Luckily, if you're currently using direct mail in your business, you will stand a chance of having success with it if you follow the tips in today's lesson. In this article, I will point out some of the things that you need to be doing in order to make more money with direct mail. Here's the first thing that you should do:
1) Get prepared
Go and buy out all of the things that you will need to make your direct mail campaign a success. This should include ordering envelopes, paper, ink, a new printer, and possibly some blank CD's or DVD's that you would like to incorporate in your free offer. Once you have these things in line, you're almost ready to go.
But having these supplies doesn't necessarily mean that they will create themselves. You have to take the initiative to create these mailing pieces for yourself. If you don't have the copywriting skills to create copy for yourself, then hiring a copywriter or simply use a swipe file.
A "swipe file" is exactly how it sounds. It's a collection of successful headlines, ads, direct mail pieces, postcards, display ads, and even successful internet sales letters. This will give you inspiration for writing your next ad or sales letter when you're stuck on ideas. There are a few swipe files rolling around on the internet, but you will most likely have to pay for them. Nevertheless, they're a great investment for your business's future.
Here's another thing that you need to do to make money with direct mail:
2) Rent a good list
Start your list research at the SRDS. The SRDS stands for the "standard rate and data service", and it's a great way to find mailing lists who have similar customer lists that you have. So all you have to do is find a list for you, purchase it, and then start mailing.
Lol... hopefully you didn't take the advice above seriously. You see there's a few key points that I would like to make before you start running direct mail campaigns from your kitchen table.
The first thing you need to know is that the more specific your list gets, the more expensive it will become. So if you're planning on making your list very specific, see if you can advertising a $200-$300 product to make up for the expense of the sales letter.
Another thing that you should know is that you should stay away from list brokers. Unless you have an "inside source" for getting you the best mailing list, it will be in your best interest to not bother with lists from a list broker. All they care about is money, and they don't have your best interest at heart.
Now that you know some of ropes to using direct mail, make it a point to test small and see the kind of response that you are getting. When I say test small, I mean mail out 1,000 sales letters (or postcards) to see how it goes. If you have success with your initial mailing, rent out the list again, and mail again. This is the easiest way that you can get started in your direct mail project.
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