Direct Mail
Marketing
You're already doing it - perhaps you can do better.
By Ben Whitney
You didn't know you already send out direct mail? Don't be surprised. Whenever you send query letters -
e-mail or snail mail - to potential clients, you're practicing direct mail marketing
in its purest form.
In its most basic sense, direct mail, in reality direct marketing, is when you send a message directly to a
prospect by any means. The key is direct: you have decided an individual (or group) is a
good prospect for whatever product or service you offer and therefore send a sales message only to that individual or
group. The query letter and other material you send to publishers to get them to buy an article, piece of
fiction or poetry is really direct mail.
Whether you only use direct mail for your own submissions, already write for others, or are considering
adding this to your portfolio of writing services, just apply the basics and temper
them with common sense.
The thousands of words written about direct marketing essentially boil down to three basic considerations
which apply every time you send out marketing material. As a writer, your primary concern is the copy
(package, or what goes out), but you still need to consider the other two - the list (the people
who are the market) and the offer (what you want your prospect to do). And when you send your own direct mail,
you'll certainly need to think about all three.
First, the list or market. Call it what you wish, this group comprises the prospects, whether one or many
thousands, for what you're offering. Be certain each individual in this group has
a need for your product or service, and narrow your list to the most promising. It is obvious you wouldn't send an article on
biotechnology ethics to a travel magazine, or a short story to Computer World. When writing direct mail
letters for yourself, this is straightforward; for a client, the list may already be
selected and given to you.
In either case, visualize your prospect because you'll want to prepare your material with him or her in
mind. After all, the important word is direct.
Then the offer- what everything you write revolves around. This is what you're offering the
prospect, what you want him or her to do and what that person will get in return. The offer is critical.
For example, you'll have more response if you ask someone to express interest rather than send cash.
Whatever your offer, you'll need to persuade each prospect to take some sort of action - buy your article,
ask for more information, visit your web site, send you article guidelines, and so on. The response you
want will vary - e-mail, call or fax to ask for more information, order the product or service, visit a
web site - the list can go on and on. Your primary concern, the measure of the campaign's effectiveness, is
the number and seriousness of the individuals who respond.
If you're working for a client, realize that many experienced copywriters work on and prepare a summary
of the offer separately so it is completely clear and contains a call to action.
You want the prospect to understand exactly what he or she will receive when responding. Be certain the offer harmonizes
with the market and sales cycle for the product or service - you wouldn't ask an prospect who doesn't know
you or your work to send a million dollar advance check on the basis of a short letter.
At last the copy - what makes up the package. The package is everything you send to your prospect.
Since this is words (and depending on the product or service, pictures), here's where
you should shine.
Just visualize an individual in your list, and write to that person, telling them what you're offering will do
for them and why they should respond to the offer. Stress benefits not features - the
sizzle, not the steak. Since a letter is usually the main selling piece, make the copy
believable and human - write to the individual.
For your own submissions, be certain the editor has enough material to decide about you and your
project, and it is in the format he or she wants. Put together a package that is
appropriate for what you're offering. There are no hard and fast rules for what to include - a letter (how
long?), a brochure (big, glossy, full color?), a reply envelope; and in the case of e-mail -
how long, attachments, links, and so on. If you're freelancing for a client, you may very well be given some preprinted material,
so what you write will have to relate to that material.
I can do this for myself, so how do I get outside clients? If you're starting out, be aware that general
advertising agencies normally don't have a lot of use for direct marketing. Generally
their profit is less, campaign results can be measured, and there is accountability. However, there are direct marketing
agencies, many with staff copywriters. Some do on occasion use outside writers for specific projects,
particularly if they need expertise in an area.
You can also develop your own clients. Contact local firms you know with an idea for a campaign to a
specific market. List brokers sell mailing lists, and they can sometimes recommend
prospects. You can also send a compelling sales letter to prospects. Once you've done one successful campaign, you
may very well find that there will be follow-on assignments which will build on what you originally did. You can
also add the mailing package to your portfolio.
The end result... Make an offer your prospect can't refuse, insure your package gives him or her
enough information to make a decision, ask for a response and make it easy for that
person to do so.
These are the basics, whether you're preparing a campaign for yourself to one or two editors or writing a
sales letter or brochure for a client with thousands of prospects.
Ben Whitney is a freelance writer and editor. He has over 20 years
experience in business writing, and has worked with many industries. Contact him
at bwhitny@attglobal.net.
