7:27 PM
Lanee' Blunt
A small business may not
have the budget to send out large quantities of direct mail. The big
corporations don’t send personalized letters because they don’t reach enough
people, so the market is wide open for small business.
By Lanee' Blunt
Personalized letters can
be used to target specific prospects. They are inexpensive to create because
you can send out as few or as many as you want. The personalized touch is the
key that helps the prospect keep your small business in mind.
Personalized Letters
The letter must contain
something personal about the prospect.
You must know the prospect’s name and the business address. The personal touch comes from knowing
something about their particular business.
For example, if you’re selling your non-fiction book on how to self
publish, you might obtain a mailing list of people looking to self publish a
book. Personalize the letter
congratulating the author on writing a new book, and tell them about your book
on self publishing. The prospect might
call you because she is proud of being a new author, and finds your book is
useful. According to Jay C. Levinson’s
book, Guerilla Marketing, “The primary value of a personal letter is
that it enables you to convey a truly personal feeling and reach a special
place in the mind of the reader.”
The Sales letter
Work hard to get the
attention of your prospect and keep it.
Keep in mind your letter may go right into the wastepaper basket, so
give them your sells points and stress some benefits of using your business.
How to Create
If this is your first time
writing a marketing letter you may feel a little intimidated. Most word processor programs have business
letter templates, and are easy to use.
Microsoft Word allows you to download free templates from their website;
depending on what version of Microsoft Word you own. The template will help you with the
structure, and it gives the letter a professional touch. If you are sending a lot of letters try the mail
merge feature of your word processor program. This will allow you to use the
basic letter, fill in the changes on each prospect, and give the letter a
personal touch.
Call to Action
Make sure it is clear to
the prospect what action you want them to take. Do you want them to send for a
sample, to allow a salesman to call, or to come to your business?
Personal letters help you
connect to your prospect in a way that is inexpensive and that gets results.
Reference:
Jay C. Levinson; Guerilla
Marketing; Houghton Mifflin
Posted in: Direct mail
