Top 6 tips for direct mail success.

By Steve Strauss

Q: Steve - I'm pretty old school and not into online marketing. Radio has worked well for me. What do you think of direct mail? I know the response rate is supposed to be pretty low, but I still like the idea. -- Will

A: I have no problem with direct mail at all. In fact, I agree that in the right circumstances, it can be a very effective tool. Like any new advertising or marketing effort, the key is to get your feet wet before jumping into the deep end. This way you'll avoid expensive mistakes.

Here are my top six tips for direct mail success.

1. Think it through: Direct mail can do many different things:

Generate leads

Create new customers

Update current customers

Build your brand

Help you get rid of old merchandise (by announcing a sale)

Needless to say, the type of campaign and ad you create will depend on your purpose. Old customers will need a different touch than people who have never heard of you.

2. Design a killer ad: We all get way too much junk mail these days, and that is why, on a good day, the response rate for direct mail is usually somewhere around three percent. The fact is, more than nine out of 10 people who receive your piece will toss it, probably without ever looking at it.

But that said, even 3% percent is huge. If you mail your ad to say, 1,000 people, and you get 30 new customers out of it, that's not chopped liver. That can be huge.

But it will only be huge if you get 30 people to open your envelope, read your piece, and act on it. To ensure that, your mailing must:

Be visually appealing. Especially in this online era, people are ever more accustomed to reading short paragraphs, bullet points, and the like. Use white space. Don't make it crowded.

Be written in an easy-to-read way. A personal appeal often works well.

Have a great opening, including obvious benefits in the letter or ad and a compelling call to action.

3. Get a great list: If you are mailing to prospective new customers, then it is imperative that you obtain a quality list. List brokers are not hard to locate, and a good one will help you narrow down possible recipients to those people most likely to respond to your ad.

Make sure that the list is up to date, and expect to pay several hundred to several thousand dollars for it. A typical list may cost between 5 cents and 50 cents a name, and there will be a minimum purchase of several thousand names. Expect to pay more for more detailed lists (e.g., that contain e-mail addresses and phone numbers), as well as for lists of more affluent customers.

Don't underestimate this part of the process. A good list can make or break your campaign.

4. Get them to open your letter: Think about the junk mail you open - which pieces are the most likely to be opened? Here are a few:

Those that are hand addressed. Yes, this may be difficult, but the fact is, hand addressed envelopes have a far greater likelihood of being opened.

Chunky pieces: Mailings with protruding inserts are intriguing and also tend to be opened with greater frequency.

Odd shapes: Your standard business envelope with a computer-generated address is the least likely to be opened. Odd shapes work.

Postcards, maybe surprisingly, are also read more often.

5. Use some tricks: Certain things make direct mail pieces more successful:

Grab their attention quickly! If they open your letter, you better grab them by the throat!

Offer benefits and more benefits. When people look at your mail, the first question they ask is, "What's in it for me?" You have to answer that from the get-go, starting with the envelope even.

Make them take action: If you can get the reader to interact with you, by making a call, or going to a Web site, you are more than halfway home.

Use P.S. - Have you ever noticed how you are drawn to the P.S. in any letter? We all are. Use your P.S. to reiterate your call to action, or, even better, have it create a sense of urgency: "Mention this letter and get 10 % off - this week only!"

6. Remember, it's not a one-shot deal: I have a pal who is a master salesman, earning a yearly six-figure commission income. He always tells me that people have to hear from him not once, not twice, but several times (up to six even) before they buy. Direct mail should be seen as a long-term marketing endeavor.