8:14 PM
Lanee' Blunt
By Lanee' Blunt
Direct mail is an excellent
way to sell your products. You can write
a killer sales letter that will get your foot in the door. If you thought that direct mail may not be
for your small business you should think again.
The mailing list is the most
important factor for the success of the sales letter. When you have the right mailing list your
direct mail has the advantage of a salesperson talking to a client. If the letter is worded correctly and
speaking in a friendly tone; you are one on one with your potential
customer.
The Results of the Mailing can be Measured
“The joy of direct marketing
is accountability—you quickly know the exact results of an advertising
investment,” according to Kenneth Roman, Jane Maas, and Martin Nisenholtz, in
their book, How to Advertise. You
should test your mailing list first, and testing the list can lift your
response rate.
Things to Think About When Drafting the Letter
You should carefully examine
your product. Think about how useful
your product is and how it will help the consumer. Carefully examine the market. What is your key consumer benefit? Answer all of the questions before you write
your sales letter.
Focus on your Audience
Your product is important to
the consumer in the following ways, what are the benefits that they get for
using it? The offer is very important in
your sales letter. What is your primary
offer, many product sales letters are not productive because they fail to give
an offer. Tell the prospect that you
will ship the product for free, or you have a free special bonus offer. You
don’t always have to give a free gift you can give a money back guarantee.
The Sales Letter Must Obtain Action
Telling the prospect that
you will call them next week is not enough, because usually they won’t even
think of your small business next week. Be
direct on the letter, tell the customer to pick up the phone and call now and
they will receive a 10% discount, or this offer will expire in two weeks. Always include a reply card this will
encourage a response.
The P.S. and Should Your Sales Letter Have One
The advantage of having a
P.S. on your sales letter is that it has been known to lift response. You should not waste any time here, give the
time limited offer again, your free gift, or your best benefit. You can put your toll free number if you have
one, or just a regular telephone or fax number will do.
You will need to carefully
plan your sales letter, and having the right letter will help you get your foot
in the door.
Reference:
Kenneth Roman, Jane Maas,
and Martin Nisenholtz; How to Advertise;
2003
Posted in: Direct mail
