Marketing Mondays: Direct Mail for Consultants

Michael Zipursky | May 21, 2012 | 6 Comments

Here are some interesting statistics I think you’ll find valuable if you’re doing direct mail.

This information comes from the Godfather of Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson.

Keep these in mind on your next direct mail project:

  • 70% of your orders will come from your letter.
  • 20% from your brochure.
  • 10% from your order form.
  • None of that will get read if they don’t open your envelope.
  • Spend time thinking about copy and graphics you can use to get your envelope opened. Your mailing needs to bring in 2.2 times what it costs you.
  • Be sure to calculate all the associated costs of your mailing.
  • People forget 90% of what they read within a couple of weeks.
  • That’s why it’s so critical to send repeat mailings.
  • The most effective mailings incorporate other media as well. Follow up calls, emails, etc.

The most important factor in direct mail.

The key to making direct mail work starts in the list. You can send tens of thousands of direct mail pieces, but if you’re sending to an unqualified and cold list the likelyhood of seeing a positive ROI are slim to none.

Legendary direct marketer Gary Halbert is famous for preaching the idea that the most important aspect in marketing is having a ‘hungry market’. That is, if you’re marketing to people that aren’t hungry for what you’re offering, you’re really wasting your time and money.

There’s so much more to be said about direct mail. If you’re interested in learning more let me know in the comments below…

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  • http://www.jaspercompliance.com/ Ron Harvey

    Do you guys shy away from using post cards as one way to make sure the message gets read?

    • http://www.consulting-business.com Michael Zipursky

      Ron – postcards can work well to support a campaign. Really depends on who your target market is. If you are B2B and you’re trying to reach an executive the postcard will often not reach them. If the path is clearly set and you’re confident that a postcard will reach your target, then definitely consider including it as part of your larger campaign (letters, brochures, other media, etc).

  • Metafocus

    The US Postal Service has introduced a new service by the name of Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM). This service “lets you send mailings to a desired audience without the need to acquire an address list or print specific names and addresses on the mailpieces. Using EDDM, you can reach every address within a defined geographic area, such as a neighborhood near your business or in areas where you seek new customers.” I have one client who has used the service.

    • http://twitter.com/GolfSFLA Martina C. Schramm

      I have used this service about two weeks ago. The targeting works well, they are timely and the price is good. The downfall is that you can not see the quality or a draft ahead of the piece being mailed out. When I got the hard copy from someone who did receive it in the area we targeted the print quality left much to be desired. Even though we submitted everything crisp and in high resolution.

  • http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rick-john/12/4a7/2b4 RICK JOHN

    Michael, thanks. Read Guerrilla Marketing years ago but have referred to it many times in teaching and consulting. the challenge is to define and refine the target group and find creative ways to reach them. Marketing is a lot more challenging today for small businesses, even though some say its easier with technology.

    • James A Camren

      I think Marketing and Advertising are tougher period as there is a great deal of disillusionment in society towards products and services and their benefits.