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Delivering your message
effectively
There was a time that direct mail/email would
produce a high rate of positive responders.
Yet, in recent years, the rate of return for
direct mail has dwindled to less than 1%.
Mailers are often seen simply as junk mail that
never gets to the desk of a decision maker and
email has been reduced to SPAM. What used
to be a cost effective way to broadcast your company's
message to a large audience has turned into a poor investment of your
marketing dollars. Is there any hope?
We think there is.
Since you've come to this
page, you may be struggling with:
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I've sent the mailer but
nothing seems to happen - is anyone out
there? |
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Getting responses I want
from mail/email - how do I improve results? |
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Turning responses into
leads - why doesn't anyone want to buy? |
We can respond to these
questions with some ideas that can help for your
next direct mail campaign.
The myths of direct
mail
KMA has sent millions of mailers for high tech
companies over the past 15 years. From
messaging, to design, to look and feel, with
different levels of quality, and all sizes -
we've gained insight into what works and what
doesn't.
Take the hocus pocus out of
your mailer and focus on the end result -
discovering sales leads and increasing your
business. With this in mind, here's a
common sense approach to what works. |
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Myth |
Reality |
KMA Case Study - something that works |
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Once I get the
mail out, the responses will roll in
Just because you send a message,
doesn't mean it will be received. Busy
executives normally don't have timeslots in
their daily schedule to look at their mail.
Getting past the gatekeeper to the decision
maker is important. |
Don't just
mail - follow up with another touch
The goal of your mailer should be
to condition your audience to another contact
from your company. By following up in a
timely manner, you can boost the results of your
mailing significantly.
See the section called
Design a campaign
for some common sense ideas for using mail
and email in your campaigns. |
A KMA client mailed an expensive
clock to several thousand prospects, but was
surprised when no one responded. KMA
called each recipient and produced a large
quantity of leads. |
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Bulk is better True,
you get a better deal per piece when you print and send to
10,000 rather than 1,000. Why not send the
greater amount? Because the cost of
postage alone can bust your budget even if you
get a 50% discount on the printing. |
Target your list - it is all about the data
Do you really have an audience of
10,000 that need to hear your company's message?
Probably not. Consider enhancing your data
and sending only to the best contacts in your
list. |
KMA saved a client 50%
by working with the target list and reducing the
number of mailers sent to only the best
contacts. |
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Offer
Free Trinkets
If you offer a free
pen/shirt/mug/(insert any fun trinket here) you
will get responders. We call this bribery.
These responders are people who want free stuff:
not your decision makers. Executives with
business needs have enough money to buy your
trinkets, what they need is answers to business
problems. These are the responders you want. |
Tailor your
message - what will the recipient get from the
mailer A free offer
is not bad! Yet the offer should provide
business value to the recipient of the mailer.
Rather than a mug, how about offering a free
consultation. Instead of the pen, how
about an analyst's white paper. Providing
value goes a long way to credibility and
positive response. |
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Only the prettiest mailers
Mailers developed by a
professional designer with full color pictures
printed on heavy card stock with glossy finishes
are beautiful (and expensive!). Some think that
when a a 4-color glossy mailer is received, a busy executive will be more likely
to pick it up and look at it. The most
expensive brochures hit the trash can just as
quickly as the cheap mailers. In fact,
spending a lot of money on your mailer can do
harm. A business executive looking for an
affordable solution may assume that your prices
will be exorbitant just to pay for your mailer
and collateral. |
Consider your
audience - who is going to get the mailer
Rather than focusing on just the
outright quality of your mailer, consider who is
going to get it. What will catch their
eye? What are their priorities? What
will they remember? |
KMA has partner that sends a
plain business letter produced on a black and
white printer. Yet the letter has a
relevant case study and fax back area so the
recipient receives relevant information and can
respond quickly. The result -
response rate 4 times what we normally
see. |
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