Top 10 Tip for Direct Mail Adver

Daniel Baird & Elizabeth Baird-Barnette (my sister)

Since studying advertising & journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill, I've worked in advertising for over 20 years and have been in the direct mail industry for over a decade.

From my experience in the industry, I've put together a list of the 10 top tips for utilizing direct mail.

Top 10 Tip for Direct Mail Advertising

1.	Fish where the fish are. Analyze who your best customers are and go find more just like them. Targeted mailing lists can pin-point people and/or businesses based on many important attributes (income, age, presence of children, hobbies, business type, # of employees, sales volumes, etc….).
2.	Target your current customers with offers designed especially for them. Loyal repeat customers are the greatest source of income for most businesses. Find a way to keep them happy and buying.
3.	Offer a compelling & valuable reason to contact you. Realize that humans are creatures of habit and you are asking them to do something different. Always make an offer. A strong offer does not have to be a discount. You could be offering a better life, a more delicious dinner, or more channels, but you must present this offer in a way that motivates the consumer to act!
4.	Test your direct mail piece, list & offer. Through split-run testing techniques, you can determine what works and what doesn’t. Mailing two (or more) different versions can generate different response rates. Test only one feature at a time to avoid confusing results. Simple example: send the same letter in two different color envelopes. Half get a white envelope & half get yellow, but everything else remains the same. Compare the response rates and you might find that one color pulls better. This kind of testing can provide very valuable & sometimes surprising insights.
5	Repetition, repetition, repetition. Repeatedly communicating with current and potential clients increases credibility and name recognition while building relationships.
6.	Use the letter format when possible & appropriate. Letters allow you to speak in a direct and personal manner. How long should a letter be? As long as it needs to be. Contrary to popular belief, testing has shown that multiple page letters usually generate more response than single page letters. People love stories and the more that you can engage them, the greater the response rate.
7.	Get your ducks in a row. Be sure your employees, web-site, email & phone numbers are ready for prime time and reflect the offer made in your direct mail piece. Sounds obvious, but is too frequently overlooked.
8.	Follow through like a champ. Provide the prompt and expert service that your mail piece offers.
9.	Explain the benefits you offer to the customer instead of tooting your own horn. The public doesn’t want to hear how great you are, just what you can do for them.
10.	Consult with your direct mail guru BEFORE design & printing. The most frequent, serious & expensive mistakes can be avoided by including the direct mail experts from the outset.