In general, the creative standards have slipped in B2C mailings over the past 15 years or so. They haven’t slipped as far as B2B mailings have but they’re not what they used to be.

The standout category in direct mail is dominated by charities. There’s a good reason for that and it’s the same reason they use direct mail in the first place: it’s their bread and butter. Without direct mail, charities would die. They’re good at acquisition mailing and brilliant at mailings to existing donors. What makes them so great? Let’s review some of the principles.

The mailings are in envelopes. They’re not postcards or self-mailers.

The envelopes have teaser copy on the outside.

Everything in the “package” looks easy to read even before you start reading.

The writers are never showing off their brilliance; the copy is always in simple language, as simple as Dickens’s “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”.

They have letters and the letters have a personal, one-to-one, feel about them. The letters are from a human being and signed, usually in blue, by a human being, one human being, not two or three or, shudder, a committee.

There’s usually a (relevant) story of some kind that draws the reader in.

The writer makes a point if establishing a one-to-one connection with a simple device like “I don’t know how you feel about … but I …”

Sometimes there is a brochure, sometimes not. (Often, brochures are not worth what they cost.)

They often contain involvement devices, something for the recipient to “play” with, however minor it may be: a sticker you move from here to there, for example.

The copy might tug gently at your heartstrings, but it doesn’t beat you over the head.

The copy is as long as it has to be, no longer and, certainly, no shorter.

They do what all sales managers wish their salespeople would do: they ask for the order in several different ways.

They are positive, upbeat and focused on success.

They usually feature testimonials.

They keep coming.

I am flabbergasted every day that companies do not use direct mail more often.

I understand it is considered old-fashioned and unglamorous – both of which are completely irrelevant if it works. I hear that it is expensive, and it is compared to some of the options. But that, too, is irrelevant if it is profitable and grows in profitability as it is used more and more.

To me the best things about direct mail today are the same best things of 50 years ago: you control the message environment, you can test everything, you know exactly how well you’re doing, you get and keep customers, and your competition has no idea what you’re up to.

Companies have become disillusioned; projects have been stalled; budgets have been cut; and enterprise rollouts of CRM pilot projects have either been postponed or cancelled. As a result, many software vendors, technology integrators, and consulting firms are limping along, and some don’t look like they’ll be around for much longer.

Apparently the main reason CRM crashed is that it was expensive and time consuming to keep track of all those pesky customers. And why bother when the Internet would be a limitless source of new customers forever? It sounded, at the time, like a new kind of thinking for a brave new world.

It was really the same old thinking so many marketing executives had spouted over the years: “Customer Acquisition!”

Increasing revenue from existing customers (and bringing back lapsed ones) is not the glamour end of the business. Acquisition is where the excitement always lives. It has always been so and every client has a budget for it, and little left for retention.

Companies that spend little or no time coddling best customers, getting referrals from and generating word of mouth from all customers and selling other things to them all are ignoring a huge potential source of revenue.

Charities don’t do that.

They’re great at working their donor files. Even if you’re as tight as Scrooge McDuck, try sending money to a half dozen or so charities like Smile Train or Boys Town and watch what happens. It’ll be a very inexpensive lesson in CRM, not to mention brilliant direct mail creative. It’ll look weird at first what with fonts and layouts making everything easy to read and the copy in a perfect one-to-one personal mode.

You’ll get special updates on all the good your money is doing. You’ll see the kids you’re helping. You’ll be asked for more money but you will also feel like a valued and important member of a wonderful group. It will never occur to you that you’re being CRMed.

And, you’ll give money again.

2. Create Urgency
You can have the best offer or direct mail piece in the world- BUT if no one acts upon it, then what’s the point? You have to get customers to act right away. If you need customers for a specific time frame (i.e. a slow season), than consider using urgent language. Adding an expiration date, or limited-time offer helps create urgency. Sweeten the deal by offering a gift if they redeem the offer by a certain day.

3. Tell em’ what to do
People have to be told what to do, when, where and how. Don’t make things more complicated. Keep your message clear and concise and simply spell it out for them. For example, “Subscribe to our Tip of the Week by Tuesday, November 7 and receive a $5 off coupon to use on your next purchase”.

4. Make an offer they can’t refuse
When creating the offer, try not to go for the “usual”. If you’re competitor is offering a “Buy one, get one 50% off” offer, why do the same thing? Instead, try something like “Free $10 gift card with your purchase of $35.” Remember, most people don’t like to have to calculate things. Making it easier for them is always better.

If you remember to: 1. Use Active Words, 2. Create Urgency, 3. Tell them what to do, and 4. Make a great offer, than you’re all set! It also doesn’t hurt to test different campaigns, to see what works best for you.

Lois K. Geller is President of Lois Geller Marketing Group in Hollywood. Florida. Find her on twitter: @loisgeller. Her books on marketing are available on Amazon.com.

Growing up, my friends and I played with dolls, action figures, jump rope, hopscotch, and played video games like Super Mario Brothers.

Now, it seems like even toddlers are walking around with cell phones and iPads. My niece, Yanelly (5 years old), knows how to get on the Internet and logon to Disney.com. She can fully navigate the website by herself! She even knows how to stream her favorite shows and movies on a PS3 game console through Netflix. She taught me how to do that last week.

She doesn’t even know how to write her name, let alone read. Kids are learning to type before they even learn how to write.

I couldn’t help but think about how people rarely hand write things any more. Are handwritten notes and papers going to be a thing of the past?

Don’t get me wrong; I type everything, too (I’m obviously not handwriting this post). But to me, there is nothing like getting a heartfelt handwritten note.

There is a power in handwritten notes. Will it die off eventually?

I sat in my room the other night and pulled out my “memory box”, where I keep all of my mementos, notes, cards, pictures, etc.

Any note or card that anyone has ever sent me, I keep in that box (except ones from ex-boyfriends). The way I look at it, if someone takes the time to sit down and write their sentiments, they really care about me. That means a whole lot more than a Tweet or Facebook Post will ever mean to me.

Think about it this way, what would mean more… a handwritten love note or a love email? That doesn’t sound romantic does it? If Grandma sent you an email on your birthday, instead of your annual card, would it mean as much? My parents have been married for 28 years and my mom still has all the love notes that my father has ever written to her.

When it comes to a Direct Mail campaign keep these things in mind. I’m all for instant communication, but I think we shouldn’t forget the power of a handwritten note and the impact that it makes.

Nordstrom and Christian Dior are masters at this! Their Sales Associates send their customers a handwritten thank you note after every purchase. Now, that’s a great relationship builder.

A handwritten note tells the person that they’re on your mind and that you value the relationship. Sending a “We Want You Back” note to reactivate an old client, or handwriting a P.S. on a letter, can make a world of difference in you direct mail campaign.

If handwritten letters are not an option (i.e. if you’re sending 10,000 mailers), then consider making your program personable. Don’t get personable confused with personalized. Adding someone’s name to a letter is personalization– the typical thing to do. Personable means making the letter sound human, like a friend is talking to you.

So the next time you start typing away a note, think about how much more it would mean if it was handwritten in your own handwriting and sounded just like you.

Let me know your thoughts. What is your favorite letter you’ve received?

Guest Blog Post from
Rachel Rodriguez
LGMG Account Exec.

I worked at Better Homes and Gardens Books, in charge of direct mail for one-shots, single books, and continuities, book sets.

We also did full catalogs and tested all kinds of things such as perforated on-page Order Forms vs bind-in Order Forms. Bind-ins always lifted response as they were more involving for the reader.

Every spread had at least one picture of a person because people tend to look at people (and animals). Your eye can’t help it, even if you’re lusting over the Michael Kors bag in the lower left corner.

So, if you offer products to Moms, you might consider adding a photo of a cute child such as Drew, my friend Kate’s nephew. If you put your most interesting product next to him, you just might lift sales for that item.

I suspect that many of the tips on merchandising a catalog also hold true for websites. Today I looked at a lot of B2B sites (because I’m leaving for a speech at the Merit Direct Conference) and almost none had photos of people. What do you think?

If someone wants to sell me something, a picture of a cat, like my lovely Lucy Baines, will always get my attention.

Hi! I am an intern at Lois Geller Marketing Group and it is my second week here. Lois asked me to do a guest post on her blog so I sought the advice of our Creative Director, His most regal majesty- Mike. He suggested that since I have little experience and only a small (but rapidly growing) knowledge base, I might consider writing about something that I know.
So here goes….

I signed up as a “Guess List” member along with a group of other shoppers who agreed to receive texts about special offers and new products.

Today, I got a text and what a mess!

It was too long; way too long to hold anyone’s attention. The main point was on page two. Page Two! Texting operates on an entirely different level than direct mail copy which is fine if it’s long, even very long. How do I know this? Well, there’s common sense, of course, but I’m a near-addicted texter. Just ask my friends.

So I decided to tell you about Mobile Marketing: My Experience.
Messages to-on-the-go mobile devices can wield a lot of marketing power, assuming they’re messages that people want to read. Most texters are like me, average Joes with smart phones, tablets, navigation systems, e-readers, and MP3s. We’re not known for long attention spans and We wrt lk ths (we write like this).

So, using common sense, I developed The Intern’s Short List of four points for effective commercial text messages:
1) Texts under 160 characters. For one thing, 160 is the max set by phone companies. And readers like messages that are that quick, at-a-glance easy and right-to-the-point. Plus, we don’t want to pay for several pages of texts just to get to your promotion! We’re big fans of direct marketing … and we’re looking forward to location based real-time marketing.

2) Wandering off topic is annoying. It’s OK to be inspired by an approaching holiday or current event, but a lot of marketing texters seem to get carried away. Readers can get uninterested and even disoriented trying to follow their thoughts.

3) Texts should look interesting, don’t you think? Consider the differences between these two versions of the same message:
a) Come in tonight for an exclusive release party at eight.
b) Come in TONIGHT for an *exclusive* release party @ 8!!!
You know that b) is texter-style, right?

4) And I do wish they wouldn’t harass us! Prospects are wary of deals because it seems that every other offer is not real. Unless we specifically ask for more, I suggest that texts be limited to perhaps four or five a month. We like to see message inboxes filled with texts from buddies — not businesses!
So please comment and tell me about your mobile marketing ideas. I beg you!

Your friend,
Lemar Scott: The Intern

Every day we come home, get our mail and sort through for the bills and any letters from friends and family. It’s pretty much a routine we have…you already know what you’re looking for. So what makes a direct mail piece stand out so that we don’t rule them out and throw them in the trash?

The envelope is the first thing we see. If it doesn’t immediately catch your eye or looks questionable, 9 out of 10 times it goes “bye-bye”.

Now the question is: how do we draw them in? We all know the old saying don’t judge a book by its cover, but in this case, you have to! The envelope is the first impression, so you have to hook that fish and reel it in. The idea is to at least get them to read the letter inside.

Some great ideas to boost your envelope appeal:

1. Use unique colors for the envelope itself. Depending on your product or service, use colors that pop. Colors can captivate and stir emotion. For example, when promoting to teenage girls, test using colors like hot pink.

3. Experiment with different size envelopes and test which one works better.

Here’s an example of a successful mail piece that we created.

The objective of this direct mail piece for the Philadelphia zoo was to increase memberships. The strategy was to create multi-format mailings featuring the benefits of membership. The end the results, we were able to increase response rates, because of new creative and new list selection.

Funny enough Mike our VP and Creative Director, STILL wears the “I Belong in the Zoo” t-shirt that was featured on the piece.

When I was a kid, my Mom bought me a diary with a small brass key. I wrote in it every day until my sister peeked into it and that was the end of my diary writing, especially when she found out I had a crush on her boyfriend. He was a dork.

I’d forgotten all that until people in the business started insisting that I do a blog. “It’ll make people like you … ” “You can show how smart you are…” yada yada.

So, I set up joyofdirectmarketing.com to write about our clients’ direct marketing efforts, as well as my speeches and books. Then my assistant at the time said that no one does direct marketing any more (as in direct mail – boy was she wrong). That threw a wrench into things for a while.

Then someone else here at the office wondered about the objective of the blog and if I was going to build continuity, progress constantly and develop content. Hmmm. This was becoming too much like work, not at all like my diary days when it was fun.

Then my friend, Amy Africa blogged that somehow my blog is stiff and not like me at all. No trolls and such. You can read about it here: Amy Africa’s QLOG

People responded to Amy (as they always do) with ideas for improving content, type fonts, email capture, colors, adding a photo of me and everyone said to lose the calendar. (God knows where that came from anyway).
So, I figured I should check out some other blogs.

Amy’s good friend, Debra Ellis, has an interesting one here: Wilson Ellis Consulting Blog (I adore her from Twitter.)

I attend #blogchat on Twitter most Sunday nights about 8pm, and Mack Collier runs this information-packed session (you need to be on tweetdeck though), and I like his blog: Mack Collier’s Blog

I now read Dianna Huff’s b-to-b blog all the time: Dianna Huff’s Blog

And for fun, I follow the Brazen Careerist, Penelope Trunk – a city person marrying a farmer who has somehow got me engaged in her whole life, like a soap opera. Take a look at it: Penelope Trunk’s Blog

My friend Dwain told me about the blog: Small Dead Animals. Take a look at it here, and you’ll be hooked: SmallDeadAnimals.com

As I’m checking them all out, I’m wondering more and more why I need a blog, what it’s good for. I still have no idea.

If you get a chance, let me know what you think! Thank you.

Many years ago, the Chairman of Ford of Canada called my agency in to his office for help. He needed to have more women in Canada buy their cars. They were losing market share to General Motors (who actually knew how to train their salespeople to talk to women in the showrooms).

We developed a curriculum approach to building relationships with the women. It began with a survey, and a nice letter from the chairman asking them to help him to do a better job.

It was signed in blue ink by the Chairman(of course it was printed), but it still looked authentic.

Then he gave them an offer of a book, Car and Truck Buying Made Easy…after they helped him out with the survey.

All of the names and answers to three questions were databased.

If they were going to buy a car in the next three months, we sent them a $200. gift certificate to come to the dealership near them, make the best deal, and then whip out this special certificate for additional savings. The other groups were handled differently, and all groups got a newsletter to “continue the relationship” with them.

Now, they call these kinds of programs “trigger mailings”. If I do this, then you mail me that offer.

I’m just wondering why more companies don’t do that. They have triggers on line, like offers that come popping up, when you abandon the shopping cart. They have trigger pop-ups when you are about to pay, and then there’s one more offer.

Why aren’t more companies doing this in the mail? In fact, why don’t they write to me, when I defect?

For instance, about 3 months ago, I stopped using my Mastercard to get American Airlines points. Why? Because I realized I don’t fly that much on AA, and I’d rather get some of the exciting gifts they offer on American Express Membership Rewards.

Maybe you should consider some small tests, with trigger mailings, and follow-up. Might work wonders for you.

I have HootSuite, and Twitter my comments on a timely basis, and answer everyone…and maybe it is doing something for my agency…but I’m not sure yet. I spent a lot of time on it over the weekend, and then looked at my results.

It was amazing for me to see that the one tweet that got the highest response was one I wrote about direct mail, sending people to Michael McCormick’s blog, http://gutsofaburglar.com

The funny thing about that is …our agency still gets most of our new business from targeted direct mail programs.  We weave a great story into a letter, include an offer and a time limit…and Voila! People call us.

Of course, I know that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr will all eventually work for us too. It is just a matter of testing different strategies. The important thing is to build relationships and the best way to begin that is to work on a “knowledge level”,
understanding who your prospect is, and something about him/her. These social media sites help us that way, because when you read someone’s tweets …you get to know them better.

So, keep on Twittering, and Facebooking, and emailing…and always remember to continue to test the “tried and true” direct mail program. It will work even better now, because our mailboxes at home and at work…are really quite empty.

Meanwhile, visit me on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/loisgeller