Differentiating with Direct Mail
6. Target the right person
Review your list constantly to make sure you are reaching the right people or you are throwing your money away. Despite my marketing title, I get stuff for IT all the time and don't bother to pass along junk. I also receive a letter from a local company at least once per month about having our roof in Elgin examined—Affinity Express doesn't own the building! But my favorite is the mail I get for Max, my cat. He died last year but gets better credit card offers than I do.
Max still gets credit card offers in the mail—this came last week.
7. Personalize
The more that you can show you know me, my pain points and my goals, the more likely you will attract my attention and I'll weigh your offer.
What we do at Affinity Express is to learn as much as we can about a target account and the appropriate contact. Then we develop a design that celebrates their brand and shows our creativity. We do this because it catches attention quickly and demonstrates what we are trying to sell: advertising and marketing production services. Plus, it illustrates that we spent time and energy. When we want to do business with you, we leave no doubt.
For another major retailer, we created a circular with unmistakable layout and quirky copy style. Instead of describing products for sale, we discussed the features and benefits of our services. The design served as an example of what we can do for this company and others—customize our offerings for their specific needs.
When you sit down to think about your next direct marketing campaign, picture what I did when I came back from vacation. The pile of mail was overwhelming. Nevertheless, it took me about five minutes to get through it (while participating in a conference call). The only material that made it into the limited collection for further review was well-designed, well-written, understandable and valuable.
