8/3/2010. Direct mail marketing is... Last year s news. print advertising sent directly to prospective or current customers via the mail

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1 The image cannot be displayed. Your computer may not have enough memory to open the image, or the image may have been corrupted. Restart your computer, and then open the file again. If the red x still appears, you may have to delete the image and then insert it again. It s DMM time! Direct mail marketing is... print advertising sent directly to prospective or current customers via the mail Last year s news The entire direct mail industry is stinko. DIRECT Magazine, April 13,

2 Where does DM stand now? Direct mail companies are looking at flat revenue for That s good news after the 16.8% decline the industry witnessed between 2008 and Media Sales Today, December 30, 2009 According to Deliver magazine... And even though the past two years brought plenty of dire speculation about and even premature eulogies for the future of print marketing, the people who keep an eye on these things insist that traditional channels like direct mail will continue to earn their place at the marketing table in According to Deliver magazine... [I]ntegration is working well. During one campaign, sales were 50 percent higher among people who received a postcard and clicked through to a personalized site than those who just visited the site on their own. December 17,

3 According to Graphic Arts Online... [E]ntrepreneurs who switched to e mail only efforts are finding printed direct mail pieces offer a greater return on investment than they had believed and are returning to printed pieces to reach customers. According to Graphic Arts Online... Often, printed direct mail pieces can serve a vital part to integrated marketing campaigns that reach across multiple platforms. February 5, 2010 Why direct mail is important Resurgence in direct mail Continues to be effective Works well with integrated campaigns 3

4 Benefits of direct mail Personal Targeted Far reaching Flexible Tangible Immediate Measureable Cost effective What s often the greatest challenge? Just getting opened! You have 3 to 5 seconds to grab the audience s attention or risk beingtossed. Getting them to open up Source: CCB fast.map 2009 Marketing GAP Research. 4

5 What determines campaign success? Audience Offer Creative What percentage of each determines success? In the 70s: In the 80s and 90s: Now, Creating an offer make it: Exciting Emotional Urgent Unique Of value Easy Clear and concise Creating an offer make it: Exciting Emotional Urgent Unique Of value Easy Clear and concise 5

6 Creating an offer make it: Exciting Emotional Urgent Unique Of value Easy Clear and concise Creating an offer make it: Exciting Emotional Urgent Unique Of value Easy Clear and concise Creating an offer make it: Exciting Emotional Urgent Unique Of value Easy Clear and concise 6

7 Creating an offer make it: Exciting Emotional Urgent Unique Of value Easy Clear and concise Creating an offer make it: Exciting Emotional Urgent Unique Of value Easy Clear and concise Offer copy does matter! A. Half price! B. Buy one get one free C. 50% off! Which performed the best? B: Pulled 40% more. Source: Bob Stone s Successful Direct Marketing Methods. 7

8 The creative formats Postcard Self mailers Direct mail package Booklets, catalogs 3 dimensional Unique formats The creative choosing formats What s the objective What s the budget What s the time frame What s the content how much space is needed Elements of the creative design Size/weight Paper stock Ink color Special coatings Personalization Folds and perfs Die cuts Return address Stamp or indicia 8

9 Get P.O.ed! Always, always run your layout by the Post Office for review. Trivia: When did each of these logos come into existence? Elements of the creative OE/outer Be blank... or be bold: Highlight a special offer or premium Lead with strongest benefits Make a challenge Begin a story Ask a question Give news or sound an alarm Quote an authority Flatter your reader Yes box copy with interactive pieces 9

10 Yes box copy with interactive pieces Yes box copy with interactive pieces Yes box copy with interactive pieces 10

11 Yes box copy with interactive pieces Yes box copy with interactive pieces Yes box copy with interactive pieces 11

12 Yes box copy with interactive pieces Yes box copy with interactive pieces Which three of these are most important? Yes box copy with interactive pieces Which three of these are most important? 12

13 Ways to start the copy Offer Main benefit Narrative or story Question or curiosity News/timeliness Flattery Shocking statement Empathy The most powerful word in DM? FREE or YOU Other powerful words in direct mail Save Money Easy Safe or secure Limited time only New/Announcing/Introducing Now How to Guarantee 13

14 Tone of the copy Be conversational, personal and friendly: Short, punchy sentences Short paragraphs OK not to follow grammar rules Sentence fragments Start with but, and, or Use contractions like don t, can t Refer to the reader as you Length of the copy Which performs better long or short copy? Long typically outperforms short. Good rule of thumb: Make your copy long enough to tell your story. General tips Keep the layout simple and clean Use subheads to break up paragraphs Bullet copy whenever possible Highlight important words or info (800#, URL) Indent important paragraphs 14

15 General tips Tie the conclusion back to the intro Emphasize benefits, not features Don t bury the offer repeat it The letter sells, the brochure tells Test, test, test What to test Mailing lists Offer components different rates different discounts Creative 20% vs. 25% What to test creative Minor design changes Photos or graphics Personalization Postage Copy length long vs. short Colors Letter signer Different elements in DM package 15

16 After testing Develop a control Continue testing to beat the control Response rate: 1 2% Credit Card Direct Mail Response Rates (Source: Mail Monitor) What works Blind envelopes 3 dimensional mailings Premiums Fewer options Interactivity like stickers or pullouts Deadlines Photos over illustrations What doesn t work Anything deceiving Too many offer conditions Misspelled names Inkjet address labels Christina Johnstone Ervin & Smith Frances Ave Omaha NE

17 Good sources for further reading Write on Target: The Direct Marketer s Copywriting Handbook by Donna Baier Stein and Floyd Kemske The Copywriter s Handbookby by Bob Bly Postal Explorer pe.usps.gov 17