Your Direct Mail Piece

The classic mail pack has four components:

1. The letter
2. The brochure
3. The envelope
   Optional; reply paid envelope or device (which may be part of either the letter or brochure)

Of these, the letter and envelope are the most important.

There are many other components you can add or subtract as you need them, such as order forms, survey forms, vouchers, samples.

The Letter

The letter is the most important component in the mail pack. Remember you are talking to a single customer. Personalisation is the most effective way to make your letter sound as though it’s only meant for them.

Power of Personalisation
Everyone loves their own name, so take every opportunity to address your customer by their name. The more you personalise your mail packs, the more your customers will respond.

Lasermail offers a host of options for personalising printed material:

• at the simplest level, perform a mail merge, so your letters have the recipient’s name on them.
• Lasermail can laserprint names throughout printed material.

Have an eye-catching HEADING that draws the client in. This is the first thing your customers will. Use your letter to TELL your reader what they will benefit from buying your product or service. Include an offer too good to refuse.

The Importance of the Offer
Your offer will be the most instrumental tool in your direct mail campaign. Testing different offers is a good way to see what works best for you. Direct Mail allows you to promote your services pointing out benefits in great detail, including a guarantee (this gives your clients / customers confidence in your service). HIGHLIGHT your guarantee!

Offers That Work

• Limited time only.
• Special introductory price.
• Buy one, get one free.
• Seasonal Sales.
• Sale price offers.
• Warehouse clearance offers.
• Earlybird offers: give your customers a discount or a bonus for being among the first to respond.
• Talk about your customer and what the company can do for him or her.
• Break up the text with headings, sub headings and bullet points.
• Lead the letter with your strongest offer. If you don’t have an offer, lead with your unique selling
• Make sure your letter flows logically.
• Keep your paragraphs short.
• Use simple words and active verbs, as in ‘act now’ and ‘don’t delay’.
• Bullet points help with ease of reading
• Write in second person. This means you address the reader directly by using ‘you’.
• Always add a P.S.. Other than your heading this is the first things your customers read. Use it to reiterate your main offer—never introduce a new thought in the P.S.

REMEMBER THESE MAIN POINTS -

• Attract your reader’s attention with a simple and eye-catching message.
• Elaborate on the benefits of your offer.
• Concentrate on how your reader will benefit from taking up your offer.
• Make sure your mention how urgent it is to reply now, and give a deadline.

THE BROCHURE

• Not every mailing requires a brochure, particularly if you have a simple message.
• You will need a brochure if your message needs to be illustrated.
• Brochures are also useful tool if you have a lot to explain about your products and services.
• As your customers may keep your brochure for a long time, the brochure must be able to stand alone from the letter.
• Do include interesting or valuable information, this will ensure customers may keep your brochure and refer to it later.
• Make sure your contact details are clearly visible.
• Break up the brochure text with plenty of interesting and relevant pictures and illustrations.
• The easiest brochure size to deal with is DL, as this fits in a standard envelope.

THE ENVELOPE

• The envelope is the first item your client / customer sees, make it interesting.
• Let it be your on-the-road salesperson!
• Consider putting your strongest offer or an enticing headline on the envelope, so your customer will want to open it. Lasermail has an in-house COLOUR RISOGRAPH for a full colour economical option
• Vary the envelope size or packaging. Plastic Wrap is another option to envelopes.

RESPONSE DEVICE

• The easier you make it for the customer to respond to you, the more responses you will receive.
• These can include coupons and orders forms, along with a toll free number.
• Want more info on reply paid prices? Apply for your own reply paid number

How Direct Mail Can Increase Loyalty
The act of receiving a letter will keep your business at the top of your customer’s mind.
Use your direct mail campaign to -

• Let customers know about a new product or service
• Let customers know about an EXCITING offer
• Say ‘thank you’ or ‘happy birthday’
• Invite customers to a special event, or
• Send a reminder.

AFTER SALES COMMUNICATING
It has often been shown that customers are at their most satisfied when they have just taken receipt of goods. This is the perfect time to communicate with them and ask them how the product is going and possibly offer them something else.

Respond immediately to any complaints you receive. Never be afraid of complaints - think of complaints as vital feedback. A customer whose complaint has been dealt with in a timely and sympathetic manner is very likely to become a very loyal, long-term customer. In fact, they are less likely to defect in the future.