Is there a secret formula to direct mail success?
It is fair to assess that Direct Mail Marketing is both a science and an art. Although a secret formula to achieve the coveted 100% response rate does not exist, following proven rules and guidelines for creating an effective mail piece will increase response rates and ultimately, a marketer’s return on investment.
Create an Attention-Getting Headline
In order for a mail piece to elicit any type of response, it obviously has to be opened or read. Within a few seconds, a recipient will make a decision whether a direct mail piece will go in the trash or read in its entirety; hence the importance of making an impression with a catchy headline. Stay away from wordy and indirect messages that could become confusing. Keep the headline clear and succinct.
By combining the right message and quality graphics, a direct mail piece can have an emotional or intellectual impact on the recipient; however, creating an effective headline also requires understanding the perspective of the targeted audience or recipients. Based on the marketer’s knowledge of his audience, the tone, the appropriate graphics and the intended result can also be decided on.
Present An Irresistible Offer
The product or service offered is a must and the benefits have to be clearly stated. Bullet points are a great way to list all the benefits of the offer. Allowing a time of expiration or deadline of the offer is also an effective way of adding a sense of brevity and urgency to the offer. Emphasizing what they gain by calling or responding before the deadline could also be a very effective tool in increasing response rates. Whether or not an offer has a guarantee, a statement addressing the risk associated with the offer (hopefully, no risk at all) could be very persuasive when paired with testimonials and positive data from independent research companies. Lastly, keep the piece itself cohesive by incorporating aspects of the design, such as photos and graphics that convey the offer at hand.
The Call To Action
The call to action is perhaps the most important aspect of a great mail piece so it is wise to emphasize all the Call To Action instructions. Bold and bright colors will help highlight this crucial aspect of the mail piece. Repetition of the Call To Action in multiple sections of the mail piece, especially when dealing with multiple-piece-mailers, guarantees visibility and easy access. The bottom line of any Call To Action is that it has to be simple, easy and uncomplicated, preferably a one-step-process.
Re-testing with Flexibility
One of the advantages of using direct mail is that empirical data verifies its success. Direct mail is a highly tractable form of marketing and this is where science comes in. By staying flexible and making adjustments to the different variables of a mail piece, such as the Call to Action, the Headline, the colors, the graphics or the content, a marketer can fine tune a mailer to achieve the optimum response from his audience. Since knowing and understanding a target audience is the foundation upon which a direct mail piece is created, by sending different mail pieces to the same target audience, a marketer can test what works best. One rule that marketers agree on is that Direct Mail should be viewed as an ongoing, long term customer relations management. Given this rule, marketers have time on their side to figure out the art and the science behind Direct Mail Marketing.