES or NO... dont give alternatives and always....make a call to action , that must be executed by (date)


7 Do it twice.

Time and again it has been proven that running the same offer three times, with different copy, on the second time of running to the same list, gets the same response. And on the third time it will get half the response it did.

So it is worth mailing twice!!

8 The thing you must know about all direct mail

The money comes from the back end.

For sure you may double your money or maybe a bit with a well crafted mail piece - but front end mailing is expensive But the real money comes from mailing those who buy that offer, with a more expensive back end offer.

As mr gibson is fond of saying, do your maths....!!! if you can only expect 5 % to buy , then unless you can get lifetime business well in excess of 20 times the cost of the mailing you will lose money


Back end response is always higher so those that bought once. will tend to convert at least 10% to an immediate high value upsell.

9 Test before run

Never mail more than 2-3000 on a test run, and give the list broker nowhere to hide on the test. Dont ask for 2-3000 names - ask for 2-3000 with the letter A in the surname or whatever. Thatway you know he cant give you a great list for testing and trash for mailing.

Many list brokers ares scammers - be careful!!

Only then roll out for real

10 Split test.

Never just send one piece. Always compare two different pieces, and keep refining the letter.


.................................................. ..........................................

It amazes me just how many envelopes come through my door, that the mailer has clearly spend a fortune on mailing then made every mistake you can make. with conversion.

[Indizine]

Great stuff as always from you Admagic. Can you recommend a couple of list brokers who are not scammers and worth their weight?

[Beneddie1112]

Originally Posted by admagic

What you have got to lose is a a great deal of money! -and most people do who try direct mailing

I meant in getting the book .