A special thanks to Hethe Berg, the local distributor for Send Out Cards here in Omaha, NE. He bought this wonderful service to my attention and is a true professional when it comes to relationship marketing. After a way-too-long winter, we decided to film this on the golf course on a BEAUTIFUL Friday afternoon at one of our finest local social establishments, the Prestige World Class - watch the video and join us for a few beers as we discuss direct mail marketing best practices!
I think direct mail is such an overlooked and valuable marketing option that is deserves important attention in your marketing plan. I'm sure you've had a bad experience with direct mail; you purchased an expensive list, spent hours on the design and copy, sent the mailing, and waited for the phone to ring. Of course, nothing happened - and you swore off all direct marketing like the plague. Believe me, I've been there - I've spent WAY too much money on direct mail back in the day. In hindsight (which is always, 20/20, right?) I know what I did wrong - and how to fix it.
I'd like to share what I've learned, what I did wrong, and my recommendations to get new clients the right way - and inexpensively - with direct mail.
How I Went Miserably Wrong With Direct Mail
I completely ignored my database to ask for referrals because it was too uncomfortable, so I decided to spend a lot of money and take a bunch of risk to buy the attention of prospects. So, I went to InfoUSA Sales Genie and purchased a mailing list of everyone who fit my perfect client description (this was back in the days of my fitness business). I spent hours in Photoshop to develop a beautiful postcard and sales letter to send to the list - I even wrote handwritten notes to these people who had no idea who I was. I spent thousands of dollars and countless hours of time; and didn't get a single response. I was devastated and broke.But why should they respond? These people had no idea who I was, I wasn't clear about what I was selling, I didn't include a time-sensitive offer, provided no proof of my results (testimonials), and didn't offer a guarantee. I don't even think I had a clear call to action - my phone number was hidden at the bottom and my logo took up all the space! The list goes on of all my mistakes, but from this experience and after much research; now I've learned how to do direct mail right the very first time for results.
Your (Better) Inexpensive Direct Mail Solutions
1. Monthly Greeting Cards to Your Center of Influence (COI)
First, segment your database into two groups - the people you've 'met' and the people you 'haven't met'. The people you've met are your sphere (your circle of influence - friends, family, close business contacts, etc) who are most likely to refer you to the ideal client you seek. Your list of 'haven't mets' is a very targeted list of your ideal prospects that, ideally, you want to use the connections and influence of your 'mets' to get in front of these people. Remember, you're not selling to your 'mets', these people are your leverage to get the attention of your ideal 'haven't mets' (i.e. prospects). Here's a simple diagram to explain:
Mets vs. Haven't Mets
Now, every month, send an educational greeting card using Send Out Cards to your 'mets'. This can be automated and will take maybe an hour of your time a month at the most. Inside of your card, include a teaser to your most recent blog article (and if you're really savvy a screen shot of your most recent educational video). Also include a very personal message about what's happening in your company, a success story of a client, or a relevant and useful tip to help improve your sphere's life (financial, real estate, marketing tip, etc).
I recommend you include a fun picture of yourself on the front of your cards, which is fully customizable using Send Out Cards - use pictures that bring out your personality and excite people to actually open your card when it arrives in the mail every month. Your benefit: you stay top of mind with the people who are most likely to refer you and remind them to be your salesforce.Example Send Out Card Designs (Mets):
2.) Our Send Out Card we sent to 125 people in May 2010! (notice how we included a screen shot of our latest blog post with Jeff Beals on the inner-left side)
In May we sent out 125 greeting cards to our top contacts and it cost us $173.75 ($0.39 a card) using their program; the results have been fantastic - people put our cards on their desk, display them in their home, and talk about them with their friends (remarkable!). Plus, we go the extra mile to make our cards memorable with ridiculous pictures of John and I on the front. You can't beat that for the price. We set aside this money every month for our direct mail budget.
Once we're ready to invest in additional direct mail marketing to our identified prospects (Haven't Mets); we move on to our next direct mail strategy...but it all starts with staying in touch with your 'mets' first!
2. Quarterly Postcards to Your Ideal Prospects
I recommend an entirely different strategy when marketing directly to your prospective 'haven't mets.' To keep your cost low, I recommend you send a quarterly, then when you can afford it, a monthly JUMBO sized postcard to your ideal prospects. Remember, these people DON'T know you; so we're going to treat these postcards as an infomercial . In short, every postcard will feature a new client and the fantastic results they are seeing on your program (VERY IMPORTANT). It must include a special offer, a headline, testimonials, a special offer, and a strong call to action.
I love the mailing service at ExpressCopy - they will send a full color, front and back jumbo postcard with first class postage to 200 people for about $0.68 a postcard. You can't beat that. Here are a few example postcards we've created that have pulled in great results for our clients:
Example Postcard Designs (Haven't Mets):
1.TJ Jackson (Real Estate Agent) Team Elliott - Omaha, NE
Once we're ready to invest in additional direct mail marketing to our identified prospects (Haven't Mets); we move on to our next direct mail strategy...but it all starts with staying in touch with your 'mets' first!
2. Quarterly Postcards to Your Ideal Prospects
I recommend an entirely different strategy when marketing directly to your prospective 'haven't mets.' To keep your cost low, I recommend you send a quarterly, then when you can afford it, a monthly JUMBO sized postcard to your ideal prospects. Remember, these people DON'T know you; so we're going to treat these postcards as an infomercial . In short, every postcard will feature a new client and the fantastic results they are seeing on your program (VERY IMPORTANT). It must include a special offer, a headline, testimonials, a special offer, and a strong call to action.
I love the mailing service at ExpressCopy - they will send a full color, front and back jumbo postcard with first class postage to 200 people for about $0.68 a postcard. You can't beat that. Here are a few example postcards we've created that have pulled in great results for our clients:
Example Postcard Designs (Haven't Mets):
1.TJ Jackson (Real Estate Agent) Team Elliott - Omaha, NE
So, at the end of the day, with both direct mail strategies you'll invest $200-300 a month on a consistent direct mail campaign. Remember, it all starts with a strong list of ideal prospects when you identify your 'haven't mets' and start your infomercial postcard campaign; so I recommend you first see my friend Jared Wright with Wright Direct to find a list, then give me a call and I'll help you craft of the copy and design so you get results. Questions? Send me an email at frank@getvyral.com.
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