Marketing

Avoid Direct Mail Design Doom.

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brando-250Folks in the business, like me, are generally the most critical of what works for direct mail and what doesn’t. While some designers will be focused more on what they can do to win their next award, the better ones realize that awards given for design rather than results are not what’s most important. Successful results for our clients and their customers are the ultimate goal.

Now don’t mistake that for a license to create something completely cluttered and too busy to be legible, too ugly to leave out in the open or too poorly printed to be taken seriously. Even the ubiquitous used car salesman needs to be taken seriously and trusted long enough to make the sale.

In a nutshell, you have three goals to achieve in mere seconds:

  1. Grab attention/look legit.
  2. Engage.
  3. Compel to act.

That’s it. How you accomplish these goals is up to you, but you can learn from those who’ve come before.

Design Tips

Even if you’ve done everything right, decent response rates can still be tough to snag. So let’s assume your list is dead-on, your offer is proven and your brand is strong. What else should you be looking out for to nail that extra response rate beyond the “barely surviving” 1-2% rates experienced by many direct mailers? In no particular order:

  • Avoid stock images that are already used and seen everywhere. Look for the unique and if you can afford it, create unique imagery that no one else will ever have. And make sure it supports your brand’s personality. I received two direct mail post cards, each with a man wearing a dress shirt and tie, same camera angle. Not even the same photo, but I laughed anyway (after which, they ended up in the trash receptacle).
  • Invest in a quality product photo. Don’t include a product photo that’s taken off your website or shot poorly. Make sure the product is clear and details are visible if needed. If it’s food, make it drool worthy.
  • Don’t use paper that’s wimpy. Makes you look wimpy and cheap, like a poorly fitting suit or worse yet, a limp handshake. Ick!
  • Do use bumps in enclosed envelopes. They significantly increase your open rate. Just make sure your envelope is sturdy enough for the bump so it doesn’t break through. And particularly if it’s a large mailing, be certain to check out mailing costs.
  • Snipes, bursts, intercepts—a designer’s nightmare. Yeah, designers hate these because they’re ugly. Yes, they are truly ugly. But in the right situation, under the right light, with the right neighboring elements and the right message, an intercept can be the right thing to do. Just don’t use it to say something lame. Make it purposeful and make absolutely certain it supports the primary goal of the direct mail rather than confusing the message.
  • Keep your direct mail focused on a single goal. You’re not creating a catalog here. Get to the point quickly and don’t be too wordy (or graphicky) about it. Time is of the essence. You have mere seconds. Seconds!
  • Make sure the format of your direct mail is appropriate to your goal. Small ticket item? Consider using a post card. Selling a $500 watch? Better send a brochure with a lifestyle message and ditch the intercepts, keep it classy. Looking for donations? A cover letter is in order along with a good story about where the money’s going.
  • Don’t ignore your brand’s personality and look. Just because it’s ‘direct mail’ and we previously told you not to worry about the color of the sky, you can’t abandon your brand’s personality either. And I’m not just talking about the logo. If your brand is as classy a brand as, say, Tiffany’s, you’d better not skimp on quality. Fail to print the right turquoise or remember to focus on what sells (i.e. sparkle) and your mailing is sure to go south. However, if you’re brand is kitschy by nature, include that kitschy look in your direct mail.
  • Don’t convolute your product with a misleading or meandering story. Stay on point and be clear and concise.
  • Don’t forget the incentive. Whether direct or implied, make sure it’s there. Is it 15% off the first purchase? Is it a gentle reminder not to forget a holiday like Valentine’s Day or Father’s Day coupled with an offer? Direct mail is not the best tool for corporate or brand awareness, but it is perfect for timely incentives.
  • Be careful if using teasers on the cover with the complete thought on the inside. Doesn’t mean it can’t be done, but it’s hard to do well. Most folks won’t take the time. In fact, eight out of 10 trash advertising mail instantly. The remaining two will take only a few seconds to make a decision. If it doesn’t peak their interest, in the trash it goes. If it doesn’t appeal to them viscerally, in the trash it goes.
  • Don’t underestimate a good design’s ability to create a positive gut reaction. But steer clear of designers who want to make your text too small (unreadable in the hallway light) or writers who think they’re writing general advertising copy.
  • Scanning trumps actual reading. Make your direct mail scannable. Once you’ve landed folks with the key points they’re looking for, feed them the details. And remember, your headlines matter more than your body text in direct mail, but you still need body copy that provides necessary information in a clear and concise manner. Make every word earn its space.
  • Too many screamers (that’s exclamation points to you writers). Looks cheesy and desperate. Don’t do this!!!!! (Yeah, that.)

Whether your direct mail is 3-dimensional or flat, making sure your strategy, design and offer fit the targets is the best way to improve your ROI.

By Julia Moran Martz

Getting More Referrals?

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Let’s cut to the chase. There are books, blogs and countless articles written about building referrals. But there are three major reasons programs don’t succeed:

  1. To get referrals, you need to ask for them. As one blogger put it, most people would rather invite a neighbor to attend church with them than ask for a referral.
  2. Those who ask often don’t see the customer’s perspective. There’s a lot of benefit in a referral for you, but why should the customer put his or her neck on the line?
  3. Companies don’t make it easy enough for their customers to recommend them.

Instead of benefiting both parties, the act of referring often becomes too one-sided and discourages activity. Here’s how to develop a better referral strategy.

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Soften Up the “Ask”

The first thing you can do to make asking easier—or perhaps avoid having to ask at all—is providing great work. Look for better ways to serve your customers and be energetic and enthusiastic in delivering your service. People respond to excellence as well as to companies that hustle and try harder. If you’re a lesser-known up-and-comer, getting referrals might be even easier. Lots of people like to support the hard working, high-performing underdog.

Seth Godin, the author and speaker who popularized the topic of “permission marketing,” suggests that people will tend to give you referrals if you give a lot of referrals yourself. The key, though, is to genuinely want to help someone else—not just to get referrals back. You should only play matchmaker for the right reasons. But when you do give good referrals on a regular basis, the world tends to respond positively.

Finally, be sure to keep in touch with people who are important to you. According to Godin, every 30 days is about the right frequency if you’re serious about building referrals. Friendships and professional associations can easily drift into the background of our busy lives. It’s well worth your time to:

  • Send a card or letter.
  • Call them.
  • Send an email.
  • Stop by their office.
  • Put them on your holiday and birthday card list.
  • Do business with them.
  • Connect on LinkedIn or other business social media.

Keep your relationships strong. Remain on one another’s radar. You’ll benefit from more referrals.

Understanding the Customer’s Perspective

There’s lots of risk for the person doing the referring. You could screw up or otherwise disappoint. Maybe it isn’t even your fault, but the result is the same for the person making the referral. According to Godin, “Understand that low-risk referrals happen more often than high-risk ones, and either figure out a way to become a low-risk referral or embrace the fact that you have to be truly amazing in order to earn one.”

Just don’t make the mistake of thinking you can buy referrals. Offering rewards for referrals often doesn’t work because you’re asking the person to put his or her credibility on the line. Consumer companies in particular often try to skirt the issue by offering both the referrer and the prospect discounts. This might be better (or at least more upfront) than other reward programs, but enter this territory with extreme caution.

Making it Easy to Recommend You

The easiest and most effective way to get people to refer you is to give them something of real value to offer their friends and business colleagues. For example, a young chiropractor we know gives his satisfied patients a limited number of “referral only” coupons that they can give to their friends for an initial consultation and complete examination, including x-rays, for less than $20.

Combined with a referral from someone who benefited from the doctor’s services, it’s a great incentive for someone who is suffering from back or neck pain. Most importantly, it makes the referral even easier than saying, “You should see my chiropractor.”

One of the keys is to not make the offer something that is available to anyone. You provide it only to your best customers to use for referrals. If it’s an offer they can get anywhere, you lose the special value that helps make the referral easier.

Want Expert Advice?

MondoVox Creative Group can help you develop a winning referral strategy as well as deliver creative execution for any program components. For more information, email Julia Moran Martz.

— by Larry Bauer

Referral Do’s & Don’ts.

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Referrals are too valuable to waste. Follow these rules to avoid costly mistakes.

Do

  • Provide excellence in products and services.
  • Constantly seek better ways to serve your customers.
  • Be energetic, enthusiastic and sincere in your business dealings.
  • Offer ongoing training and coaching to your customer-contact staff.
  • Keep in touch with friends and business colleagues every 30 days.
  • Provide referrals to others who deserve them.
  • Offer something of value for good customers to offer their contacts.
  • Make you and your company a low-risk referral.
  • Use business social media to build contacts and referrals.
  • Be a good person—it works!

Don’t

  • Think you can buy referrals—but be sure to promptly offer your heartfelt thanks and inform the referrer of the outcome.
  • Offer an incentive for prospects that you generally make available to the marketplace.
  • Underestimate the discomfort many people feel in asking for referrals—find ways to make it easier!
  • Snub people in lower positions—they move on to bigger and better things.
  • Give referrals solely with the intention of getting them in return.
  • Be nice only when you need to be—make it a habit.
  • Fail to work at gaining referrals everyday.
  • Forget about people who are important to you.
  • Lose sight of the customer’s perspective—make referrals beneficial to them and easy to do.
  • Think referral programs are built in a day.

Keeping in Touch. One of the slickest systems we’ve seen is SendOutCards®. It’s a web-based program that lets you send a printed greeting card with your message, in your own handwriting if you wish, in less than 60 seconds. All you do is choose your card, write your message and click send. SendOutCards prints it, stuffs it and mails it, all for less than a greeting card at the store. You can even upload your own images as well as include high quality food and gifts for special occasions. For a quick, one-on-one demo and an opportunity to send a free personalized card to a friend or colleague, we refer you to Kei Narimatsu.

— by Larry Bauer

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