No More Junk Mail, Please!

Direct Mail Part II

Note: In the previous post we touched on creating a direct mail campaign, package design, and targeting your list. Here we look at what goes into the actual mailing.

The Sales Copy (Copy Writing 101)

Now that the piece has gotten enough attention to be opened (the biggest hurdle of direct mail, where a 1% to 3% response rate is considered average) it is time to turn to sales letter copy. Each piece of direct mail should have one single purpose.

1. This makes it easier to track results as you are only looking for a single result from each piece.
2. You do not want to confuse your customer with conflicting messages. For example, don’t try to get a new lawn care contract and a newsletter sign-up out of the same piece or mailing.

So that one single purpose can be whatever you choose it to be. To get a lead or a call from them, to get a sale, to get them to request more info, to request a quote, to think about your company when they have that problem(branding.)

Headlines and Content

Now you work on your “copy” – that is, the words that trigger the response you desire. Although entire careers are built on this topic of copy writing, with a little practice and study of successful mail pieces, you can write ad copy that will attract the actions you desire from your contact.

Begin by studying some classic ad copy. And by collecting direct mail that you receive that appears especially effective. Also read the full page ads in your favorite magazines (many, many hours have been put into crafting each headline and sentence in these ads.)

Notice that sales pages typically begin with a strong headline that commands the reader’s attention to read more.

Notice also that there are many sud headlines in bolder than normal print. This is useful for readers who like to scan the page.

Under each subhead is a paragraph or two relating to the subhead. Each ending sentence of each paragraph will usually be incomplete without the following subhead and paragraph. For example…

Also notice that the offer is generally made several times throughout the letter. Each time it is offered, it addresses a different need of your potential audience (though it is the same, single offer, leading your reader to the same single action that you desire).

The offer will be made compelling by one of several different reasons such as this is for a limited time, we only have 12 slots left open, this must be done before the winter sets in, not doing so could ruin your lawn, etc.

Professional copywriters charge thousands of dollars for a single sales letter because they have proven ability to cause a person to take the desired action of the letter. You may need to write your own copy until your marketing budget can afford one.

What About Graphics

If your marketing budget is still quite small, I would avoid using pictures, unless you have already purchased some good, high quality postcards or glossy paper stock on which you can print your own message.

If you plan on using a template in a Word processor and printing your own pieces on your home printer, you should stick with logos and the printed word. If you try to print pictures on copy paper with your home ink jet printer, you will most definitely give the impression that you have no marketing budget (and make your customers wonder what else you have no budget for!)

Besides, carefully chosen words can do just as much or more than a bunch of stock photos which look just like the pictures of nice grass on everybody else’s lawncare mailings.

Testing 1-2-3

Any direct mail campaign (and any marketing campaign for that matter) needs to be tested so you can know the results it brings and what changes to make so that future mailings bring in better results. How do you test? Start with a control piece. This can be your first piece. Then choose an element to test – the headline, the envelope size, the color of text, how many times you make the offer, you get the idea, and change that one element. Use two different phone numbers, one for each piece so you can track results. When the test element pulls better results than the control, change to the new element. Keep records of these tests and you’ll have a pile of valuable research.

Tie Up The Loose Ends

We have touched on alot of topics surrounding direct mail, such as copy writing, designing a campaign, building a list of addresses and phone numbers, delivery methods, testing,etc. Some of these topics will be the subject of future posts, so keep your eyes on this blog.

If you can’t wait to get into these topics,then take a look at my blog pages relating to each topic (choose from the column at right) for more info and links to quality programs or books dealing with each topic in depth.

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Direct Mail Pieces

No Junk Mail Please

Alright, alright! I know what you’re thinking. Junk mail. Am I right? Well, if you’re using direct mail the way 99% of business use it, then yes, junk mail.

And wasted marketing dollars(especially for a small lawncare company.)

But let’s take a look at how to make it work for you.

Typically, your first step in direct-mail would be to design a campaign. What? A campaign? Is this some sort of Crusade or something? YES! Exactly. You’re wasting your money if you only send one mailing. Or even if you send multiple mailings which aren’t consistent.

You should decide what the purpose and thrust of each campaign will be. To brand your company? To sell new fertilization jobs? To dominate a neighborhood? You must know so that you can design each mailing.

You should target an area (the area you want to concentrate in) and blanket them with your campaign.

Your List Of Prospects

Next, you would typically buy a list of addresses with names. But, I wouldn’t. Instead, collect these names and addresses yourself. This allows you to “laser-target” your market. There are resources at your public library in the reference section which contain listings of homeowners by street address (along with much useful information such as telephone, years in residence, etc.) Target a few streets and be sure everyone on the street gets on your list.

A little more complicated method would be to use the whitepages.com. Just click on the People Search tab, then click Find Neighbors tab. Here you can enter an address on a street and your search will return all the neighbors’ names with address on the street (minus all the other useful information.)

Just a side note about collecting this information—if you use telemarketing, this is a primo way to target your market, but be aware of the laws surrounding the Do Not Call Registry (more on this in another post.)

The Package

The next thing to do is design your campaign pieces. Letters or postcards? Trifolded paper in newsletter format or a complete package in a manila envelope? Now, spend some time here with me. This is very important. Your package must raise enough curiosity to get opened and read. Whether its intriguing words on the envelope, the size of the envelope, the method in which it was delivered, something about the package has to make your prospective customer want to open the package.

Need some ideas? How many large manila envelopes do you receive in the mail each week? Do they get opened? Probably so. If you received a birthday card sized envelope with nothing on the outside but your address handwritten, wouldn’t you be curious to see who sent it? Use your imagination. Since this mailing is on a small scale (you probably aren’t going to target 5000 people all at once) you may be able to afford to send a package that would have been cost prohibitive on a larger scale.

What about including some novelty item? Well, the general rule is that if the novelty item is actually useful, it will likely be kept around. For example, my kids hang pictures on the refrigerator all the time. So I always keep those business card magnets that come in the pieces I receive. Benefit to me : extra magnets on the fridge. Benefit to sender : their name and number always in sight close to my phone.

That’s about enough to digest in one post, so stay tuned for Part II, where we’ll cover what to actually say in the pieces you’ll be mailing.

Get marketing tips you can really use to grow your lawncare
business, every week, delivered straight to your Inbox!
Just join my Yahoo!Group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/greenbizmarketing
or send a blank email to
greenbizmarketing-subscribe@yahoogroups.com