IN THIS ISSUE
Effective Direct Mail,
Part II
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ARCHETYPE, INC.
919.835.0450 phone
919.835.9760 fax
ewfx@mindspring.com
1615 Sunrise Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27608
We provide graphic design, copywriting, and marketing consulting services for businesses and nonprofits. We can create any type of printed piece or a website, as well as write your marketing plan, news release, speech, or grant proposal. Let us put our 30 years of combined experience to work for you.
Visit Our Website
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THRIVE
An Ezine From ARCHETYPE, Inc.
Volume 5, Issue 1, July 2006
Dear Friends,
Are you happy with the stability and growth of your business or nonprofit? The savvy business owner or nonprofit professional knows that some form of marketing is essential to continued success. Welcome to THRIVE, ARCHETYPE’s free e-newsletter. We hope that you find the information on direct mail presented below to be helpful as you promote your products, services, or cause.
ARCHETYPE provides graphic design and copywriting services. We can help you produce any kind of printed piece or a website, and we also provide marketing consulting services, including writing detailed marketing plans. We've recently added new samples to our website; visit us at www.archetype-usa.com.
If you’re already working with us, thank you again for giving us the opportunity to help you achieve your goals. We welcome inquiries from potential clients; please feel free to contact us to receive more information and a FREE estimate on an upcoming project.
Take care and happy marketing!
Tom and Elizabeth Forsythe, Owners
ARCHETYPE
Graphic Design and Writing Services
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To mail or not to mail, Part II
ARCHETYPE answers more of your questions about creating effective direct mail pieces
The mailing list
Your list is a critical piece of any direct mail campaign. It’s second in importance only to the offer itself. You can purchase lists from numerous national sources such as infousa.com, and you can also get an estimate from a local mail house. If you’re with a small, locally focused business or nonprofit, it’s often best to compile and maintain your own list of people who have expressed an interest in your product, service, or cause. This is sometimes referred to as your “house list.” It’s estimated that about 15% of your mailing list becomes inaccurate every six months, so you’ll need someone on your staff to be in charge of updating it. Purchased lists should be guaranteed to be at least 92% accurate.
List brokers can identify people with specific traits who have incomes in a certain range. For example, if you sell handcrafted home playground equipment, you might target upper-income folks with children age 10 and younger who live in certain zip codes. You could buy a list of people who have purchased products similar to yours in the past; these are called response lists. Another strategy is to target people who belong to groups interested in your product/service or those who have attended a related event or conference.
In short, you want to sell popcorn to people who already eat popcorn and camping gear to folks who love the outdoors. Don’t try to change people’s wants and “needs” with a mailing alone. In general, your goal with a direct mail piece is to convince prospects to go with you instead of the other guy when purchasing a product or service they are already at least somewhat interested in. (Of course, if you are offering a completely new product or service, these guidelines don’t apply. You might target folks with a related need or interest.)
Keeping costs down
If you’re doing a multi-piece package, consider printing two or more of the pieces on the same paper stock. You can also stick with standard sizes to keep costs down. But for very large runs of envelopes (quantities of 100,000 or more) or those with heavy ink coverage, having them custom-made might be the more cost-effective option. A self-mailer such as a postcard, when appropriate, eliminates the cost of envelopes and stuffing all together. And, if your prospects can read, they can’t help but absorb some of your message when there’s no envelope as a barrier.
Special tips for business-to-business direct mail
In general, your audience will be well-defined. Don’t skimp on quality—consider the weight, texture, opacity, brightness, and finish of the paper. The number of ink colors, type of artwork, and quality of the design speak volumes about your company. This direct mail piece may be a prospect or potential supporter’s first contact with you . . . and you know what they say about first impressions.
Usually business-to-business mailings are designed to generate leads or break the ice so that a business relationship can develop. Don’t expect them to close the sale by themselves. Because the value of a business-to-business sale is usually much higher than a sale made through a consumer mail offer, a business-to-business mailing is often the first step in a multi-step process that involves a follow-up phone call, more mailings, a meeting, and an estimate or proposal. The direct mail piece can turn an unknown person into a lead, and then you often need sales collateral and personal contact to close the sale.
Gatekeepers
Often your biggest challenge is getting past the gatekeeper—the person who decides which pieces of mail get into the decision maker’s in-box. You want to make your piece so compelling that gatekeepers can’t bring themselves to throw it away. An unusual package such as a box or tube (or mailing a promotional item so that your package is mysteriously bumpy) might do the trick. For especially good prospects, consider delivering a package via courier or overnight mail service so that it stands out from the daily pile of junk mail. Handwritten notes will often get the piece past the gatekeeper as well. But genuine handwritten notes may be impossible depending on quantity, and printed “handwritten” notes can do more harm than good.
Test, test, test
If you try to appeal to everyone, you will appeal to no one. Your target market can never be “the general public” or “everyone who owns a car/eats out/wears clothes/has a pet.” You must define your market, learn everything you can about the people who make up that market, and write and design your piece to appeal to them. Know exactly want you want prospects to do when they receive your mailing. Remember to include a call to action and make it extremely easy for prospects to follow through.
A final word
Remember that it’s essential to abide by all postal regulations. When in doubt, ask! |
About the Owners of ARCHETYPE
Tom Forsythe is the graphic designer, and Elizabeth Forsythe is the writer and marketing consultant. Since 1998, we have worked with over 150 businesses and nonprofits of all sizes, and we’d like to add you to our list of happy clients. For more information on our credentials, see the “About Us” page of our website.
You may reprint the information contained in THRIVE in your newsletter or other publication. Please e-mail Elizabeth to obtain permission.
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Why should you choose ARCHETYPE for your marketing needs?
1. You will save money. Unlike large firms with a huge overhead, we deliver top-quality work for reasonable fees.
2. You will get your project on time. Because we are small, we can turn on a dime. We provide quick turnarounds, and we always meet our deadlines.
3. You will get our full attention. When you choose ARCHETYPE, you work directly with the two people who bring your project to fruition.
4. You have access to a wide range of services, and you pay only for the services that you need. We offer graphic design and layout; writing, editing, and proofing; print management and project coordination; marketing consulting; public relations/media services; traditional media illustration; photography; and website design.
5. You get the benefit of experience. Together we have over 30 years of real-world experience in creating marketing materials that produce results. |
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