Direct Mail Marketing Mistake
This post will serve as a reminder about a few things…
Most Importantly…
Before we get to this particular “Direct Mail Mistake” – The reminder is to avoid one of the major mistakes most small businesses make with all marketing. And that’s…
Looking at every form of media separately. Thinking That you have to stop one to do another.
OK, Now On To Some Direct Mail Lessons…
Direct Mail is an awesome compliment to your online marketing.
If you’re willing to step up your lead-gen efforts and make offers that can be good enough for your prospects to give you all their contact info you can do direct mail in a couple of ways…
- You can totally automate it: That means you set it up as part of a “Campaign.” Quick example…
Joe Smith requests lead gen offer. Joe Smith gets offer and then gets a pre-set series of letters and cards relevant to his interests.
- Be Active: As you are stepping up your Lead Generation efforts you will naturally be building a list. You can be “Active” with you list by sending a new offer each month until they buy and become customers/clients.
On To Our Example and “Direct Mail Marketing Mistake.”
In direct mail there is a tactic called “Sneak Up.” That’s when you send mail that looks more personal. Typically a hand-written font is used. A plain envelope is what carries the message. And when done right, the “look and feel” of the personal letter continues when they open it.
In this example they almost got it…(But we know almost only counts…) 
First little screw up: They used a “real stamp.” However it was not a first class stamp and was placed on “too perfect.”
Then…
A hand-written font was used for the addressee, but the BIG mistake was to type the return address on the back. Worst of all – They used a P.O. Box and one not even from the area. Sorry, but Grandma never sent letters with a typed return address on the back from a P.O. Box in Chicago.
The actually letter was good. Written on what appears to be a piece of letter-head grabbed from a stack sitting on a desk somewhere.
This direct mail piece almost had it all. But messed up some key ingredients to really make it look and feel personal.
About the author
Mike Dolpies (aka Mike D.) owns “Ocean View Publishing, LLC” - a diverse media/Internet Marketing and Consulting Company.
He started his first business when he was just 18 years old. By the time he was 23 that business had generated well over a Million Dollars in sales and was consistently in the top 20% of its industry.
He's the Author of 6 different books. His first book, “Motion Before Motivation, The Success Secret That Never Fails,” became a bestseller on Amazon.com
He's been a guest on the Fox Morning News several times and has been written about in many newspapers.
His work has also appeared on Entrepreneur.com and Fox Businsss.com
