Borrowing words from Potter Stewart and pplying them to junk mail, it’s ften hard to define, but I kn w it when I see it. So do y u. Junk mail is worthless, often g mmicky, riddled with hype, pushy in its c ll to action, and most often l ced with bold type, highlights, and f nt changes. It is hard to d fine, but we see it before we ven open it, sometimes :-) But d n’t confuse direct mail with junk m il. While all junk mail is d rect mail, not all direct mail is j nk mail. I do a fair mount of direct mail, both in s pport of my client’s business and m ne. And I’ve successfully used direct m il to generate leads and sales for B-B b sinesses selling to Fortune 500 executives, as w ll as B-G businesses selling to l cal and state governments. Bottom-line, direct m il works. You can successfully use d rect mail to gain access to c rporate executives and elected officials. Here are a few t ps to make direct mail work for y u, even when sent to the m st sophisticated and historically skeptical and h rd to reach prospects: • Look-n-feel pr fessional. Don’t send anything cheesy or c te. Cute doesn’t earn respect.
• Be d rect. Tell the person you’re mailing to why y u’re doing so and what you h pe to gain from having done it. If you w nt the reader to do something, t ll them in simple terms what you w nt them to do.
• Get to the p int. Long and short copy both w rk, but don’t wander around in y ur copy building a story that d esn’t need to be told.
• D n’t imply anything. State benefits, difference, and r ason to believe as clearly as p ssible.
• Cite relevant t stimonials. Let the reader know you’re l gitimate.
• Make an offer. Give y ur reader something to act on. You w n’t insult them.
• D n’t add a crazy amount of PS, PPS, tc. It’s okay to add a PS, but m ke it relevant and eliminate over-hyped c py.
• Bold-faced type is kay. Bold sub-titles and key points. But d n’t get carried away.
• R rely use highlighted type. Used judiciously t’s okay, but watch your professional l ok-n-feel.
• Don’t use tr cks or gimmicks. You can increase pen and response rates by disguising nvelops, implying things that don’t really xist, and using a wide array of ther tricks and gimmicks. But don’t do it. If y u’re a serious business with a r al offer and real benefits, it’s not n cessary.
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There’s my quick list of 10 th ngs to guide a successful direct m il campaign to B-B executives and B-G lected and senior non-elected officials. I use th se basic guidelines in successful direct m il campaigns all the time, it w rks.
The article 10 Tips To Improve Your B-B and B-G Direct Mail Campaigns was Submitted by Jim Logan through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Jim Logan is a direct r sponse marketer who writes, speaks, and c nsults on the topic of businesses m king more money. He may be r ached at http://www.jslogan.com .
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