|
|
|
Home::Copywriting
Writing direct mail that really, really works
Author : Julia Hyde
So, you have something you want to sell. It may be a product, a
service, or a cause. It could be a membership, a subscription,
or a motor car. It might be paper, health products or the idea
that the humane society or the Alzheimer’s association is worth
giving money to. It could be computer equipment, hand-sewn dolls
clothes or garden gnomes.
Whatever it is you are selling, you need to let the right people
know you’re selling it. And one of the most effective ways of
doing that is through direct mail.
Direct mail works best if you know the type of person who buys
your product or service. For instance, if you sell to building
contractors or pet owners you can get a targeted, personal
message to them quickly.
What’s more, computers make it possible for small businesses to
produce professional looking mailings at a very attractive
price. They make it possible to select names from mailing lists
by demographic classification, frequency of purchase or by
amount of purchase. Computers allow every letter in a mailing to
include the name of the addressee, not just the salutation but
several times throughout the body of the letter.
Here’s some tips that will help you make your campaign more
effective…
Always include a letter in your mailing
This may sound obvious but many mailings only contain a
brochure. This is a mistake. There’s a saying “Brochures are
sent by companies, letters are sent by people.” You need a
letter because a letter is personal. And because letters
persuade people to buy.
Get your letterhead right
What paper, layout and design you use are very important. I
recommend you steer clear of official company letterhead and
design something more appropriate to your message. If you want
people to telephone, make your phone number stand out. If you
want them to visit your web site, do the same. Your address is
less important because even if you want people to reply by mail
they’ll expect a reply paid envelope. Don’t put fax and
telephone together – it’s confusing for people. Avoid using
telephone numbers using letters such as, 1-800-OUR SHOP. If you
absolutely must use this type of number make sure you place the
numeric number close by.
Write long letters
Most people don’t want to write long letters, they worry they’ll
sound rambling, or they think long letters don’t sell. But a
long letter serves a purpose. If your prospect is going to buy
your product, or contribute to your cause, he needs a lot of
information. A short letter can’t hope to give him enough
information to consider making a purchase.
A good rule to follow is: Keep selling until you run out of
selling points. By the end of your letter your prospect should
have more than enough information to make a decision.
Write a friendly greeting
When possible address your prospect by his name, as this will
increase your response rate. If you don’t have an individual
name, you’ll have to use a title such as Dear Business Manager,
or Dear Creative Director. Don’t address a householder as, “Dear
Householder,” Instead use, “Dear Animal Lover,” or “Dear
Mercedes Owner.
Use an attention-grabbing headline
Make sure your headline is at the top of the letter. Use it to
highlight the main benefit. Make sure it’s easy to understand
and tells your reader why he should read your letter. Avoid
headlines that try to be clever, or funny. They rarely work.
Ask for what you want
Don’t be slow in asking for the sale. If you want the reader to
buy your garden gnomes, tell him so, near the beginning. If you
let him get half way down the page before telling him what you
want, your letter will end up in the trash.
Write from me to you
Make your letter personal. Have one customer in mind while your
writing it and address him as if he were sitting right beside
you. Use the word “you” frequently. Instead of saying, Our
lingerie is sexy” say, “You’ll look sexy in our lingerie.”
Change, “Our blankets are warm and comfortable,” to: “You’ll be
warm and comfortable in one of our blankets.”
Get your reader to act NOW
By the end of your letter, the reader should have all the
benefits of your product or service, and have become more and
more interested. Now you need to get him to act. Tell him
clearly and simply what you want him to do: telephone, fill in
the reply card, send money, visit your web site or get a
representative to call.
Finish with a PS
Make sure your PS sounds like something you “just remembered to
say. By, try not to start your PS with the word “Remember” as it
shows what you’re about to say contains nothing new. Instead,
use the PS to highlight a benefit not already included in your
letter.
Spam emails More free articles Related articles
|
More related feeds |
How To Write Direct Mail That Really, Really Works!
So you have something you want to sell? it could be a product, service or a cause, a membership, a subscription or a car. Whatever it is that you are.Bryan Singer to direct Man of Steel Reboot? | The Movie Blog
“At the moment I can’t really talk about that,” said Singer. “I wish I could. From my perspective I’m going to take a brief pause. Valkyrie has taken a long time so I’m going to take a pause. A movie like that takes some time to do ... Developers Aren't Gonna Read It | Agile Software Development
It doesn't really matter whether you work in an agile or non-agile environment - I'm sure you have some technical documentation and the main goal of it is to answer developers' questions on technical issues (e.g. how to configure some ... What Does The Prayer Really Say?»Blog Archive » Adding my name to ...
This is the e-mail response to the MCC’s letter campaign request by a local Catholic who copied it to a friend of mine. I like his style. He is forceful, clear, uses respectful but direct language, and Catholic. ... Om’bak’s got no friends « Om’bak
P.S: This post was a direct consequence of the guilt I am feeling for rejecting Pesta Blogger for a weekend at Pelabuhaun Ratu. Though I welcome the excitement of bloggers meeting in the “real world” (no really, will be good!) I really ... nextMEDIA: Immersive Branded Entertainment | The Blog Herald
Viral videos are hit or miss, and don’t really work well for building brands or gaining attention for a brand and so ARG’s can have a stronger, longer connection with people. She mistakenly focused in on Microsoft as a company that ... What Does The Prayer Really Say?»Blog Archive » From a priest ...
[What does the CHD collection really say?] It says: give your money to the Salvation Army. The poor and needy are well taken care of – and they might actually hear something about Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Salvation Army is laudable, ... Can You Craft A Solid Sales Letter Without A Swipe File? « My Note ...
I know writing goes faster if you swipe concepts. I could short cut my writing process by 2/3 if I did it. It’s really easy for me to do this but I don’t want to be the same as everyone else. I pride myself on coming with a fresh angle ... Good blogging is simple: Write good posts (and be thankful ...
I really like how you emphasize that your blog should help you reach your goals. I started blogging in order to improve my writing skills, get my name out there as a writer and to network. I think if I had started with the goal to make ... What Does The Prayer Really Say?»Blog Archive » Just askin’ about ...
Folks at home have received an envelope labeled CHD in their monthly mailing and I really don’t have a right to unlaterally re-direct their donations to this designated collection. I think, however, that having a little 90 second ...
|
|
|
|
