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Informative Articles

10 Common Direct Mail Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Successful direct mail does not need to be elaborate full color printing or creative design. The major factors contributing to a successful direct mail program are in the planning and implementing of the program. Avoid the following common blunders...
10 Elements Every Direct Mail Piece Should Have
Don’t want your direct mail to end up in the trash with the rest of the unread mail? Studies show an effective direct mail campaign should draw a .5 to 1 percent response. These 10 tips will help you get the results you want: 1. A clear, bold...
Cost Effective Ways to Use Direct Mail
Cost Effective Ways to Use Direct Mail to Increase Investor Leads Direct mail is able to offer highly targeted, detailed sales information to a large audience quickly and effectively. Therefore, sending direct mail pieces to your investor...
Direct Mail Marketing Now As Easy As Email
Is the United States Postal Service (USPS) a marketing innovator? As it turns out, the kind folks in the blue shorts are in fact making it easy for even the smallest business to duke it out with their biggest competitors by using the USPS “mailing...
Has the Internet Killed Off the Direct Mail Baron?
Has the Internet Killed Off the Direct Mail Baron? Over the past 30 years, direct mail has been responsible for generating vast amounts of money for businesses and individuals alike, but is it still an effective means of marketing? The short...
How to Write a Direct Mail Fundraising Letter (Four Tips)
1. Address your reader as a friend, not as “Friend.” When was the last time you received a letter from someone dear to you, addressing you as “Dear Friend?” Never, right? The days of the Dear Friend letter are dead. I heard recently of a...
Increase your direct mail response rates with freebies.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, giving something away at no charge can lower your cost per lead. That’s because offering a freebie usually increases your response rate. Here’s an example of what I mean. Your cost per lead is the money you...
Raise Funds For Your Nonprofit Using An Annual Direct Mail Program
A good annual direct mail solicitation program can produce unrestrictive operating funds for your nonprofit organization year after year. And such an annual direct mail program, if done right, should produce more funding for your organization each...
Real Estate Marketing, Do You Use Direct Mail?
Prospecting for leads is by far the most difficult part of being a Realtor or small business professional. In fact, lead development is by far the most expensive and time consuming aspect of your job. However, you level of success in lead...
The Facts of a Direct Mailing List
It is a well-known fact that businesses cannot exist without advertising. In fact, it is considered as the lifeblood of every business. It is so important that businesses everywhere are more than willing to spend thousands of dollars just to get...
 
 
 
In Business-to-Business Direct Mail Sales Letters, Make It Easy To Respond

I have a client who wanted to drive prospective customers to his online store using a business-to-business postcard. Great idea, I thought, and cost effective.

He had a terrific product, a compelling offer, and a sound business model. He had just one problem. He wanted to make all website visitors register before they could browse his product catalog. Big mistake.

So I, along with his business partner, managed to talk him out of the idea. And he will be glad that we did.

That's because one of the fundamental requirements of business-to-business direct mail is that you make it easy for your prospects and customers to respond. The word to remember is "convenience." You must make responding as convenient as possible. Here are some ways to do that.

BUSINESS REPLY CARD
* Pre-print your prospect's name and address on it.
* If prospects must complete the card, give enough space for company, job title, address and city.
* Pay for postage so prospects don't have to hunt for a stamp.
* If you need to qualify prospects, ask as few questions as possible.

COUPONS
Place coupons at the outside corners (not in the gutter or the middle of the page), where they are easy to tear out.

CALCULATIONS
Make the math as easy as possible so that customers can quickly and accurately add shipping, handling and sales tax to their order.

PAYMENT
* Offer as many payment options as possible

 


without paralyzing your reader. One of the most attractive payment plans (and one likely to boost response, if you can afford it) is the "send me an invoice" plan.
* Accept all the major credit cards.
* Accept orders by telephone (toll-free, of course).
*Accept orders on your website.

LEAD GENERATION
If you are after a lead and not a sale, make the next step in the sales process as convenient and as painless as possible for your prospect to initiate. Some prospects are reluctant to respond by phone because they fear they will hear a sales pitch. Others dread responding by email because then you will know their email address. Through testing, discover which response methods work best for your target audience.

One of the beautiful things about shopping by mail is the convenience. You don't have to battle traffic, hunt for a parking spot or wait in line. But that is only true if the direct mail ordering experience is also convenient. Use some of these methods to improve your convenience quotient and your customers will thank you for it--with their orders.

© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).
About the Author

Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter. Sign up for free weekly tips like this at www.sharpecopy.com.