6 Simple Rules for Creating Direct Mail That Gets Your Phone to Ring

It almost doesn't matter what business you are in, direct mail properly executed works. Sometimes it may not be very economical if you sell a low priced item, but a well crafted letter can get a prospect to take action.

Direct mail specialists always say that direct mail is simply salesmanship in print, yet many direct response letters written by untrained people fail to sell and to follow these 6 basic rules:

1. You must have a headline that attracts attention. The headline is the most important part of a direct response letter and changing it can result in 200% -300% improvements in response, even when nothing else is changed.

2. If you don't create instant interest and value, people won’t read even the shortest letter. Creating interest and value can get the longest letters read more than once.

3. Social proof is one of the most powerful tools available to the direct response marketer. Use lots of testimonials showing that you can deliver what you claim. People want to know that you can deliver what you claim. Other proof mechanisms include specific details, numbers etc. The more specific you are the more your claims will be believed.

4. Write to people in a personal manner. Write to them in the same way you speak to people. Worry more about clearly communicating your message than the quality of your English prose. Use slang, use contractions and remember in copywriting it's OK to begin a sentence with "And".

5. Demonstrate that what you are offering is a bargain. Unless your prospect feels that what you are offering has value and that she is getting more in results than you are asking in costs, she won’t take action. Make your offer as free of risk as possible.

6. Show people how easy it is to order, by explaining exactly what to do and making ordering easy. The more complex you make it the fewer orders you will receive!

Michael Hepworth is the StreetSmart Marketer and a Toronto marketing consultant, you can receive his free marketing tips newsletter at www.streetsmartmarketer.com/.

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