Direct Mail Industry Statistics For Your 2020 Marketing Campaigns

Are you planning to launch a direct mail campaign in 2020? There are a few factors you need to consider to make sure your campaign pays off. To start with, you have to research your target audience and know the average response rates. You also have to determine the appropriate balance between digital marketing and mail for your needs. Given all these, you have to refer to direct main statistics. It will help you understand the general situation with mail marketing overall and you’ll be able to weigh the advantages and disadvantages as well as the return on investment. After all, you should know by now that reliable marketing statistics is crucial when it comes to backing up creative ideas and plans.

Direct Mail Statistics: Popularity and Response Rate

• In 2018, direct mail’s average response rate was at 9% for house lists and 4.9% for prospect lists. It represented an increase of 5.1% and 2.9%, respectively, from the report submitted for 2017.
• Paid search, social media, and email only had a 1% response rate compared to the house list response rate of 9%.
• 31% of baby boomers bought a product or service due to flyers, catalogs, and advertising cards. Direct mail performed better than online consumer reviews, family and friend suggestions, email, TV ads as well as other marketing channels.
• 46% of consumers claim that they are more likely to responed to a certain offer made by a familiar company. You can make use of direct mail for people to know your services and improve the efficiency of other marketing channels. Direct mail also has a higher response rate compared to digital marketing and that means it is a great first touch point.
• Direct main remains strong in terms of being a well known marketing strategy with print advertising raking in as much as 35%.
• Direct mail continues to be among the traditional marketing methods that B2B marketers make large investments in.
• Direct mail (6%) and print advertising (8%) are two of the top sources that generate marketing leads and sales.

Direct Mail Statistics: Format and Behavioural Patterns

• Direct mail Myrtle Beach marketing provides a longer lasting effect compared to emails or online ads.
• Postcards remain promising. About 52.5% of the recipients of postcards say they will read them while a letter size envelope will be open in only 1/3 cases.
• 57% of consumers open their mail, 48.5% look at it, 26.2% recycle or throw them away, and 24% keep them for later. About 1.6% of the responders put the mail on display and that makes the marketing material more memorable.
• The mail type affects the behavioural patterns. In most cases, catalogs are put aside and checked later. Mail that are related to credit cards are discarded by 46% of the recepients, which is higher than catalogs and other types of mail.
• Recipients are three times less likely to expect receiving direct mails on Sundays compared to other days of the week.
• There is a 97% positive reaction to personalized direct mails. A greeting card, holiday card, birthday card all have 96% chance of success while 89% for package, 57% for catalog, and 27% for advertising card.

If you want your direct mail campaign to succeed, you need to personalize it. Although it is quite hard to achieve this without automating the process. Unlimited Printing & Signs can help you customize your direct mails to help make sure that your campaign has a higher chance of succeeding.

Call Unlimited Printing & Signs and let our team help you with your direct mails.

Unlimited Printing & Signs 2408 Madison Drive Suite 101 North Myrtle Beach, SC  29582 843-273-5290 https://www.upsprinting.com

https://www.upsprinting.com/direct-mail/direct-mail-statistics-2020-marketing/

Guide To Direct Mail Advertising

Are you planning to start your own business in the Myrtle Beach are? Have you thought about what type of business you are going to set up? Reality is, there are many factors to consider when starting your own business. If you are into the medical field, running a clinical, dental or chiropractic workplace is actually no different compared to running other type of service. In order to pull in brand-new clients, it is necessary to recognize which type or groups of people should be targeted.

Your Direct Mail Advertising Guide To Starting Your Business

According to a current survey, one of the things that people are trying to find when selecting a chiropractic specialist, is comfort. As a result of this, the "Three Mile Radius" method is extremely efficient. This advertising viewpoint states that in order to succeed, a company has to "have the three mile radius" around their company. This could be achieved in a number of ways, yet one of the most reliable advertising and marketing to target individuals within a small geographical location is direct-mail advertising. Any type of excellent as well as credible business printer, such as Unlimited Printing & Signs, has the software application tools readily available to connect in the neighborhood postal code and obtain a checklist of postal routes as well as addresses within any kind of provided radius. They will utilize this strategy to have the list at their disposal.

1. Choose an advertising and marketing technique

The very first thing to do is to pick an advertising and marketing technique to bring brand-new individuals into your Chiropractic Care business office. Some medical professionals decide to provide totally cost-free first appointments while others advertise an initial discount rate. Others decide to make use of marketing giveaways while some chiropractic practitioners publish dinner seminars. The fact is that an advertising technique is your very first line of attack. When that has been chosen, it is time to start your business project. If you initially are not able to make a decision on where you want to have your advertising and marketing, your Myrtle Beach business printer will certainly have the ability to give you with tips.

1. Choose an excellent business printer

Even if you are seeking to target possible clients within a three mile radius of your business, it does not suggest that you have to pick a local business printer. But if you have to pick out one in your local community, choose one that has enough experience servicing businesses like yours. Unlimited Printing & Signs provides many services aside from packing and shipping, they also provide private mailbox rental, direct mail advertising and business printing, among others.

1. Choose an efficient packing and shipping partner

Chiropractic care direct-mail advertising for growth and development could be completed quickly from a local printing service. Some printers do the mailing for you while others deliver the finished product to you for circulation. An excellent complete printer should have the capacity and workforce to establish the mailing along with offering a brochure that gets the message across customers that will certainly direct them into your practice. So even before starting to consider spending your budget on advertising and marketing, think about your customers. According to Unlimited Printing & Signs, provider of direct mail advertising in the area, it is essential that business owners recognize a market that they can target.

Call Unlimited Printing & Signs if you are looking for a reputable business printer that could help you with your direct mail marketing needs.

Unlimited Printing & Signs 2408 Madison Drive Suite 101 North Myrtle Beach, SC  29582 843-273-5290 https://www.upsprinting.com

https://www.upsprinting.com/direct-mail/guide-to-direct-mail-advertising/

8 Key Considerations When Making Online and Offline Marketing Materials

There are countless online and offline marketing options on the market today and choosing one that your company needs could be overwhelming and confusing. Fortunately, you don’t have to break the bank just to promote your brand. Provided below is a list of 8 key considerations for an effective marketing campaign and some tips to help you get started. Also, don’t forget to hire a reliable printing company like Unlimited Printing & Signs if you are leaning towards launching an offline marketing campaign like flyers and brochures. Set Goals for Your Marketing Material You need to be specific as to the objectives of your marketing strategy. Melissa Breau from Content Marketing That Converts said that companies won’t get anything if they do not have any objective. For example, you need to use a different strategy, voice, or channel if your main aim is to establish your company’s brand as a thought leader compared to promoting your business, which sells clothes for young women. Work with a professional printing company like Unlimited Printing & Signs so you can get all the help that you need. What to do: Create a list of the things that you wish to accomplish to avoid wasting time doing things that do not work. Consistent Branding Whether you are using online marketing North Myrtle Beach options like email newsletters or digital ads or perhaps creating offline promotional items like brochures, flyers, and business cards you need to come up with a consistent look for all your channels. Apart from that, they should also have the same tone, logo, fonts, and voice regardless of the channel used. What to do: If your budget permits, it is best to hire a designer to help you make a consistent, cohesive, and creative look for your company’s brand. You can also seek out the help of Unlimited Printing & Signs. Build Long Lasting Partnerships Search for opportunities on how you can make the most out of the efforts of other business owners. For example a Day Spa could collaborate with the owners of running shoe shops that are located nearby. These shops could also benefit from referring their clients with pulled hamstrings to a trusted massage therapist. This kind of effort adds value to their brand. Another good example is a bridal shop working with related wedding services like florists, caterers, and local wedding venues. The shop can offer referral agreements or swap print or digital adverts or perhaps newsletter sponsorships. What to do: Find ways to extend the reach of your marketing campaigns by collaborating with other related businesses or companies that offer different services to clients similar to yours. Create A Marketing List It is important for you to communicate with prospects and customers in their preferred manner if you wish to ensure maximum budget and marketing efficiency. You need to ask your clients if they want to sign up to your mailing list. They may do this in your reception area, registration desk, at events, on your website, on the phone, or social media pages. What to do: Be sure that you know the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 by heart. It says that you cannot email customers unless you get their approval. So, you have to tell your customers what you plan to do with their email addresses when you ask them to sign up to your mailing list. An alternative to emails which often end up in the spam folder or deleted, consider direct mail. This advertising method can be much more effective depending on your target market. Monitor Client Feedback Always track your marketing efforts to ensure you are getting a good return on your investment. When a new customer contacts you ask them how they heard about your business. Use coupons on direct mail campaigns to track how many are returned.

Contact Unlimited Printing & Sings to meet with a print marketing expert for great ideas on promoting your business.

Unlimited Printing & Signs 2408 Madison Drive Suite 101 North Myrtle Beach, SC  29582 843-273-5290 https://www.upsprinting.com

https://www.upsprinting.com/marketing/considerations-marketing-materials/

Guide To Direct Mail Advertising

Are you planning to start your own business in the Myrtle Beach are? Have you thought about what type of business you are going to set up? Reality is, there are many factors to consider when starting your own business. If you are into the medical field, running a clinical, dental or chiropractic workplace is actually no different compared to running other type of service. In order to pull in brand-new clients, it is necessary to recognize which type or groups of people should be targeted if you plan to launch a direct mail advertising campaign.

Your Direct Mail Advertising Guide To Starting Your Business

According to a current survey, one of the things that people are trying to find when selecting a chiropractic specialist, is comfort. As a result of this, the "Three Mile Radius" method is extremely efficient. This advertising viewpoint states that in order to succeed, a company has to "have the three mile radius" around their company. This could be achieved in a number of ways, yet one of the most reliable advertising and marketing to target individuals within a small geographical location is direct-mail advertising. Any type of excellent as well as credible business printer, such as Unlimited Printing & Signs, has the software application tools readily available to connect in the neighborhood postal code and obtain a checklist of postal routes as well as addresses within any kind of provided radius. They will utilize this strategy to have the list at their disposal.

1. Choose an advertising and marketing technique

The very first thing to do is to pick an advertising and marketing technique to bring brand-new individuals into your Chiropractic Care business office. Some medical professionals decide to provide totally cost-free first appointments while others advertise an initial discount rate. Others decide to make use of marketing giveaways while some chiropractic practitioners publish dinner seminars. The fact is that an advertising technique is your very first line of attack. When that has been chosen, it is time to start your business project. If you initially are not able to make a decision on where you want to have your advertising and marketing, your business printer will certainly have the ability to give you with tips.

1. Choose an excellent business printer

Even if you are seeking to target possible clients within a three mile radius of your business, it does not suggest that you have to pick a local business printer. But if you have to pick out one in your local community, choose one that has enough experience servicing businesses like yours. Unlimited Printing & Signs provides direct mail advertising and business printing, as well as promotional items. So even before starting to consider spending your budget on advertising and marketing, think about your customers. According to Unlimited Printing & Signs, provider of direct mail advertising in Myrtle Beach, it is essential that business owners recognize a market that they can target.

Call Unlimited Printing & Signs if you are in need of a commercial printer who can help you launch a successful and well targeted direct mail advertising campaign.

Unlimited Printing & Signs 2408 Madison Drive Suite 101 North Myrtle Beach, SC  29582 843-273-5290 https://www.upsprinting.com

https://www.upsprinting.com/direct-mail/direct-mail-advertising-guide/

The Advantages Of Using Brochures

These days, when everything seems to be run by technology, there are still several companies that use brochures. These print materials give a subtle message that the business being featured is reliable, professional, and always committed to quality. In case you are considering brochure printing, you need to know the many benefits it has to offer.

Brochures Can Be Distributed Easily

You can place brochures strategically in different locations. This lets your business to give out accurate and positive information to more people and gain new clients. It is simple to put brochures in promotional giveaways that you send through the mail or maybe the tables in your office. You might want to give out tangible items and brochures. Maybe you advertise at a local fair and then hand out brochures with freebies like bags and shirts. These free items can lure people to take the brochure, which they can later on read through to find out more about what your business is all about. This method lets you reach out to as many new clients as possible.

Brochures are Cost-Effective

Brochures are more cost effective if you compare them to other low-cost marketing plan. Furthermore, most reliable brochure printing companies will work closely with you to design and produce materials that meet your budget. Brochures are also more affordable if you buy them in bulk. Several companies that use direct mail advertising or those that attend trade shows purchase brochures in bulk. Brochures almost always include important information about your company that will make them very useful for different purposes. You could share them with potential clients, loyal customers, business contacts, as well as other individuals. You will get to save time and money if you have a summary of services and products listed in your brochure.

Brochures Help Build Trust

When you have the eyes of possible clients reading your brochure, you will be able to build trust. Many companies include their goals and objectives in their brochures. These crucial details will help clients see the devoted and caring side of your company. If clients know how you care then they will start to trust your company more. A brochure will allow customers to know that you are a reliable and serious company that offer trustworthy business practices. Several clients would like to see evidence of experience before they start doing business with the company.

Brochures Contain Lots of Information

Brochures lets company owners to pack loads of information in a small area. Compared to letters or postcards, Brochures offer more information such as the story of a business, product or service prices, and many more.

Brochures Help Personalize Your Business

As potential customers read your brochure, you have a one on one communication with him or her. During brochure printing Myrtle Beach, your material must explain why your customers need your product or service. Moreover, your potential or existing clients can read your brochure anytime. Although they can get all the information from your website, nothing can beat a personal touch.

Brochures Help Establish Business Authority

Compared to letterheads or business cards, which offer credibility, a brochure will show that you are willing to invest in your clients. Print marketing materials tend to come from companies that conduct serious business.

If you need more convincing as to why you should choose brochure printing or you have finally decided to include this in your marketing strategy, call Unlimited Printing & Signs for professional assistance.

Unlimited Printing & Signs 2408 Madison Drive Suite 101 North Myrtle Beach, SC  29582 843-273-5290 https://www.upsprinting.com

https://www.upsprinting.com/brochure-printing/the-advantages-of-using-brochures/

Direct Mail Marketing Tips on Defining your Target Market

The competition in today’s business environment is stiff, thus having a distinct target audience is more vital than ever before. Let’s face it, no one can pay to target every person in the country. Even local businesses could take on additions business by targeting a specific niche market. Unlimited Printing & Signs hopes to shed some light on how to define your target market to succeed in your direct mail marketing campaigns. With a plainly identified target market, it is a lot easier to identify where and the best ways to market your firm through direct mail.

Why Target Marketing is Essential

Many businesses claim that they are able to target any person who is interested in their services. While others claim they can target small-business proprietors, home owners, or stay-at-home moms. However, these audiences are too general. This is why small companies and business owners should understand that having a detailed target market does not mean leaving everyone else behind that does fill their criteria. Instead, they should know that target marketing enables you to concentrate your advertising and marketing budget and brand message on a specific market that is most likely to purchase from you. This process is a more cost effective, and an efficient means to get to prospective customers.

How Target Marketing Works

Let’s say an interior design firm might prefer to market to home owners in between the ages of 35 and also 65 with earnings of $150,000-plus in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. To specify the marketplace even further, the company might decide to target just those curious about kitchen area and bathroom renovation. Then this audience can be further divided into two other specific niches, such as Then this audience can be further divided into two other specific niches, such as families with children and retirees.

Tips on Defining Your Target Market

1. Take a look at your existing consumer base.

You need to identify who your present consumers are and why do they purchase from you? Search for usual features as well as passions. Who among your clients generate the most business? It is most likely that individuals like them can additionally gain from your product/service.

1. Take a look at your competitors.

It is important to note who your competitors are targeting as well and who their present customer or clients are. The reason is you will have better results if you do not pursue the same audience as your competitors. Find another niche that they might be neglecting and focus your North Myrtle Beach direct mail campaign on that market, this way you build your own specific audience.

1. Evaluate your product/service.

Draw up a list of each feature of your services or product. Beside each function, list the advantages it gives you and your consumers. For instance, a graphic design provides top quality layout solutions. The advantage is a professional image. An expert photo will certainly bring in even more consumers due to the fact that they see the firm as professional and credible. So inevitably, the advantage of top quality layout is acquiring extra clients as well as making even more sales. When you have your advantages created, make a list of individuals who may need these advantages. As an example, a photographer or graphic artist can decide to target companies thinking about increasing their customer base with brochures or flyers. While this is still basic, you currently have an audience to start with.

1. Select certain demographics to target.

Do some research regarding other potential customers who may need your product or service, including those likely to purchase,

• Figure out just how your product and services will match your target's way of life.
• When can they use your product or service?
• What attributes are most enticing to your target?
• What marketing platform does your target rely on for information?

Keep in mind you could have more than one specific niche market. Identify your direct mail marketing campaign and if it needs to be sent to each and every niche market. If you could reach both niches effectively with the same message, then you have probably broken down your niche market effectively.  Additionally, if you discover there are just 50 individuals that fit all your standards, perhaps you need to reassess your target. The method is to locate that equilibrium. Specifying your target audience is the tough component. When you recognize that you are targeting, it is a lot easier to identify which media you could utilize to reach them and what advertising messages will work effectively with them. As opposed to sending out direct-mail advertising to every person in your area, you could send it just to those that fit your requirements. This way you can save up on your marketing budget and achieve higher return on investment.

Call Unlimited Printing & Signs if you need professional help with your direct mail marketing campaign.

Unlimited Printing & Signs 2408 Madison Drive Suite 101 North Myrtle Beach, SC  29582 843-273-5290 https://www.upsprinting.com

https://www.upsprinting.com/direct-mail/direct-mail-defining-target-market/

5 Tips To Ensure Success Of Small Business Direct Mail

In some cases, the ideal way to defeat your competitors is to avoid playing their game. A lot of us know about Billy Beane's and the Oakland A's story, albeit just a brief overview: Billy Beane, A's general manager, was trying to operate a major league baseball team despite having only a modest budget. Knowing that he just could not remain competitive making use of the well-known methods of building a team, Beane used an unusual method of statistical assessment, and managed to come up with a competitive group with overlooked, but talented participants. Because of his one of a kind technique, the A's made it to the playoffs in four consecutive years. This is where direct mail comes into play. Small business proprietors must deal with their marketing as though they're the Oakland A's. You simply can't spend and even squander cash on direct mail North Myrtle Beach campaigns using methods that are being used by big company, so here are five tips to help you make the most out of direct mail spending budget and boost your return on investment. Perform a (Minor) Test Run: You have unquestionably worked very hard on developing your direct mail material. And you need to be happy with it, yet chances are it's far from perfect. This is exactly why tests are so important. Needless to say, you may not be ready to spend the money for delivering an experimental batch to all those who are on your mailing list. As an alternative, send the postcard to a small percentage of your list and evaluate the responses. Monitor the number of calls you get, and attempt to get some useful suggestions from those individuals who follow through. You may also take this chance to divide the test two distinct designs to determine which is best suited. Set Objectives: The most obvious objective for a direct mail marketing campaign would be to get more business. However you must take your strategic preparation a couple of steps further to help make your campaign successful. Set objectives you wish to reach for the

• response rate
• new customer rate
• return on investment
• all the other metrics you need.

These targets will prove useful if you are working on your test campaign. If you are not reaching these figures on your test, you should definitely make some modifications. Make Good First Impressions: Picture that you are a door-to-door salesperson. You have around 5 seconds to obtain the attention of a homeowner. That is one opening line which makes a real difference between making a sale and seeing the door get slammed in your face. Your envelope or the outer packaging serve as the opening line of your direct mail campaigns. Using tailor-made envelopes that has a brilliant line or interesting photo, rather than the typical #10 envelopes could make a huge difference between having your materials read and opened and being thrown away in the trash. Add a Call to Action: With regards to making your very own piece, in some cases you cannot see the forest for the trees. It might appear apparent to you that the receiver must do something, however, you have to be specific when making your postcard. Inform the receiver precisely what they need to be doing. Be it "Visit our Website" "Act Now before the promo code expires" or " contact us today", a highly effective call to action is a crucial part of direct mail marketing. Mail to the correct List: If you are delivering this direct mail piece to everybody who has ever set foot in your shop or signed up on your website, you are throwing away cash. Segmentation is extremely important, and delivering your direct mail item to the correct target audience could enhance ROI by reducing your spend. Give some thought to who your direct mail material will entice the most, then eliminate anyone from the mailing list that does not match that buyer persona. Keep in mind, as a small business operator, you do not have money or time to throw away like large firms. However, these 5 strategies can assist you in defeating them at their very own game!

The Unlimited Printing and Signs can help you save time and money with your direct mail piece. Stop by today to discuss your specific marketing ideas and let us help you make the impression your business needs.

Unlimited Printing & Signs 2408 Madison Drive Suite 101 North Myrtle Beach, SC  29582 843-273-5290 https://www.upsprinting.com

https://www.upsprinting.com/direct-mail/success-small-business-direct-mail/

Tips For A Successful Print Marketing Campaign

Being aware of the fact that print marketing can be your most powerful marketing weapon is different from actually getting successful results from your print marketing campaign. To help make sure that you have a profitable and successful direct mail postcard marketing campaign, here are some tips that you can follow. The first thing you need to do is determine your campaign’s goal. These include knowing what you want to achieve and how do you want to gauge the success of your print marketing campaign. You need to set your campaign milestones. For instance, you can set your target response rate at 5% and your return on investment at 180%. The next thing that you have to do is to determine your target audience according to demographic data, which includes: -    Age -    Income -    Gender -    Hobbies -    Geographic location -    Shopping habits Once that is done, you have the option to either rent or buy a mailing list that is composed of customers who meet your set demographic criteria. You may also use your in-house list. Keep in mind that your whole campaign will depend on you convincing these prospects to help you reach your goal. You may even consider creating a special offer for a limited time period that promotes a great deal, which your customers really want. After that, you should make your sales copy and be sure it has a bold headline, a list of advantages, as well as a strong call to action. You need to integrate a tracking system like a coupon code or a coupon. Don’t hesitate to seek out the help professionals like Ultimate Printing & Signs to make sure that your copy is perfect. In terms of the design, you also need to create one that will be attention-grabbing. Your copy should not only be noticeable but also be able to encourage prospective clients to take the next step of the buying process. The next step involves the paper that you will use for your print materials. Ultimate Printing & Signs always recommend for postcards to be printed on a top quality paper stock. Prospects included on your mailing list will appreciate the print material more if they can see that it is well prepared. You also need to track all of your responses as well as the sales so you will know your return on investment. After that, what you need to do is to compare your goals and your actual ROI. If the results of the campaign have met or even exceeded your goal then you can safely say that it was a successful one provided that it will provide similar results if your print materials are sent to a similar mailing list. You should also have a control postcard, which you know is effective. You can use this to make minor changes and test varying conditions against it to determine if there are ways for you to improve the performance of your campaign. Always remember that a direct mail marketing strategy like this is not just simple but also highly effective when done properly. If you are eyeing long-term then you need to send several direct mailers at regular intervals. Keep in mind that there are other ways for you to benefit from print marketing apart from direct mail. What is important here is for you to be able to get the correct message to the appropriate target market at the perfect time.

If you want to achieve all these, then you should turn to print marketing instead of all the other marketing channels out there. Ultimate Printing & Signs is more than happy to help you achieve your goals.

Unlimited Printing & Signs 2408 Madison Drive Suite 101 North Myrtle Beach, SC  29582 843-273-5290 www.upsprinting.com/

https://www.upsprinting.com/direct-mail/tips-print-marketing-campaign/

The 6 Most Typical Direct-mail Advertising Errors

Effective direct mail doesn't depend on expensive, four-color design or overly creative copy. Below are 6 errors that businesses often make with direct mail. Next week we will share six more.

Error No. 1: Neglecting the most important factor in direct-mail advertising success

Do you know what the most important part of your direct mail campaign is? It's not the copy. It's not the art work. It's not even the format or when you mail. It is the mailing list. A great mailing plan, with superior copy and scintillating design, may pull double the response of an inadequately conceived mailing. But the best list can pull a response 10 times more than the worst list for the identical mailing piece. The most common direct-mail mistake is not investing sufficient time and effort up-front, when you select - and after that test - the right lists. Remember: In direct marketing, a subscriber list is not just a way of reaching your market. It is the marketplace. The best list available to you is your "home" list - a list of customers and prospects who formerly bought from you or reacted to your advertisements, public relations projects, or other mailings. Normally, your home list will pull double the response of an unsolicited list. Yet, less than half of all business marketers surveyed failed to capture and use consumer and prospect names for mailing purposes. When leasing outside lists, get your advertising agency or list broker involved in the early stages. The mailing piece ought to not be written and developed until after the right lists have been organized. UPS Printing, Marketing and Design will work with you to ensure you are getting the right list for your target direct mail piece.

Error No. 2: Not testing

Big customer mailers check all the time. Publishers Clearinghouse tests almost everything ... even (I hear) the slant of the indicia on the external envelope. Business-to-business marketers, on the other hand, rarely track reaction or test one mailing piece to a specific list against another. As a result, they repeat their past failures and have no concept of what works in direct mail - and what doesn't work. Big Mistake. In direct mail, you never presume you understand exactly what will work. You need to evaluate to learn. For instance, copywriter Milt Pierce wrote a subscription package for Good Housekeeping magazine. His mailing became the "control" package for over 25 years. That is, no package tested against it brought back as many subscriptions. The envelope teaser and theme of that effective mailing was "32 Ways to Save Time and Money." Yet, Mr. Pierce states that when he used the very same style to subscription mailings for other magazines - Science Digest, Popular Mechanics, House Beautiful - it failed miserably. "There are no catch-all answers in direct-mail advertising other than to test responses," says Eugene Schwartz, author of the book, "Break-through Advertising." "You don't know whether something will work up until you test it. And you cannot predict test results based upon previous experience."

Error No. 3: Not utilizing a letter in your mailing plan

The sales letter - not the outer envelope, the brochure, or perhaps the reply form - is the most vital part of a business-to-business direct-mail package. A bundle with a letter will nearly always out pull a postcard, a self-mailer, or a pamphlet or advertisement reprint mailed without a letter. Just recently, a business evaluated two bundles offering, for $1, a copy of its mail-order tool brochure. Plan "A" included a sales letter and reply card. Bundle "B" was a double post-card. The outcome? "A" out pulled "B" by a 3-to-1 ratio. Why do letters pull so well? Due to the fact that a letter gives the illusion of personal interaction. We are trained to view letters as "real" mail, pamphlets as "advertising." Which is more important to you? One suggestion I typically provide clients is to attempt an old-fashioned sales letter initially. Go to a fancier piece when you begin making some money.

Mistake No. 4: Features vs Benefits

Perhaps the oldest and most commonly welcomed guideline for composing direct-mail copy is, "Stress benefits, not features." However in business-to-business marketing, that doesn't always apply. In specific scenarios, features need to be provided equivalent (if not top) billing over benefits. For instance, if you've ever marketed semiconductors, you know that design engineers are starving for specs. They want hard information on power distribution, drain-source, voltage, input capacitance, and rise-and-fall time ... not broad advertising claims about how the item conserves money and time or enhances efficiency. Vivian Sudhalter, Director of Marketing for New York-based Macmillan Software Co., agrees. " Regardless of what tradition tells you," states Ms. Sudhalter, "the science and engineering marketplace does not respond to guarantee - or a list of benefits - oriented copy. They respond to facts. Your response piece needs to tell them precisely what they are getting and what your product or service can do. Scientists and engineers resent copy that sounds like advertising jargon." In that same line, I believe that medical practitioners are swayed more by complex medical data than by advertising claims, and that industrial chemists are eager to learn more about complicated formulas that the typical advertising author might turn down as "too technical." In short, the copywriter's real difficulty is to learn exactly what the customer wants to know about your product or service - then inform him in your mailing.

Error No. 5: Not having a call-to-action

An call-to-action is what the reader will receive when they responds to your mailing. To be successful, a direct-mail bundle must sell what you are offering, not the product or service itself. For example, if I send by mail a letter describing a new mainframe computer system, my letter is not going to do the whole job of convincing individuals to buy my computer. But the letter is capable of swaying some people to at least show interest by requesting a complimentary brochure about the computer. Ensure you have a well-thought-out offer in every mailing. If you believe the offer and the way you explain it are unimportant, you are incorrect. A free-lance copywriter recently ran an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal that offered a complimentary portfolio of post reprints about direct mail. He received dozens of replies. Then he ran a similar advertisement, but charged $3 for the portfolio instead of giving it away. Variety of responses that time? Just 3. Here are some effective offers for industrial direct mail: Free pamphlet, free technical info, totally free analysis, free consultation, free demonstration, free trial usage, free item sample, free brochure. Your copy must state the offer in such a way that it increases the reader's desire to send for whatever it is you offer. For instance, a brochure ends up being a product guide. A collection of sales brochures ends up being a free information package. A list ends up being a convention organizer's guide. An article reprinted in pamphlet form becomes "our new, informative brochure-' Ways to Avoid Computer system Failures.'". From now on, design your literature with titles and information that will make them work well as offers in direct-mail advertising. A simple change such as a brochure listing United States software programs offered for export overseas, could be changed to call the book "The Worldwide Directory site of US Software application," because people would think such a directory was more valuable than a mere product brochure.

Error No. 6: Shallow copy

Nothing kills the selling power of a business-to-business mailing much faster than lack of content. An example is what I call the "art director's sales brochure." You have actually seen them: Display pieces predestined to win awards for graphic quality. Pamphlets so gorgeous that everybody falls in love with them - until they finally understand that people send for information, not beautiful pictures. Which is why typewritten, unillustrated sales pamphlets can frequently pull double the reaction of expensive, four-color work. In the same way, business-to-business direct mail is not tantalizing. Its objective is not to be remembered or make an impact, however to create a response now. One of the quickest methods to kill that response is to be superficial. To talk in vague generalities, rather than specifics. To rattle on without authority on a subject, instead of showing consumers that you comprehend their problems, their industry and their requirements. To compose strong copy - direct, factual copy - you need to dig for truths. You have to study the product, the prospect and the marketing problem. There is no way around this. Without strong facts, you cannot write great copy. But with the facts at their fingertips, even average copywriters can do a good job. Just how much research study suffices? Follow Bly's Rule, which says you should gather at least twice as many details as you need - ideally three times as much. Then you have the luxury of choosing only the best facts, rather trying frantically to discover enough information to fill the page. Next week we will discuss six additional direct marketing errors and how to avoid them. Are you ready to market your business with direct mail? Give UPS Printing, Marketing and Design a call today. We can assist you with finding the best list, creating the direct mail packet and testing the response. Unlimited Printing & Signs 2408 Madison Drive Suite 101 North Myrtle Beach, SC  29582 843-273-5290 www.upsprinting.com/

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6 More Common Direct Mail Mistakes

Last we covered the first six mistakes for a success direct mail campaign. Here are six more areas to avoid to get the response you need. Mistake No. 7: Saving the best for last Some copywriters save their strongest sales pitch for last, starting slow in their sales letters and hoping to build to a climactic conclusion. A mistake. Leo Bott, Jr., a Chicago-based mail-order writer, says that the typical prospect reads for five seconds before he decides whether to continue reading or throw your mailing in the trash. The letter must grab his attention immediately. So start your letter with your strongest sales point. Some examples of powerful openings:

"14 things that can go wrong in your company - and one sure way to prevent them" - an envelope teaser for a mailing that sold a manual on internal auditing procedures.

"A special invitation to the hero of American business" - from a subscription letter for Inc. magazine.

"Can 193,750 millionaires be wrong?" - an envelope teaser for a subscription mailing for Financial World magazine.

"Dear Friend: I’m fed up with the legal system. I want to change it, and I think you do, too." - the lead paragraph of a fund-raising letter.

Some time-testing opening gambits for sales letters include:

• asking a provocative question
• going straight to the heart of the reader’s most pressing problem or concern
• arousing curiosity
• leading off with a fascinating fact or incredible statistic
• Starting the offer up-front, especially if it involves money; saving it, getting something for an incredibly low price, or making a free offer

Know the "hot spots" of your direct mail package - the paces that get the most readership. Those include: the first paragraphs of the letter, its subheads, its last paragraph and the post-script (80% of readers look at the PS); the brochure cover, its subheads and the headline of its inside spread; picture captions; and the headline and copy on the order form or reply card. Put your strongest selling copy in those spots. Error No. 8: Poor follow-up Recently a company phoned to ask whether I was interested in buying its product, which was promoted in a mailing I’d answered. The caller became indignant when I confessed that I didn’t remember the company’s copy, its product, its mailing, or whether it sent me a brochure. "When did I request the brochure?" I asked. The caller checked her records. "About 14 weeks ago," she replied. Hot leads rapidly turn ice cold when not followed up quickly. Slow fulfillment, poor marketing literature and inept telemarketing can destroy the initial interest that you worked so hard to build. Here are some questions you should ask yourself about your current inquiry fulfillment procedures:

• Am I filling order or requests for information with 48 hours?
• Am I using telephone follow-up or mail questionnaires to qualify prospects? By my definition, an inquiry is a response to your mailing. A lead is a qualified inquirer - someone who fits the descriptive profile of a potential customer for your product. You are after leads, not just inquiries.
• Am I sending additional mailings to people who did not respond to my first mailing? Test that. Many people who did not respond to mailing No. 1 may send back the reply card from mailing No. 2, or even No. 3.
• Am I using telemarketing to turn nonresponders into responders? Direct mail followed by telemarketing generates two to 10 times more response than direct mail with no telephone follow-up, according to Dwight Reichard, telemarketing director of Federated Investors Inc., Pittsburgh.
• Does my inquiry fulfillment package include a strong sales letter telling the prospect what to do next? Every package should.
• Does my inquiry fulfillment package include a reply element, such as an order form or spec sheet?
• Does my sales brochure give the reader the information he needs to make an intelligent decision about taking the next step in the buying process? The most common complaints I hear from prospects is that the brochures they receive do not contain enough technical and price information.

Don’t put 100% of your time and effort into lead-generating mailing and 0% into the follow-up, as so many mailers do. You have to keep selling, every step of the way. Error No. 9: The magic words This mistake is not using the magic words that can dramatically increase the response to your mailing. General advertisers, operating under the mistaken notion that the mission of the copywriter is to be creative, avoid the magic words of direct mail, because they think those magic phrases are clichés. But just because a word or phrase is used frequently doesn’t mean that it has lost its power to achieve your communications objective. In conversation, for example, "please" and "thank you" never go out of style. What are the magic words of direct mail? Free. Say free brochure. Not brochure. Say free consultation. Not initial consultation. Say free gift. Not gift. If the English teacher in you objects that "free gift" is redundant, let me tell you a story. A mail-order firm tested two packages. The only difference was that package "A" offered a gift while package "B" offered a free gift. The result? You guessed it. The free gift order in package "B" significantly out pulled package "A". What’s more, many people who received package "A" wrote in and asked whether the gift was free! No Obligation. Important when you are offering anything free. If prospects aren’t obligated to use your firm’s wastewater treatment services after you analyze their water sample for free, say so. People want to be reassured that there are no strings attached. No salesperson will call. If true, a fantastic phrase that can increase response by 10% or more. Most people, including genuine prospects, hate being called by salespeople over the phone. Warning: Don’t say "no salesperson will call" if you do plan to follow up by phone. People won’t buy from liars. Details inside/See inside. One of those should follow any teaser copy on the outer envelope. You need a phrase that directs the reader to the inside. Limited time only. People who put your mailing aside for later reading or file it will probably never respond. The trick is to generate a response now. One way to do it is with a time-limited offer, either generic ("This offer is for a limited time only."), or specific ("This offer expires 9/20/87."). Try it! Announcing/At last. People like to think they are getting in on the ground floor of a new thing. Making your mailing an announcement increases its attention-getting powers. New. "New" is sheer magic in consumer mailings. But it’s a double-edged sword in industrial mailings. On the one hand, business and technical buyers want something new. On the other hand, they demand products with proven performance. The solution? Explain that your product is new or available to them for the first time, but proven elsewhere - either in another country, another application, or another industry. For example, when we introduced a diagnostic display system, we advertised it as "new" to US hospitals but explained it had been used successfully for five years in leading hospitals throughout Europe. Error No. 10: Starting with the product - not the prospect. You and your products are not important to the prospect. The reader opening your sales letter only wants to know, "What’s in it for me? How will I come out ahead by doing business with you vs. Someone else?" Successful direct mail focuses on the prospect, not the product. The most useful background research you can do is to ask your typical prospect, "What’s the biggest problem you have right now?" The sales letter should talk about that problem, then promise a solution. Do not guess what is going on in industries about which you have limited knowledge. Instead, talk to customers and prospects to find out their needs. Read the same publications and attend the same seminars they do. Try to learn their problems and concerns. Too many companies and ad agencies don’t do that. Too many copywriters operate in a black box, and doom themselves merely to recycling data already found in existing brochures. For example, let's say you have the assignment of writing a direct-mail package selling weed control chemicals to farmers. Do you know what farmers look for in weed control, or why they choose one supplier over another? Unless you are a farmer, you probably don't. Wouldn't it help to speak to some farmers and learn more about their situation?

Read, talk and listen to find out what's going on with your customers.

In his book "Or Your Money Back," Alvin Eicoff, one of the deans of late night television commercials, tells the story of a radio commercial he wrote selling rat poison. It worked well in the consumer market. But when it was aimed at the farm market, sales turned up zero. Mr. Eicoff drove out to the country to talk with farmers. His finding? Farmers didn't order because they were embarrassed about having a rat problem, and feared their neighbors would learn about it when the poison was delivered by mail. He added a single sentence to the radio script, which said that the rat poison was mailed in a plain brown wrapper. After that, sales soared. Talk to your customers. Good direct mail--or any ad copy--should tell them what they want to hear. Not what you think is important. Error No. 11: Failing to appeal to all five senses. Unlike an ad, which is two-dimensional, direct mail is three-dimensional and can appeal to all five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste. Yet most users of direct mail fail to take advantage of the medium's added dimension. Don't plan a mailing without at least thinking about whether you can make it more powerful by adding a solid object, fragrance or even a sound. You ultimately may reject such enhancements because of time and budget constraints. But here are some ideas you might consider: Audio Recording. In selling summaries of business books recorded on CD or DVD, Macmillan Software Co. sent an CD in a cold mailing to prospects. This allows the prospect to sample the books-on-tape program. I would have said, "Too expensive." But inside information, and the fact that I got the package twice, tell me it's working for them. Do you have a powerful message that a company spokesperson can deliver in dynamic fashion to your audience? Consider adding a CD to your package. Video. Some companies are taking the idea one step further and mailing DVDs cold to prospects. Again, that's expensive--but successful in many instances. One company I spoke to got a 30% response to such a program. And in telephone follow-up, they learned that 95% watched the tape. Pop-ups. Chris Crowell, president of Essex, Conn.-based Structural Graphics Inc., says pop-ups can increase response up to 40% when compared with a conventional flat mailing. You can have a pop-up custom designed for your mailing or choose from one of many "stock" designs available. Money. Market research firms have discovered that enclosing a dollar bill with a market research survey can increase response by a factor of five or more, even though $1 is surely of no consequence to business executives or most consumers. Has anyone tried using money to get attention in a lead getting industrial mailing? Sound. Have you seen the greeting cards that play a song when you open them because of an implanted chip or some similar device? I think that certainly would get attention. But as far as I know, no one has used it yet in direct mail. Product samples. Don't neglect this old standard. Enclose a product or material sample in your next mailing. We once did a mailing in which we enclosed a small sample of knitted wire mesh used in pollution control and product recovery. Engineers who received the mailing kept that bit of wire on their desks for months. Premiums. An inexpensive gift such as a slide guide, measuring tape, ruler or thermometer can still work well. One recommendation and warning: A lot of us, including me, need to be a little more imaginative if we want our mailing package to stand out in the prospect's crowded mailbox. At the same time, we must remember that creativity can enhance a strong selling message or idea but cannot substitute for it. As copywriter Herschell Gordon Lewis, president of Communicomp in Plantation, Fla., warns, "Cleverness for the sake of cleverness may well be a liability, not an asset." Error No. 12: Creating and reviewing direct mail by committee Do you know what a moose is? It's a cow designed by a committee. Perhaps the biggest problem I see today is direct mail being reviewed by committees made up of people who have no idea (a) what direct mail is; (b) how it works; or (c) what it can and cannot do. For example, an ad agency creative director told me how his client cut a three-page sales letter to a single page because, as the client insisted, "Business people don't read long letters." Unfortunately, that's an assumption based on the client's own personal prejudices and reading habits. It is not a fact. In many business-to-business direct mail tests, I have seen long letters outpull short ones sometimes dramatically. Why pay experts to create mailings based on long years of trial-and-error experience, then deprive yourself of that knowledge base by letting personal opinions get in the way?  

Now that you have a good idea of what goes into a successful sales campaign – let’s   talk about the specific of your direct mail project. Call today for a free no-obligation consultation.

Unlimited Printing & Signs 2408 Madison Drive Suite 101 North Myrtle Beach, SC  29582 843-273-5290 www.upsprinting.com/

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