Five ways
There are only five ways of creating direct mail that really works. The best direct mail takes one or at most two of these five ways and then use it in accordance with the rules of direct mail.
The five approaches are to focus on:
The most common way of selling, the least effective of the five ways, and the most likely to cost you a lot of money - that is selling on price.
You say you are cheaper, you offer 70% off, and for a while you get some more sales. At a lower price.
Then maybe you sit down and look at the profits and realise that having cut your prices by 10% you now need to sell 20% more than you were selling before - and meanwhile you see that your rivals have just put their prices down even lower.
The fact is that selling on price is so obvious everyone can do it - and if you claim to be the cheapest, and suddenly you are not, no one believes any of your advertising any more.
One of the most interesting points about selling on price is that whenever we suggest to people that they should not do this, we are told "yes I can see that in many areas of business selling on price is not the only option but for us, it is the only way of selling..."
I have had that said to me in relation to selling
In every case the situation is the same. Those doing the selling keep talking about price, so those doing the buying keeping thinking about price. If you start using one of the other methods of selling you will find that a completely new type of client with new expectations will turn up.
Imagine you were facing a potential customer at a trade show. That person is interested in your product or service (otherwise she or he would not be there) but equally you can see from the look in the eyes, that the bar is a more enticing place to be.
Yet you don't want this potential customer to get away. So you have to say something. Something great about your product or service. Some benefit - something that will stir up this potential client so much that she or he will forget the bar and will instead become exited in what you offer.
There is no chance to ask a question - you have to go straight in with the benefit.
Now what is it to be?
My answer, if you were to ask me to do the exercise is: "I double response rates in direct mail."
Whatever your answer, you take that answer and make it your lead statement - your lead benefit in your advertisement, and that is what you write about.
3. A really interesting question
Asking interesting questions is a much underused approach to direct mail. As long as the question used is meaningful then it will work.
A meaningful question is one that stimulates a meaningful debate. "What is the most cost effective way to double your turnover?" is a meaningful question, because there is a range of answers possible. "Would you like to make more money" is not meaningful, because the answer is always yes.
Ask the question, open the debate. and get the reader interested.
You can also ask questions about lists. "What are the three most common things that teachers do after work?" People read on because they are interested, amused and intrigued.
Anything that works on feelings and emotions comes into this category. Traditionally it is the category that sells jewellery and cars, but there is no rule that says it can't sell computers, fly spray and footballs.
In using emotion you have to use the theme all the way through from the start - which means the headline.
Sometimes you know you deserve the best computer in the office.
What does it say of your love if you buy the cheapest chocolates?
The sinking feeling, the rising feeling, the feeling I can do it all.
Hardest to write, but often the most rewarding technique of all, humourous direct mail regularly wins 50% of the awards and makes up about 1% of all direct mail posted.
Humourous direct mail does not normally mean telling a joke. It means telling a story, or setting a scene which makes the reader smile.
There is a website which celebrates one of our own campaigns for Hamilton House - www.toppled.info - it is not the only approach but it is one possible way of using humour.
Spoof mailings are on the rise. A recent one came from a chain of health clubs. The envelope had a handwritten font. The contents included several glossy cards, the first of which stated "WE'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU..." The second showed a black and white close-up photo of a woman eating a hamburger; text in the bottom right-hand corner stated "29-05-05". Three further photos showed scenes of unhealthy lifestyles, including alcohol consumption, watching TV and stress in the work place. Text on the next card stated "... IT'S TIME TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT". The final two cards had information about Esporta Health Clubs and offered money off personal fitness consultations.
Best of all when people complained to the Advertising Standards Authority, the ASA turned them down.