Direct Mail: Us Versus Them

So many times poorly executed direct mail campaigns come down to how clients wanted to send it versus how recipients wanted to receive it. This can and should be avoided. Just because the client went to a seminar on the latest direct mail trends and was taught all the things they need to be doing, does not mean that all of them will go over well with their audience. Direct mail is not a one size fits all. Let me repeat that, direct mail is not a one size fits all!

To get a good response from direct mail, clients need to know what their recipients want. Yes, this means that they will have several different messages, offers, designs etc. in their campaign. That is a good thing. This can seem a bit daunting, when faced with several segments, to figure out what to do for each one. However, take this one step at a time and it is not that difficult. You can help them through it.

3 Step Plan:

1. Who – Who are the people they want to send direct mail to? What are their preferences? What have they bought from your client in the past or what have they shown an interest in?
2. What – Based on the above information, what offer will they most likely respond to?
3. How – Based on both who and what above, how can you design a direct mail piece that will allow your client to be consistent with their brand and drop in the variable information for the offer and message?

For direct mail to work it needs to be all about them (recipients) not clients (senders). Yes, we create the pieces but they are not meant to be shoved down someone’s throat, they are meant to entice them to purchase. Keep in mind that sending a direct mail piece that has multiple offers on it so that you can send the same piece to the entire list is a bad idea. Here are a few tips.

How to be more them than us:

• Offer – Limit the number of offers on the direct mail piece. If your clients are targeting correctly they only need one offer. The more choices offered the harder it is for the recipient to make a decision and therefore they will choose nothing.
• Images – Use eye catching images that enhance the message. People like to look at images. These can be variable based on the recipient.
• Simple – Keep the copy simple. Use a bullet list of key points. The copy should be about what is in it for them.
• Tell – You need to tell the recipient what to do. How can they respond?
• Expectations – Set expectations for the recipients, what will they get when they respond? How soon should they expect it?

Direct mail should court recipient attention and drive response. In order to do that you need to see your client’s product or service from their perspective. Why do they need it? What is so great? When the mail piece is well targeted and the message resonates, it is desired direct mail. When you create mail pieces that are not about them and are not targeted, you create junk mail and it will be tossed into the trash. Have you received mail pieces recently that were poorly thought out, not something you would want or need? What could they have done to make the pieces more about you?