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Direct mail isn’t a complicated business. If you can get more people to read more of your letter, you’re going to achieve a greater response.

Successful direct mail is a conversation that motivates the reader to take a specific action. Get the prospect to listen more – or in our case, read more of our letter – and we have a greater chance to getting them to take a desired action.

Here are 18 proven ways you can increase readership of your direct mail letters and achieve a more profitable mailing campaign.

1. Make the letter look like a letter. Practically everyone is going to recognize it as a “mass mailing” but create the perception of a personal letter.

2. Include a salutation. You wouldn’t start a conversation without a greeting so include a salutation with your letter. And assign title codes. There is nothing more impersonal than “Dear Mr. Tom Jones.” (Even if you only have title codes for half your prospects use them. Getting 50 percent right is much better than 100% wrong.)

3. You’re writing one letter to one person. Good direct mail is an “I” to “you” medium. Not “us” and “we’s.”

4. Sell benefits, not features. You may be proud of what you’re selling but the letter isn’t about you. Write about what’s important to the reader and show them the benefits of responding today.

5. Use wide margins and double space between paragraphs. And don’t justify your right margins. Clean to the left, ragged to the right.

6. Use a serif type for your letter copy – Georgia, Courier and Times Roman are examples. Serif type has the little “feet” at the bottom and is proven to enhance reading flow and reduce eye strain – which is why your newspaper, magazines and published books use serif type. Graphic designers seem to love sans serif type but save it for headlines and things you don’t want read – like disclosures.

7. Typically, the letter’s first paragraph and the P.S. at the end of the letter get the most attention. Use these areas to capture the reader’s attention and tell them the benefits of responding.

8. Remember, you’re trying to communicate, not impress. Write in a conversational style and if this includes incomplete sentences, the use of contractions or a prepossession at the end of a sentence, so be it. As a rule of thumb, if you can’t spell a word or need to look-up its meaning, don’t use it.

9. Use your words to create an image for the reader. If the reader can see himself or herself in the situation you create, they will take an interest and read on. It’s like selling a house. When you hear the prospective buyers talking about where the sofa will go, you know you’ve got them. Same thing here. With your words, let the reader picture how they will benefit by responding today.

10. Use an involvement device – surveys, petitions, punch-out tokens, samples of cloth, address labels, greeting cards, CDs – anything you can use to get the reader involved will increase readership and response.

11. Keep your paragraphs short. You want to vary your paragraph length to keep your copy interesting and flowing but as a rule of thumb, limit each paragraph to no more than 5 lines.

12. Always indent your paragraphs. Eye-camera studies show that indented paragraphs “catch” the eye moving down the page and make the letter more readable.

13. Single space the letter. Double space between paragraphs.

14. Don’t end a page with a complete sentence. Look at your newspaper. To finish practically any article, you have to turn the page and that’s exactly what you want the reader to do with your letter – keep reading toward the final call to action.

15. When using abbreviations, always spell the word out when first used. For example, rather than beginning a letter with “A.C.L.U.” you would write, “American Civil Liberties Union (A.C.L.U.). You’ll lose all momentum if the reader must turn back to the start of the letter understand what you’re talking about.

16. Remember, as a direct mail copywriter you’re a salesperson competing for the reader’s time. Get to the point and stay with it.

17. When using “handwritten” notes in the margin and/or underlining, be sure the letter signer uses the same pin used to sign the letter. This is one letter, written by one person, to one other person. Make it believable.

18. Use nothing smaller that 10 point type (except for disclaimers) and for an older audience, you’ll want to use a larger 12-point type.

As direct mail copywriters, we can’t close the sale without getting the prospect to read our letter. Use each these proven 18 tips to increase readership and you’ll see a positive impact with your response.
About the Author

Hugh Chewning is a professional direct mail copywriter and consultant who helps consumer, nonprofit and business-to-business organizations acquire, retain and cross-sell customers. You can find more about Hugh’s approach plus his free-package critique offer at www.cdmdirect.com. And for more free tips on how to improve your mail’s profitability, sign-up for his free blog, Direct Mail Insights.

Copyright © Hugh Chewning. All rights Reserved. You may reprint this article online provided that you keep the links live and keep all the content “as is,” including title, author byline, article text, and “about the author” information.

Got important news you need to share with your customers or clients? Want to make sure they actually receive your announcement in their hands?

Postcard Marketing is a great way to get your news in front of the people who matter most to your business. But unlike press releases, which are generally distributed to the press, these postcards are sent directly to your customers. It’s a nearly guaranteed way to make sure your target audience hears your big news, because they’ll get it right in their mailbox. You may have tried emailing your press releases to customers, but how do you know they’re actually reading it? You might put your press release on your homepage, but how many of your customers will actually visit your site this month? Turning your press releases into direct mail promotional postcards makes your news seem even bigger, and it can translate into a lot of additional business too.

However, not every announcement may be worthy of a direct-mail campaign. Here are some examples of instances you may want to use promotional postcards for your news:

Critical Announcements:
- Change of company address
- Change of business name
- Change in prices or product offerings

Exciting News:
- Accolades or awards
- New partnerships or management
- High-profile new clients/customers
- Donations or volunteer efforts by your company

Keep in mind that news-related postcards will rarely generate the same level of response as postcards that are purely promotional or hard-hitting. But that doesn’t mean you can’t generate some significant profits from this type of mailing. If you want your news to result in business, be sure to explain in your postcards how this news will benefit the people you’re mailing to. For example, if you’re announcing an award your company received, thank your customers for making it possible and explain what it may mean for them in the future.

Every business has news to announce, no matter how small. Take something that’s unique or new about your company and let everyone know about it. Postcards are a great way to make it happen.
About the Author:
M. Marlin is a postcard marketing specialist for PostcardPower Postcard Marketing, based in Elizabethtown, Pa. For more information on direct mail postcards, Mr. Marlin can be contacted via http://www.postcardpower.com

Postcard marketing could really be promising. However, for the campaign to work effectively, you should begin the initiative by working on the right mailing list. After you have produced the postcards to be distributed for your marketing activities, you should aim to send them to people who could be prospects in your marketing effort. Of course, you want to reach out to consumers who have higher chances and potential to buy or subscribe to any product or service you are selling or marketing. It would be futile to send postcards to people who you think would not in any way be interested or who have no need for what you offer.

Sending and mailing your postcards to the right people would men big time for your business. Whether you would use the traditional snail mail or the modern and sophisticated email, you should always make it a goal to send your message to your target people. For instance, if you are marketing children’s books, you should aim to reach parents who have children because such a market segment would certainly patronize the products you offer. Know your target market well as this is the first essential step to be effective.

You have to build an appropriate network or a list of addresses for your postcard marketing campaign. You could begin by securing a list of target people from reliable list of specialized brokers operating in the market. This strategy is more rampant online. If you could not secure any list of prospects, you could consider buying them. Some businesses thrive by selling such lists because they know marketers and advertisers would always need them. When doing so, just be sure you are dealing with trustworthy and reliable brokers.

How could you build your own listing? It could be easier than you thought. You could start by reviewing your phonebook or your personal contact lists. It is time to touch base with old friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. Online, you could write newsletters and e-books and offer them to target readers in exchange for their own mailing addresses. For sure, people who would be instantly interested in your products and services would aim to know you and your business more. They would mostly not mind giving you their mailing and contact information. When this happens, make sure you file the addresses in a more organized and effective manner.

You could also opt to attach your postcards in newspapers and magazines. Print your name and address in the return mail section of the postcard you distribute. Make arrangements with the post office so that the mailers would not incur any expense or fee when they return the postcards to your address. This way, you would be building your own network and list of prospects without exerting much effort.

It could be asserted that through this initiative, you are luring the potential contacts to go to you instead of the other way around. This way, your postcard marketing campaign would surely be more effective.

Discover the Secrets to Increasing Retention, Profits and building meaningful relationships with thousands of people at the same time by visiting this link now: http://www.SendandProsper.com

In the first of this two article set, you learned what different kinds of lists are available, and the two best resources for buying mailing lists. In this part II of this article, we’re pleased to discuss the other 9 places to buy a mailing list.

3. Trade Associations Mailing Lists

Trade Associations are unusually excellent sources of mailing lists. Better associations always include the industry’s top major players. Local associations like the local Chamber of Commerce in your area are usually good for a mailing list of local business names. You can select your mailing list criteria by business size, number of employees, SIC code (the government’s industry classification of each business), or any of a multitude of other selection parameters.

Two great sources for finding associations are reference books from ColumbiaHouse Books, Inc; www.columbiabooks.com) publishers of the State and Regional Associations Directory and The National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States. Mailing lists of the associations are available on labels or download.

Association mailing lists and data are also available in the giant reference Encyclopedia of Associations by The Gale Group, on disk, CD, and on-line through Lexis-Nexis. This hard bound, three-volume set is the mother load of associations – showing detailed information on more than 23,000 local, state, national, and international associations. If you need a mailing list from an association, if you can’t find it in here, you can’t find it.

4. Trade Shows Mailing Lists

Trade show lists are also great marketing tools. You can usually buy mailing lists of both attendees and of exhibitors. Check out two great websites: www.tscentral.com and www.tradeshowweek.com for trade show information. The Tradeshow Week Data Book, is a great tool published by the editors of Tradeshow Week Magazine.

5. Mailing List Resources: List Reference Tools

Two excellent resources for investigating lists at the library are the SRDS Direct Marketing List Source™ and the Oxbridge Communications National Directory of Mailing Lists. We use both of these huge directories of mailing lists in our own office – they’re thorough and easy to use. These reference tools are each about the size of the Manhattan phone book and contain nothing but mailing list data: who owns what mailing list, number of records in each, source of names and, mailing list pricing. Both tools are available in major libraries.

6. Mailing List Brokers

Mailing list brokers are found in the phone book in every major city. They can be heaven, supplying incredible information, or hell, looking for that fast buck. Make sure you ask tons of questions before handing over any money (Please see our article “12 questions to ask a mailing list vendor.” While you pay the broker, he actually works for the list owner – so take that into consideration when you ask questions and negotiate price.

A plethora of mailing list managers and mailing lists owners can be found in the direct mail trade magazines such as Multichannel Merchant Magazine, Target Marketing, and DM News.

7. Catalogs of Mailing Lists

Some list brokers are huge and have their own catalog of mailing lists. Some of these mailing list catalogs are over 100 pages long! Some catalogs of mailing lists are handy reference tools that will give you an idea of just what’s out there – what kind of lists are available and counts of how many records exist in the thousands of different mailing list categories. Please see the article on mailing lists titled, “Free Catalogs of Mailing Lists” .

Want to know how many dentists there are? It’s a piece of cake: 190,168 are members of the ADA. Want to know if there is a mailing list of picky ale drinkers? Find the mailing list of “Ale in the Mail-Continuity Members:” 70,973 of them. Selling an accounting product? Try the mailing list from the Accounting Institute Seminar Attendees – all 78,634 of them. Looking for college professors? Did you want the 43,347 who teach English, or the 18,184 who teach history, or the 8,477 in marketing, or the 9,194 philosophy teachers, or the…

If you need additional information – like how many doctors who specialize in allergies and are the head of their practice with four or more employees can be found in Pennsylvania – call any of these catalog houses and ask them to run a mailing list count with those parameters. You’ll be able to get that information in about ten minutes. Hugo Dunhill Mailing Lists, American Business Lists, and Edith Roman Mailing Lists, to name just a few. More phone numbers for mailing list brokers can be found in the books Uncommon Marketing Techniques and How To Market A Product For Under $500!

8. Lists on CD

Several companies now offer lists of every business or every person in the U.S. on CD-ROM. These products allow you to create your own list criteria and generate your own precisely targeted mailing lists. Some of the better programs make it easy and fast to use their CD-ROM products.

9. Internet

One of the best resources for lists is the Internet. There’s no getting around it now, the Internet is here to stay — you might as well get used to it. It’s a great – probably the best – research tool available for almost anything, if you can filter out the crap from the good stuff. But… isn’t that the way with all research tools: you gotta figure out which is the good stuff that you can use, and which is the bad stuff that you’ve just spent the last two hours looking over and have now figured out is pretty worthless. Yea, the Internet is like that – in spades.

10. The Enemy

You’d be surprised how many of your competitors will sell your their customers’ names to mail to. If not competitors, how about asking other businesses who serve your market if you can purchase their mailing lists. Warranty lists and data, registrations, some firms just seem to warehouse data that would make a great mailing list to someone.

11. House List

Of course, the best mailing list of all – bar none – is your own list of current and past customers. These are the folks that know you and trust you; they’ve experienced that great customer service you offer and are now willing to buy something else from you if you would only let them know it’s available.

Spend some extra time in this most important area – of mailing list research: tighten your mailing list criteria, do your homework, spend time in research, and find the best mailing lists you can possibly find. Then test several.

Selecting a mailing list isn’t as rewarding as generating the creative for a new glitzy 4-color brochure, or an exciting mailing package. But it shows up where it counts the most – in your bottom line. The better your mailing list, the better your response. Guaranteed.

It’s worth the extra time and money to target your audience with precision and increase the chance you’ll come up a winner at the post office. There is no single more important factor in creating a greater response to a mailing than mailing to the best possible list. Whatever you do, don’t settle for a mediocre list unless you want mediocre results. The better the mailing list, the greater the response.
About the Author:
Need More Business? Why struggle: If you’d like to easily get more customers and kick up the response you get from any direct mail program, visit Jeffrey Dobkin’s website and learn other fast and easy ways to make your direct marketing more effective – and yet – lower your cost. Read more FREE direct marketing articles at www.danielleadams.com. Author Jeffrey Dobkin has written 5 books on direct marketing, including the cult classic, How To Market a Product for Under $500.

Are you tired of stuffed up, formal and uninteresting business cards? Do not worry you are not alone. Business card printing today is moving beyond its formal and often boring foundations and moving on to better and more creative designs. It is only natural for color business cards to represent the energy of creativity and innovation of our age. If you want to adopt this kind of philosophy in your color business cards, below are a few tips that should shake the foundations of your business card printing for the better.

Using non-standard sizes

One of the many supposed immovable facts about business cards is its dimension. Look at most business cards today and you should discover that most follow supposed national and international conventions in business card dimensions. However, in today’s world, people can be quite flexible with this. In fact, most people do not even notice if a business card is using the right dimensions or not. So try and break the rules and use non-standard sizes and dimensions. If you choose a particularly different setting, people will notice your business cards among the rest.

Being loud and flashy

In the past, a full color business card that was loud and flashy was considered an amateur one. They said that only amateurs tried to be loud and flashy to compensate for their lack of experience. One thing that wasn’t thrown in with this argument though was that the loud and flashy business cards were often remembered because of their nature. In today’s world, being loud and flashy is the name of the game to be memorable. You have to be remembered by people and being loud and flashy with your business card designs is the quickest path. So let loose your imagination when it comes to business card designs.

Using unusual materials

While paper is still the most recommended material for use in most business cards, you should know that it is possible to change this and use other types. Materials like plastic, rubber, wood and metal are now being used by some businessmen as promotional business cards, trying to advertise their products. It is an unusual approach that is now slowly getting accepted.

Using unusual shapes

The standard rectangular shape of a business card can also be changed for a more interesting effect. With advances in cutting and printing, you can now have the most unique business card in your field by using different shapes and forms. From rectangular business cards, you can go for square ones, or circle ones to keep it interesting. You can even use shapes that look like your products for that extra advertising effect.

Printing more information

In terms of business card layouts, it was often believed that you only need to place your standard contact information. Today however, people are adding all sorts of other information in their custom business cards. Sometimes they add their favorite quotation. Others put in advertisements about their products. This adds more functions to the business card making it more than just for business networking.

So that is how you shake the foundations of traditional business card printing. These ideas are quite simple, but they should make your business cards quite unique and creative. You should definitely try doing them.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit:
http://www.printplace.com/printing/color-business-cards.aspx, http://www.printplace.com/printing/business-card-printing.aspx

About The Author
Lynne Saarte is a writer that hails from Texas. She has been in the Internet business for some years now, specializing in Internet marketing and other online business strategies.