Top Three Reasons Why Direct Mail Marketing Fails
March 28th, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized — Direct Marketing Author
Many health care providers get a bad taste in their mouth when you mention direct mail marketing. They routinely flinch and think of response rates at or below 1%, rates dropping lower and lower.
There are many reasons why direct mail has such a bad reputation. Here are my three favorite.
Top Three Reasons Why Direct Mail Fails:
1. “You’ve Got Junk Mail”
When you or your marketing company write a direct mail marketing letter, low “open rates” stop your campaign before it ever has a chance. To increase “open rates” try using stamps instead of metered postage. It gives a subtle perception of personalization. Also, try using handwritten envelopes or fonts that mimic handwriting.
Inserting a CD or other multimedia piece (called lumpy mail), can dramatically increase success. When you feel something inside an envelope you get curious. This automatically increases any perception of value. You also reach people who are more likely to listen to you rather than read your long letter. Most marketers would love the opportunity to talk directly to a possible client on a (mostly uninterrupted) car ride home. These CD’s are inexpensive for small businesses to create “in-house.”
2. Not really That Great of Strategic and Neat Copy Writing (kind of)
If your milk toast headline doesn’t POP your audience has no reason to read on. There is a science to writing headlines. Direct mail users should educate themselves on the tried and true and go from there.
Also, to much copy about the company is boring. We can do this, we are located here, we are great, we won this award, we, we, we. To increase response, copy writing should speak to the needs and wants of your demographic. It’s not the time to toot your own horn.
3. Call to Action!
I can’t count how many direct mail pieces I’ve gotten from dental offices that sent nothing more than a glorified business card with glossy photos. Sure, I opened the envelope because there was something inside that made me curious. I was even happy to find a nice tooth shaped magnet that I put on my fridge immediately.
But…
Unfortunately, I had no reason to respond to the piece, no reason to give the letter a second thought and so it went straight to the recycle bin. I may need dental work right now but unless there is a reason for me NOT to put it off any longer, chances are I’ll wait longer and longer and find my dentist (in pain) by a Google search. If there had been the offer of a free tooth whitening for new patients in the next 30 days, a $350 value, that could easily unflip my flip phone and get me to make an appointment. In this economy, it’s never been truer, you have to give before you get.
Shaw Millerman is the owner and marketing director at Hadley Design Company, a marketing firm for health and wellness providers. For more information on health care marketing and technology integration in health care offices visit the Hadley Design Blog at http://www.wellnessindesign.com
