How to Put Together a Winning Direct Mail Package

7/16/2013

Most business beginners think Direct Mail means purchasing a mailing list and mailing an advertising flyer to a bunch of folks they know absolutely nothing about. This IS NOT what Direct Mail marketing is. Instead, marketing by Direct Mail means placing a classified ad and sending your mailing ONLY to those who answer your ad.

Anyone who uses the mailing list method will never prosper. Oh, I suppose if you had $200,000 or $300,000 dollars to waste, you may make a profit eventually. But there is no need for you to waste money like that. If you'll only slow down and administer a little bit of patience, you'll find your company growing financially much more quickly.

The first step in marketing by Direct Mail is to run a few classified ads in publications. Now, I don't mean your ad should sell your product. Instead, it should ask the potential customer to send in their name and address for free information. A classified ad is only designed to cause interested customers to write to you requesting additional information. This is called a qualified lead.

In return, you send follow-up advertising to those who answer your ad, which is geared to making that potential customer buy your product or service. If you find most people are not ordering your product after they write in for more information, that's an indication that your follow-up advertising needs work. Constantly be fine-tuning your sales literature and adjust it so that most people requesting information from your ads responds with an order.

Now think about how much money you are saving by using this method. (1) The money you spent purchasing a mailing list could be enough to run 3 or 4 classified ads. (2) You get 10X the circulation from a classified ad as you do from mailing envelopes to a mailing list. (3) You eliminate all the labor and time required to prepare a 1,000+ piece mailing. (4) The people responding to your ad can be placed on a mailing list and re-sold as buyers names rather than opportunity seekers, thereby generating more income for you.

The follow-up advertisement (or Direct Mail Package) you send to people who respond to your classified advertising should look legitimate and professional. Your mailing pieces can be cards, coupons, leaflets, folders, broadsides, envelopes, order blanks, pamphlets, brochures or samples. Whatever it takes to get your message across and obtain an order from the customer.

You also have a choice of white or colored paper of different thicknesses and textures. You have a choice of typefaces, ink colors and papers which your printer has available. You can decide design and layout of each mailing pieces. In short, you have a wide variety of sales advantages available. Not every style of mailing piece is needed for each specific product or service so you must select and test the choices best suited for you and your business's product.

Now you may be saying to yourself: Why should I give away free samples and spend money on marketing materials when the customer has only contacted me for more information? Think about the money you spend sending out 1,000's of Direct Mails now without any luck. At least using my suggested method, you won't have the mail as many envelopes and you are mailing to people who actually took the time to write in and request the free sample or free information. Therefore, you can use the money you save and invest in follow-up advertising that looks more professional.

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