For the past 15 years, I’ve been helping businesses of all types and sizes successfully use direct mail to boost sales, profits and drive huge biz growth.
In that time, I’ve been involved in hundreds of split tests (and counting).
Here are 11 powerful, proven and tested strategies I’ve found to be effective at quickly generating high conversions – and may do so for you, too… when you mail to a qualified list of prospects, have a good product or service, and a good offer.
Let’s get into it:
1 – Mail first class – Here’s why: Your mailing will be perceived as more important than second class or metered mail… which can often get mistaken for junk.
2 – Handwritten or typed address on the envelope outperforms peel and stick labels.
3 – No teaser copy on the envelope when mailing a cold prospect will get a higher response than an envelope with teaser copy.
4 – Teaser copy on the envelope will work incredibly well when mailing to a warm or hot list. If possible, the teaser copy should read like a headline of an ad that’s filled with curiosity, a big benefit and news.
5 – When sending multiple letters in a sequence, it’s always good to change the size, shape or colour of the envelopes later on in the sequence. Here’s why: prospects become familiar with your mailings if your stuff looks the same and as a result, response can fall. If you change up the envelope, it gives the illusion of something new and will help boost open rates, readership and potentially response.
6 – For many of my clients, direct mail has generated more higher ticket transactions than any other media. I’m not saying this will always be the case, just something I’ve seen happen over and again in my experience.
7 – When selling an item that’s perceived as high ticket to high earners… higher quality paper (higher GSM) generates better response – my logic is this is purely down to the optics. So, why not “dress up” for the occasion and show up suited and booted?
8 – No logo on a mailing piece works better than a mailing piece with a logo – My logic indicates that when people open the envelope and immediately see a logo, they may perceive it as junk mail. When there is no logo on the mailing, it comes across as a “personal letter” and helps to actually get your prospect into the copy.
9 – Grabbers (especially money, scratch cards/lottery tickets and photographs) are a secret weapon in skyrocketing response – this is showmanship and theatre. It engages the prospect better than anything I’ve ever come across, give it a whirl. The trick for making it effective is to link the grabber to your product, service or offer.
10 – When attaching money as a grabber to your letter, higher value bills generate higher response rates. £50 works better than £20… £20 works better than £10… £10 works better than £5… £5 works better than a £2 or £1 coin… and so on.
11 – Fedex, the ultimate cheat code for direct mail success – It’s the only thing in marketing (online and offline) that often gets a 100% open rate. If you don’t need speed, three day FedEx is just as good as one day FedEx. Doesn’t matter if it goes to a business, if it goes to a giant corporation with a mailroom and a guy with a cart that takes the mail around or If it goes to mama at home… it’s getting opened, a 100% open rate. A sure-fire way for getting your message in the hands of a decision maker and past the gatekeeper.
If you use even one of these tips in your next direct mail campaign, you may find it drives your response and sales skywards. In the meantime…
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Peace,
Tal Sam