While pretty much everyone is jumping onto the digital marketing wagon to promote, brand or sell their product, there are still a great many companies which prefer direct mail.
Something tangible that you can feel and touch, they reckon, is still a good way of communicating with their clients (and prospective clients).
We are not knocking digital marketing. Social media, newsletters and blogs are growing exponentially, with marketers having to discover new, innovative ways to say “Hey, look at us!”
There is, however, a time and a place for direct mail campaigns.
But what is it that makes a person stop and think? What is it that makes them want to actually buy a product or service?
According Axel Andersson, a Swedish direct marketing entrepreneur, and Bob Hacker, Seattle direct marketer, there are seven key drivers that make people buy.
What are they?
• Guilt
• Flattery
• Anger
• Exclusivity
• Fear
• Greed
• Salvation
So basically, if you have a direct mail marketing campaign planned, and your brochure or sales letter isn’t loaded with one or more of these drivers, then you need to go back to the starting block.
When you plan your direct mail campaign, it would be a good idea to focus on one of these areas. What pain point does your product or service ease, or what problem does it solve? When you have identified that, then you will know the next step.
Greed and flattery are the most commonly used. It sounds awful doesn’t it? But the fact is, it works.
You have to be a little careful here, because nobody likes to think of themselves as greedy, do they? Here’s what it looks like in a marketing campaign. “Two for the price of one”. Yes, getting more for less or offering a bonus product to someone who was sitting on the fence appeals to our very basic greed factor.
What about guilt? That’s also a negative emotion used in a positive way. Recently an advert from a fast food outlet targeted busy parents. (Can you feel the guilt?) The advert showed a busy mother who simply didn’t have time to cook but could rely on this chain for something healthy and nutritious.
What about the others. Do you sell life insurance? Or offer financial planning? It’s likely that you would focus on fear. (We are not advocating fear mongering by any means. But, sometimes you need to spell out the dangers that your service can help your client to avoid.) What if your service includes beauty aids? That’s an easy one – flattery is where you are going. Do you sell high-end beachfront apartments? Then you’re walking down exclusivity lane.
Facts and figures are interesting, but a truly successful direct mail campaign will evoke an emotional response within your client. We are, after all, emotional creatures. We respond to things that make us feel good, or look good. And therefore to successfully lure a new client, we need to show them how our product can make them feel.
We at Mailmech are all about mail. So whatever your needs are for your future campaigns, it’s likely that we can help. Call us on 011 789-1608 or visit us at www.mailmech.co.za.