Are you greeted by a huge pile of post every morning? Do you throw the majority of that post away, unopened?

We’ve all had them, the steady stream of identical white envelopes dropping on to our mat. All with a misspelt address and overprinted with a company name we’ve never heard of. Is it any wonder we don’t take the effort to open them?

Remember, first impressions count…
…and you need to make a good one if you’re going to get your direct mail past the first hurdle. It’s important that you stand out from the crowd. That means, distinguishing your piece of direct mail from the ‘junk’.

Think about your envelope. Do you have to use white? It doesn’t have to be garish colour, but even a slightly different shade can grab your recipients’ attention.

Consider the pros and cons of overprinting. If you are mailing to your customers, the sight of your company name may encourage them to open the envelope. However, if your brand is unfamiliar to the people you are targeting it may be best to leave it off.

The Marketing Material
So, you’ve persuaded your prospects to open your envelope, but how are you going to ensure they read what’s inside? Don’t reach straight for the A4, it’s not necessarily the best way to promote your product.

Think about the best way to showcase your product/service. If you are an art gallery, include a lot of photos. If you are a graphic designer, ensure your marketing material is slick and well designed. Remember – use your target market to inform your decisions. That’s who your marketing material has to impress.

Experiment with the colour, size and shape of your marketing material. Try different ways to fold it and make it interesting for your prospects. Consider sending promotional gifts printed with your company’s name. They may cost more, but if you choose the right item you may find that you get a permanent advertising space in a corner of your prospect’s desk – and who wouldn’t pay for that?

The Sales Letter
Always include a sales letter with your marketing. Tests show that it can significantly increase response rate. If possible, personalise it by referring to the prospect by name, people like to feel valued as an individual rather than be seen as one of many.

It is up to you to discover what generates the best response from your market – something which you will find out in time.

So, off you go. Get testing!