Direct Mail Response Rates Low? Eliminate these Mistakes
by Alan Sharpe
Published on this site: July 21st, 2005 - See
more articles from this month...
Are your direct mail response rates lower than you expect?
Check your sales letter or direct mail package against this
checklist to uncover the reasons for your poor response.
LIST
You are mailing to people who are never likely to buy You
are not mailing to others in the same business who influence
the buying decision Your list is out of date Your names and
addresses are not formatted correctly for proper delivery
Your list has job titles only, not names
FORMAT
You are using the wrong format for your audience (self-mailers
to professionals, for example) Your letter and brochure are
not complete sales pitches in themselves Your liftnote or
buckslip confuses your offer or main selling promise
ENVELOPE
Your envelope gives too much away, so your prospects throw
it away unopened Your mailing envelope looks like junk mailYour package is
addressed to "Occupant" and not to a person by name
MESSAGE
Your letter lacks a strong, customer-focussed headline The
opening line in your letter is not compelling You spell your
prospective customer's name incorrectly
Your letter lacks specifics about product size, weight, color
and other vital details You discuss product features but not customer benefits You
talk too much about your company and not enough about your
reader You do not create enough desire Your letter lacks urgency
You do not offer a guarantee
OFFER
You are offering the same thing that your competitors are
offering Your offer is not specific Your offer is not exclusive
Your offer is not relevant Your offer is not valuable Your
offer is not unique Your offer is not useful
CALL TO ACTION
You do not ask for the order You ask for the order, but too
late in your letter You conclude by saying, "If you have
any questions, don't hesitate to contact me" You give
too many ways to respond-or not enough
REPLY DEVICE
Your reply device is too cluttered You do not tell prospects
what to do to buy your product or service Your reply device
is not postage-paid
TIMING
You are mailing at the wrong time of the year Your letter
is arriving on the wrong day of the week You are mailing too
often, so prospects ignore you You are not mailing often enough,
so prospects do not remember you
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter
who helps business owners and marketing managers generate
leads, close sales and retain customers using creative
direct mail marketing. Learn more about his services and
sign up for free weekly tips like this at www.sharpecopy.com/newsletter
|
