Understanding Direct Mail
By Laurie Donohue, I-Marketing Management

Direct Mail can be a cost-effective way to reach a target audience, especially if you use postcards. With postcards, you can get your message to a specific group of prospects or to your existing customers for a cost of about 25 to 30 cents each including postage. You can actually send someone a postcard every 30 days for only $3 per year. And you can track your results. Because postcards are inexpensive, you can test different messages and offers, expand on the ones that work and discontinue the ones that don’t.

To ensure your postcard program works you must mail often and target your message to overcome objections.

Regular, repeated mailings are the way to create predictable results. When you mail every 30 days for a year, you will be able to track the increase in response and business. People respond to repetition. If you are a parent, you know how hard it is to refuse repeated requests from your child for a cookie. If you are not a parent, I’m sure you remember asking your parents for a treat again and again until your parents relented. Your customers and prospective customers are very similar. They need to be asked repeatedly to get their attention.

For you to overcome objections, you must anticipate the objection and address it in your mailings. There are really only four reasons people don’t buy from you.

1. They don’t want what you offer. These people believe that they don’t want what you are offering, so don’t waste your time and effort on this group. Instead, take a look at your current customers and list the common characteristics in a majority of them. It might be the type of businesses they own. It might be the value or their house or certain categories of cars. It might be age, marital status or income. These are the types of customers who have already demonstrated that they need and want your services. Then target your mailing list to mirror your current customer demographics.
2. No money. Businesses and consumers don’t usually avoid purchases because they don’t have or can’t get the money necessary to purchase. They usually don’t buy because they decide buying something else is more important to them. You can get them to buy from you by making it clear that your products and services will get them something they really need – like protecting their valuable possessions. What is the most nagging problem you can solve for your prospects? Show them how you can provide a solution to a perceived problem or threat, and they will buy what you offer!
3. No hurry. People tend to drag their feet after they decide to buy something. The longer they wait, the more likely it is they will forget why they needed your services to begin with! You must remind them regularly how important your services are to them. Add some urgency into your messages. For instance, you can remind them that it will soon be winter, when most house fires happen, or send a mailing about insuring valuable gifts right after Christmas.
4. No trust. Most people fear losing something they value more than getting something they want. This fear will make people hesitate in changing insurance agents, even if they are not happy with their current agent. You must take away the risk in doing business with you. Provide testimonials from satisfied customers to prove the quality and reliability of your products and services. Make it easy for people to communicate with you and provide answers to their concerns quickly and thoroughly. Treat them like the “kings” they are.

If your direct mail program addresses these four areas, and repeatedly offers solutions, you’ll see significant results from your mailings. Remember to send mailings to people you know will be interested in your products and services; clearly describe how you can provide solutions to perceived problems; add some urgency to your offering and offer examples of your credibility.

By using postcards, people will stop and read your messages because the format is easy to read, and photos and graphics draw them in. But, don’t just send one postcard and think people will be knocking down your door. Make a commitment to mailing regularly for a full year before drawing conclusions as to the success or failure of your program.