Direct Marketing For You

Tuesday, 26 July 2016

How to Win With Political Direct Mail

Direct mail can be a powerful tool for your political campaign. It influences not only the opinions of voters, but their actions as well. For many years now, the majority of political mail has been on the attack of opponents. Some have gotten downright nasty, not just in direct mail channels either. Sure attack ads work, but mixing in a combination of informative direct mail with the attack pieces can enhance the candidate’s or proposition’s overall appeal. There are other channel options out there, but they are not anywhere near as effective as direct mail. Unlike a business that is selling products or services and has the ability to sell them over a long period of time, political mail needs to convince people quickly to either support or not to support a candidate or a proposition.

How can direct mail help a political campaign?

1. Targeting

Choose your audience specifically. You can select types of voters you need to send to based on party affiliation, frequency of voting, gender, location and so much more. Reach out to only the people you need to in order to get the most bang for your buck.

2. Integrated

Including QR codes and PURLS (personalized web pages) that take people to landing pages with more information is a good idea. An even better idea is to create an experience for them. Get creative so that you build engagement as well as a desire to share that experience with others. Make sure everything you do is mobile friendly. Consider using videos online for voters to get to know the candidate or the proposition.

3. Influential

Mail is viewed as the most trustworthy marketing channel. Take advantage of that, as well as the tangibleness of direct mail. Add texture and coatings to enhance your message and get people to enjoy the feel of your mail piece. The more you get people to interact with your direct mail, the more influence you have on them.

4. Variable

Direct mail using variable data printing allows you to send different messages to different people in the same mailing. This can be used to not only change out text, but also images to make a greater impact on each individual. When you are able to appeal to each individual you have a greater impact on them.

5. Analysis

Direct mail is very measurable. Knowing what is working and what is not allows you to make changes quickly to your next mail piece. Do not be afraid to try new things, but make sure you are analyzing the results.

Direct mail is powerful when done correctly. There are some pitfalls you need to avoid. The first major one is to stay within postal regulations. After you design a piece, send a PDF to your mail service provider to review before you print. They can tell you of any problems and save you the extra postage. The next pitfall is your list. Make sure that you are targeting the right voters — otherwise you are just wasting money. Finally, your message needs to be clear, concise and tell people exactly what you want them to do.

Now, more than ever before direct mail can create experiences that no other channel can. You can enhance direct mail with Augmented Reality, Near Field Communication, QR codes, textures and more. Use these to really make your mail piece grab attention and get results!

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Kirkwood Direct is largest service provider that offers comprehensive and effective end-to-end direct marketing communications solutions to their clients. It offers various services like Data Management/ Data Acquisition, Commercial Printing, Mailing Services, E-marketing and many more. Call (978) 642-0300 or visit site.

3 Ways to Introduce Augmented Reality in Your Direct Mail

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not very savvy when it comes to direct mail and technology. Although I use them a lot now, I was a late adopter in scanning QR codes. So when augmented reality (AR) first came along, I was a little skeptical that I would ever use it, or care about it.

Now that I’ve seen it in action, I’m very convinced that it can really make some direct mail campaigns stand out, and provide a more enriching experience with print materials for customers.

At our Direct Marketing Day @ Your Desk Virtual Conference & Expo in March, Cindy Walas of Walas Younger Ltd. delivered a good overview of AR’s capabilities. She’ll get into more of the nitty-gritty how-to’s at next month’s Integrated Marketing Virtual Conference.

But ahead of that, I thought I’d provide a quick look at some mail fromWho’s Mailing What!. Here’s how a few marketers deal with a steep learning curve in getting customers started with AR.

1. Make It Easy
Don’t assume your audience knows what to do. You have to tell them or show them what app to download, and from where. And customers need to know what content is enhanced with AR on the pages or panels of your direct mail piece. Icons are a simple but effective way to designate them.

This key is a good example I found from the 2015 Ikea catalog. It not only explains the basics of how to identify AR content but also what types of experiences customers can have.

2. Make It Worthwhile
Your customers should know that the additional content they can access may be worth their time and effort.

Home furnishings retailer Raymour & Flanigan regularly sends out a direct mail style guide that provides customers with something of value — ideas on home decorating — as well as drive traffic to its brick-and-mortar stores and website. As this page from a recent issue shows, the AR symbol promises additional value.

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3 Great Direct Mail Copy Drivers

I’ve been thinking about emotions more than usual lately. Maybe it’s the type of direct mail I’ve been reading lately that sparked it.

Or maybe it was all of the great discussion around Carolyn Goodman’s webinar that my colleague Thorin McGee wrote about the other day. In case you missed it, she talked about the emotional buy-in of some voters during the current election season.

Swedish direct marketing entrepreneur Axel Andersson and Seattle direct marketer Bob Hacker identified the seven key copy drivers that persuade people to buy a product or service, or to join a cause. They are:

guilt, flattery, anger, exclusivity, fear, greed and salvation.

For years, I’ve been keeping a spreadsheet of which of these appear in the long-term controls I track for Who’s Mailing What! Flattery and greed are the two most commonly used. They figure prominently in Denny Hatch’sThe Secrets of Emotional, Hot-Button Copywriting, a report that focuses on the seven great ones

But there are other drivers that also deserve a moment in the sun. Inanother book, Hatch identified twenty-one additional motivators that can also lead to action. Here are three of them, with examples of how I’ve seen them used in the mail.

1. Love

I’m surprised that I don’t see more mail that really taps into one of the most basic of human emotions. But some marketers, like Danbury Mint, are good at it. This mailing for a “Midnight Spell Necklace” spells it out on the front of the outer: “this holiday season Romance Her Heart with a gift from yours.”

The brochure inside tells of a Polynesian legend that says a black pearl was meant to be a sign of “eternal love”. In the necklace, the pearls “add mystique and glamor to the woman who wears them.”

2. Better Health/Physical Well-Being

This can take many forms, depending on the audience. Maybe it’s a gym, a weight loss program, fitness equipment, or or a diet supplement. In this case, it’s content delivered by a newsletter, Consumer Reports On Health, in a magalog.

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9 Ways to Make Direct Mail 'Irresistible'

Creating direct mail can be a challenge, as many marketers struggle to create direct mail that is irresistible to recipients. Many times, taking a look at what others are doing to either grab good ideas or avoid bad ones is a great place to start.

Another idea is to check the USPS’s irresistible mail website to help you generate direct mail ideas. Once there, you will find all kinds of information.

Here are a few USPS ideas to make your direct mail irresistible:

1. QR Codes provide access to many forms of online content from the direct mail piece. They can go to websites for more info, pages for purchasing, videos and so much more.

2. Social media adds to the reach of direct mail. Tell people how to connect with you on your social media channels and make sure to allow people to make purchases from the channels.

3. Near-field communication gives users an experience on their mobile devices that does not require an app download. This can send them the content you want them to see — there are so many great ideas on using this newer technology.

4. Textures create a way for people to feel your message. This can’t be done with digital channels, so how can you take advantage of this?

5. Embed video in your direct mail with a paper-thin screen, a URL to live stream content or visuals that come alive right on the page with video-enhanced print.

6. Augmented reality can spark your creativity and the recipients’ curiosity. Take your printed direct mail into a whole new dimension with this powerful combination.

7. Formats that are unique and grab attention have a high response rate. Think of folding options, sizes and other ideas. What can you do to make your design new?

8.Variable data is a great way to make each piece relevant to each recipient. Remember, correctly targeted messaging gets the best results.

9. Analytics are the key to successful direct mail. You need to know what’s working and what needs improvement.

Whenever you add extra elements to your direct mail, like the ones listed above, you are adding to its value. The more value recipients feel they are getting, the better engaged they will be with your mail pieces. This gives you better response rates. Keep in mind that you can incorporate more than one of the elements without the worry of causing confusion. The idea is to get creative and provide a fun, engaging experience for your recipients.

Direct mail has the highest response rate when you do it correctly. Make sure you have your design approved for postal regulations and you get feedback from people outside of your organization about your design and message. People like to get direct mail, so make sure you are giving them something good — not something that is going to go immediately into the trash can. When you haven’t targeted your list and offer properly, you’re not sending direct mail — you are sending junk mail and no one likes that.

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3 More Direct Mail Ideas (+1 Bonus) to Drive Local Business

I talked with an old friend a few weeks ago who, in a roundabout way, asked me for some free marketing advice for her housecleaning business. This is kind of rare for me, and I asked a lot of questions. When she told me that Facebook was just not working well enough for her, I think my next words were: “direct mail.”

Now, I like housecleaning, but I know a lot of people don’t. There’s a really good market for this kind of work. I showed her how the Cleaning Authority does a terrific job detailing its services in a very simple self-mailer.

Then I remembered my blog post on copy and design ideas for using direct mail to drive local business. I listed seven of them then, but in talking with her, I came up with a few more, thanks to mail that comes into Who’s Mailing What!.

1.Tap Into Emotions

This one is so obvious that I can’t believe I missed it the first time.

To make a personal connection with a prospect, your direct mail should use copy (and images) that generate an emotional response. Although there are many motivators, the seven main drivers of action are: fear, greed, guilt, anger, exclusivity, salvation, and flattery.

Over the years, I’ve seen all of them used in local offers, whether mailed solo or as part of a co-op package. Salvation seems to be the most common, as in this example.

2. Ask A Question

This is an easy way to involve a prospect in your promotion. Providing the right answer helps customers to self-qualify for your services. In this case, it’s helped along by a bullet-pointed checklist that backs up the impulse to take the offer … or at least think about it.

3. Use Testimonials

The voices of satisfied clients can be quite powerful. Existing customers can talk about their own experiences, in their own words. For prospects, reading the opinions of other people that are similar to them the most, maybe even their own neighbors, can make the offer more relevant. Using a photo of a real person, an authentic story, and a specific problem or issue addressed by one or more of the selling points helps bolster a company’s claims. Add social call-outs adds even more credibility.

BONUS: Include The Magic Word

That magic word is “free.” Or even better, “FREE!” This is pretty simple. Free estimate. Free inspection. Free bonus. Free item. Free membership. Free Service. Free dessert. The possibilities are endless for offering something of value.

Direct mail is highly measurable and cost-effective, when done well. Fortunately, there are a lot of resources available to help. I also pointed out to my friend that many of these tactics can be applied to the online world. When I last checked in with her, she was working with a local marketer on a direct mail plan, as well as her Facebook and the rest of her online presence. She should be turning away business in no time.

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3 Easy Takeaways From the Worst Direct Mail Ever

You can learn quite a bit by studying the best examples of direct mail. But can you learn something from studying the worst direct mail?

This is a question that’s been running through my head lately.

I always advise customers who use Who’s Mailing What! to check out controls, especially the Grand Controls (those in the mail for three years or more). They represent the best techniques, formats, creative and copywriting.

But every once in a while, I think about the worst mail I’ve ever seen. And, I don’t mean mail that just never gets opened.

I’m not talking about bad Photoshop work, or self-mailers that tear because of too much glue, or misdirected mail you get from poor list work. I’m not even talking about charity scams, which never seem to go away.

I am talking about mail that gets something really, really wrong. Here are a few examples, and what can be learned from them.

1. Be More Subtle
Behold, my personal choice as the second worst mailing ever.

This “biz opp” brochure for something called the “Fast Cash CD-ROM System” really made my eyes hurt after about 30 seconds of reading it.

What a mess, right?

Lots and lots of underlining, stacks of money, all caps, full dollar amounts, the magic word “FREE” … it’s 16 pages of everything and the kitchen sink when it comes to direct mail graphic elements.

I’ve never run across anything as extreme as this mailer, but then, what could possibly top it? Designers, take it easy. If everything is important, then nothing is.

2. Hire A Good Copywriter
Or at least someone who can proofread well.

This is a letter that was mailed by the defunct retail chain American Appliance, and is a perfect example of bad grammar, among many other sins.

I once wrote that this was the worst letter I ever read, and I stand by that assessment.

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Tracking Your Mail Makes All the Difference

Direct mail marketing is very data centric. Marketers are great at leveraging data about their customers and prospects, but many have never thought of leveraging USPS delivery data. The USPS has made many technological advancements over the years to enhance the visibility of mail as it processes through its plants. This allows marketers access to not only delivery speeds, but also accurate delivery dates.

What information does the post office have available?

1. The USPS has first scan data — the piece is processed after being dropped at the post office.

2. The USPS has out for delivery scan data — the carriers have the mail on their trucks to deliver.

Why does this information matter?

1. Delivery Speeds

The delivery speed of your mail can vary greatly. Some areas of the U.S. process mail at faster speeds than others. When you have the information about which areas are slow, you can plan to mail to them sooner. This becomes really important when you have a hard deadline date on your mail piece. It needs to get to recipients before it expires.

2. Delivery Dates

When you know the dates your mail pieces are delivered, you’re able to coordinate follow-up campaigns. Because most marketers are using more than one channel, it becomes important to know when to send the next message. Accurate in-home dates provide you with a trigger point you can rely on. Knowing when your payments are coming by tracking your business reply envelopes can also be helpful for your accounting departments.

Since direct mail is an effective way to drive people to online content, it’s usually the first step in a multi-channel campaign. Knowing that, the USPS delivery information is the key to the steps that follow it. Since timing is everything in marketing, adding the USPS delivery information can give your ROI a boost.

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