Direct mail marketing can be one of your most lucrative profit centers as an Information Marketer.  Directly mail marketing is nothing more than sending information and promotional material to prospective clients through the mail.

We’ve all received junk mail that we just immediately throw away.  Your goal is to put together an irresistible offer and get your message read.

How do you go about doing it?  Follow these simple steps:

1.    Select a highly-targeted market

With direct mail marketing, you can send to your own list or someone else’s.  You know what the people in your database are interested in, so tailor your offer to their needs.  When working with someone else’s list, ask the list owner what is most appealing to their clients.

It’s also possible to rent lists from other companies when you don’t have a relationship with the list owner.  Some companies, especially those like major periodical publishers, allow other companies to send mail to their clients for a fee.  This is done through list brokers.  There are many places to find lists and brokers, but two of the best are SRDS and Nextmark.

2.    Package your material correctly

Your packaging is critical if you want to get your mail opened.  A standard flyer or postcard might not get read, but a bright colorful one with a teaser headline might give you a better chance at getting a response.

One of the best ways to package your direct mail pieces is called “lumpy mail.”  Lumpy mail is mail that has something inside it, and it’s incredibly hard to resist opening it to find out what’s inside.  Simply add a 3-dimensional object to your mailing, and tie that object into the message, and you’ll more than likely explode your response rate.

3.    Make the content compelling

Use your package insert and/or headline to make the recipient desperate to know more.  Write personally, using simple language to get your point across.  With direct mail, all of the normal copywriting rules and guidelines you use in your marketing still apply – capture their attention, sustain their interest, intensify their desire, and lead them to take action.

4.    Include a call to action

In all of your marketing, you need to tell your prospective client what they need to do in order to take you up on your offer.  Give them explicit instructions using clear language.  For example, instead of saying, “Your free report is available at www.domain.com,” say, “Go right away to www.domain.com, enter in your first name and e-mail address, and we’ll immediately send you your free report.”

Your call to action must include action verbs.  Be very clear about what you want them to do, and give them simple, easy-to-follow instructions so they can get what you’ve offered.

5.    Follow up

Send your offer to the same list of prospects more than once.  People buy based on many different factors, including mood, work-related issues, and family obligations, so your first mailing may just catch them at a bad time.  Don’t be annoying, but do follow up with prospective clients and let them know you’d really value their business.

Test your direct mail marketing campaigns to find a responsive list and an effective approach.  Direct mail should be just one of the many marketing vehicles you use as your business grows.

Put direct mail marketing and other marketing strategies to work for you by implementing the techniques shared on this site.