Does Your Marketing Pass This 10-Point Test? Eleven Ideas To Generate More Direct Mail Responses

Good marketing, whatever form it takes, always meets certain criteria. That's what makes it good. The following 10-Point checklist will help you determine if your marketing passes the test.
I challenge you to evaluate one of your recent ads, promotions or other marketing activities to see how it measures up.

1. Does it focus on the solution or benefit you provide?

Too often ads simply list product or service features. Don't make your prospects work that hard to figure out how your product or service can help them. Tell them straight out.

2. Does it have one, clear message?

What's the one message you want to communicate? Make sure it's not buried in too much information or it may not get across.

3. Is it focused on one, specific group of prospects?

Do you know who you are talking (and marketing) to? Make sure your marketing is targeted at one, specific group of prospects - it's the only way to make sure you are addressing their needs.

4. Is it written in language these prospects can relate to?

If you want your message to resonate with your prospects, make sure it speaks to them, both in content and in the tone and language you use.

5. Does it feature your Unique Selling Proposition?

This is the ONE thing that sets you apart from every other product or service your prospect could possible buy to fulfill the same need. It better come across loud and clear in everything you do

6. Does it have one, compelling point of focus?

Ever see an ad with so many things in it you didn't know where to look first? Your prospects won't know either if you try to cram too much into your ads or promotional materials.

7. Does it accurately communicate your business' personality?

Yes, your business has a personality and everything you do should reflect it. You want your prospects to feel like they "know" you. If you change your personality every week, they won't come to know and trust you.

8. Does it give prospects more than one reason to respond?

Not everyone is ready to buy, or take the one, primary action you want them to take. Make sure you give them another reason to respond, or they are simply a lost lead.

9. Does it give prospects more than one way to respond?

Make it easy and convenient for prospects to take action. What if you only offer an email or web site address and someone doesn't have computer access, or they're away from their office but they want more information right now?

10. Do you have a specific objective for the marketing?

If you don't know what your marketing is designed to achieve, then how will you know if it was successful? Always have a plan and an objective for everything you do.

Eleven Ideas to Generate More Direct Mail Responses:
1. When writing copy for your direct mail marketing pieces, make sure to indent the first line of each paragraph. It, literally, pulls your potential customers into the copy you’ve written.

2. Quote famous people or staff members often. Customers pay attention to what others have to say.

3. Gather testimonials from satisfied customers, and use them often. They not only make your sales pitch believable, they make it seem that people ‘just like them’ need these types of products or services as well.

4. Write up a situation, or case history, where your business solved a difficult problem for a customer. Show potential clients that you can actually solve problems for them.

5. Create a FAQ or Questions and Answer section in your direct mail marketing piece. They are not only easy to read, but interested consumers can jump to what they need to know first, without wasting any time.

6. Use select methods to give emphasis to certain sections of your direct mail marketing letters, such as CAPS, bold, underlines or indents.

7. Try and use facts and figures as much as possible to not only break up the copy, but draw the reader in with statistical information. It helps sell that your business is professional and dependable.

8. Color grabs your audience immediately, and tells them a story. Make sure to use it as much as you can afford to in all of your direct mail outs.

9. #, $, %, -, +. They all attract attention, because they are characters not normally used in written advertisements. Use them when you can, without overdoing it.

10. Write like your audience speaks, or reads. Without copy that sings to your intended customers, they’ll never get around to reading it.

11. Make all of your marketing pieces as personal as possible. If you have a name, use it often. If you don’t, try and use something that is original and creative, such as ‘Dear Human Resources Expert’ instead of, ‘Dear Sirs’.

If you choose to use many or all of these direct mail marketing techniques in your mail outs, you’ll get lots of interested clients calling and knocking on your door, wanting to know more.