Page 51 - GS170202

Inspiration

Direct

mail

dinosaur or diamond?

hen was the last time you sent a mailer to busy layout may cause the reader to focus on the
your customers or prospects? In this age design, not the service you are trying to sell.
of social media marketing, Google ads, tar-
W geted text messages and apps galore, some • Make strong offers and state them upfront. Let the
folks have dropped direct mail as a marketing tool. After prospect know how he or she will benefit from this
all, with today's technology providing ways to reach large offer. State the offer boldly so the reader can't miss it.
numbers of potential customers for free, or almost free,
isn't direct mail now a dinosaur? • Use a design that motivates the reader to act. Bold
colors, such as red, green and blue, will attract
According to Lewis Gersh, Chief Executive Officer of attention. Avoid pastel, muted colors and soft designs
integrated marketing firm PebblePost, the answer is no. that pacify the reader.
"Believe it or not, print as a medium is making a comeback,
one that's becoming increasingly necessary for any digital
marketing campaign." That's right. He said old-fashioned • Don't try to accomplish too much with one piece.
Too many objectives will distract the reader. You will
mail has a place in "digital" marketing.
enjoy a higher response rate if you concentrate on just
Gersh cited research from Compu-mail.com that found one goal.
almost two times as many respondents react positively to
receiving mail than negatively. He added that direct mail, • Write copy that motivates your readers to act. Sell
can also provide a personal touch other means cannot the idea of success and a better future. Use positive
easily replicate. words, such as "free," "value" and "save," that instill
confidence in your product. Avoid negative words
"What marketers got away from in the rapid growth of such as "cost" and "pay."
the digital era is the need to serve the whole marketing
breakfast ‒ i.e., the ability to understand who wants their • Don't try to appeal to everyone. Your package will
eggs over easy and who opts for oatmeal," he wrote. "This lose its focus and then you will appeal to no one.
means marketers need to bring their digital, data-driven
approach to all marketing efforts, combining the best of In an Aug. 4, 2015, article in Entrepreneur magazine, Mike
digital with more traditional forms of advertising, like Tinz stated the response rate for email is only 0.12 percent,
television, print, radio and direct mail." while direct mail's is 3.4 percent, so it makes sense to
integrate direct mail into digital marketing strategies.
Doing it right One way to do this is to digitize print efforts by using
a QR code to direct customers to a landing page, social
For those seeking to meld direct mail into newer options, campaign or video, or embed traceable links that will
long-standing best practices for direct mail still apply. In allow your team to capture rich user information like
Good Selling! TM: The Basics, Paul H. Green offered six tips to location, demographics, referrals and conversions.
help folks do just that:
In marketing, as with many other endeavors, it pays to
• Keep the package simple. Use concise copy and a mix the old with the new.
simple design. Lengthy copy may include information
that discourages the prospect from responding. A

Kate Gillespie, President and CEO

51