Simply sell directly

Advices for a successful direct mailing


If I Had More Time, I Would Have Written a Shorter Letter. Voltaire

Envelopes, an essential part

No matter who collects the mail, the envelope can easily determine either a positive or negative reaction. Before anyone has the chance to read the letter, the envelope already sends a message through size, color, writing, or address, which is way it should always contain sincere and loyal messages, avoiding ambiguities. The commercial content of the letter should not be hidden, otherwise the receiver might think of it as personal correspondence, and later feel disappointed and refuse to acknowledge the message.

Urgent Very Urgent

Words such as urgent, very urgent, important, personal, or confidential should not be used in business and commercial mailing, because people do not believe them. Advertising content never justifies the use of such words. However, words such as free, for free, or gift are very useful, despite being so exploited. Most people react positively to words such as free or gift.

Awaken the senses

Mailing exploits our view sense, not only through reading, but also through images and colors. A rich visual message is easy to remember and interpret. However, it is highly recommended to appeal to other senses as well, for example touch. Using quality paper with specific characteristics can increase the interest of the receiver. Some people can be impressed by ecological paper, others by silky or lineated paper, therefore this is an area that can be successfully explored.

A successful message: words that sell

Since the message invites the receiver to perform an action, its form is critical for success. The writer of the text must ensure that the message is both effective and attractive. The writer must know the products and described them with a powerful enthusiasm that can reach the receivers. A powerful text is simple and concise, with sentences no longer than fifteen words. While it should be easy to read, the text must avoid being boring, otherwise the letter is in danger of being thrown away.

Form and content

Both form and content must be visually appealing with a comprehensive message. It is highly recommended to add an attached response tool to the letter or brochure in the form of a coupon, card or module. The response form will facilitate a possible answer. The writer should sign the letter with his name and role in the company.

The purchase order

The purchase order is the first document that the receiver might see, since in mailing the content order is established by the receiver, not by the sender. Usually the purchase includes a booking or a registration, and it must present the same style as the message, while being an integral part of the whole message. The purchase order must also present by itself the benefits of the promotion, with an indication of prices to ease the process of ordering and to keep a sense of consistency and positivity.

Post Scriptum

If the letter does not have a coupon attached, the PS becomes the main focus of the letter for the sender, since it offers the space to make the sale proposal. It is preferable that the PS appears in bold, detached from the main body of the letter. In a clear and concise manner, the PS can summarize the offer while providing arguments to convince the receivers to read the entire letter.

The database

How to choose and establish a database of receivers is the first challenge faced by a company. Identifying the targets is the first important process that the company must reflect upon. Establishing who the target is and how a database of targets can be used efficiently in marketing is mandatory.

There are two types of receivers:
a) consumer market - the consumer
b) company market - company

For type a. clients it is necessary to have more detailed information in order to offer them products and services, while for type b. clients there is less information required. The consumer market needs information that is much more specific and focused on details such as employment, income, marital status, family structure, preferences, attitudes, or lifestyle. The company market, on the other side, requires less data which is easier to compile, such as number of employees, revenue, or affiliations.

ConsulterInformationCompany
Name and surnameNameCompany name
QualificationSocial positionLegal form
Street, City, Zip CodeAddresStreet, City, Zip Code
PhonePhone – FaxPhone – Fax
Gender
Nationality
Date of birth
EmploymentMembership Category
Marital statusFeatures Socio-demographicRevenue
Family structureNumber of employees
IncomeAffiliations
Preferences
Attitudes
Interests
Lifestyle

As you can see, the type of information required for the ''consumer market'' is much more specific and numerous than those for the companies

The market

In a case of business to business communication, the information about the product sector of the company is the most important. In 83% of the cases, there is a logical affiliation.

The consumer market works with several types of highly important information, such as sex, age, social status, employment. A mailing database targeted at the customer market will obviously need a more in-depth analysis when compared to the company market.

Mailing is not possible without gathering a collection of addresses where the offers can be sent. To use efficiently any database, it is required to plan accordingly every process of the marketing activity, including commercial and informational aspects.

Where to find the database

Acquiring a database is part of a general investment process in a company, because most of the business functions can benefit from it. While in the past, addresses were collected in file cabinets, the technological innovations have replaced those files with virtual ones. The information needed in a mailing process is part of a management system, which makes it easy accessible and adaptable to different marketing needs.

There are two different types of databases, one type is internal and comprises the actual customers of a company, while the other type is a database that can be purchased through companies that specialize in selling information.

New opportunities

Surprisingly, accessing a rich database of lists for customer market is not difficult. Besides the traditional ways, there is the possibility to rent lists from media groups that offer data at low costs, yet with quick accessibility.

The conclusion is that written communication has been improved with time and now it incorporated many functions, such as promotions and distance selling of services and products, which companies should use effectively. Exploited properly, written communication ensures a high rate of success to companies.