Majority of businesses have NOT communicated to their prospects, customers, clients or patients, via direct mail.
Really BIG mistake.
Why?
Because, a personal direct mail letter slices through the online clutter place like a hot knife searing through a slab of rock-hard butter.
It's a time where, one on one, you can intimately 'speak' to your reader WITHOUT any of the usual online babble that accompanies you anytime you connect online.
The distractions are plenty.
Now once you know WHO your audience or the target market is and you'd like to connect with them using direct mail, it's not necessarily true that if you use direct mail, you'll be successful.
That's because...
Most direct mail is literally, junk.
Strategised and written by lazy, inept marketers and 'copywriters' who strive to pick up the gong for the best waste of effort put in.
You could have the best CRM system, the best quality data, the best direct mail fulfilment house, the best project manager, yet, if the direct mail communication doesn't hit the emotional sweet spot of your audience, you can kiss all that investment, toodle bye.
Want solid results from your direct mail communications?
Then don't make any of these 10 dumb, direct mail blunders.
1. Don't NOT know whom you're writing to. Even worse, don't put the incredibly daft and stupid; 'Dear Sir or Madam.' Know your audience. Know everything there is to know about them.
2. Don't NOT have an irresistible offer. Make the best offer you can make, one that has your audience, drooling.
3. Don't NOT speak in a conversational tone. People respond to people who write like they talk. If you insist on being lofty, pompous and superior in your communications, you may as well tell your audience to use your mailings as toilet paper.
4. Don't NOT engage and connect. Most direct mail is flat, deadly dull and devastatingly boring. There's no life, no connection and no need to respond to the communication.
5. Don't NOT focus on the money. If you want your direct mail piece to be the talk of the town, to be recognised amongst your peers as being a wonderful communication piece, to receive awards, prestige and acclaim... but... it fails to sell anything where money is exchanged, start all over by doing the 100% opposite to what got you into the mess in the first place.
6. Don't NOT have a deadline for responding. If you insist on leaving your offer open forever, guess what; hardly anyone will respond because -- there's NO reason given as to why one should respond by such and such date.
7. Don't NOT give REASONS why. Tell why you're offering what you're offering. Tell why it's a great deal. Tell why it's so valuable. Tell why they should buy. Tell why they'll end up losing if they don't make a purchase. Tell 'em... why...
8. Don't NOT tell your full story. The more you tell, the more you sell. Don't believe the stupid and insane who say people haven't got time to read. (It's generally the lazy and incompetent marketing 'pro' who sells you on that bunch of folly and foolishness) If you've got something that's of tremendous value and will bring relief, savings, joy, happiness, less stress... people will want to know all about it... especially if it fixes something they've spent an age trying to fix or get sorted... and... if you make it interesting, compelling, a breeze to read and order, they'll buy.
9. Don't NOT make it easy for people to order. If you want sales to happen, don't make things complicated. Don't make things complex. Don't have people jump through multiple hoops in order to give you money. Make the ordering process seamless and smooth. Make doing business with you a joy and a pleasure.
10. Don't NOT follow up a direct mail letter with ANOTHER letter thanking customers for the order and, if they'd like to buy something else from you... and oh, here's the letter that'll tell you all about it.
Mastering Direct Mail communications is a skill like any other skill. It has to be learned and then, implemented. HOW you learn it, is crucial. How you then apply that knowledge, is vital.
The solution to pretty much ANY problem, is a well-written sales letter.
If you want breakthrough business and personal success, master direct mail communications.
You have read 10 dumb direct mail blunders many make (at least) with their direct mail communications. Pay attention to them. Get those in your marketing department to pay attention to them by... NOT doing them!
(If you're a serious business owner, entrepreneur or marketing professional and are obsessed about growth and profits, I invite you register for a copy of my Direct Response Marketing Report, which you will find at www.RajaHireker.com . But please don't request it if you're 100% completely happy with your sales, your profits, the way your marketing communications are working for you.)
