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  • Will You Add? - Direct Mail Sales Letters - 10 Key Elements to Creating Marketing Pieces That Get Results

    Increase in Customer Sales = Increase in Customer Service
    One of the most popular questions asked in online business forums or even by my customers and subscribers is this :“How the hell can I increase my sales?”or“I’ve got tons of visitors but nobody seems to be buying anything? What gives?”FISHNETS WITH HOLES? ANYONE?Getting traffic is not the be all and end all of a successful online business. It requires skills, specific online marketing strategies designed for your site and a robust customer service strategy.So what if you have thousands of visitors per day! That does’nt amount to success, unless you close at least 5 to 10% of those visitors.You see, when you get a lot of traffic from your advertising and marketing activities and nobody th
    our solution can make that happen. Don’t just list all the various features associated with your product or service, but smother them with the numerous benefits they’ll receive as a result of your solution.

    Sure, you need to describe your process and how you’ll accomplish this pain-free picture you painted, but be sure to explain each step in the process in terms of how it will benefit them.

    6. Overcome Objections

    Unfortunately, no matter how well you paint the pain-free picture and describe your process for making it happen, your potential customer will have some questions or objections. Don’t worry, its human n

    Why a Mortgage Broker Franchise?
    Many people ask the question, why a mortgage broker franchise?The use of the Internet has allowed us to research areas of interest, find ways of making money, changing jobs or careers and looking for different business opportunities. Many people looking for a business opportunity do not realise that 95% of franchise operators are still in business some 5-years after setting up the business.Why is that? You might say. Well the business model of a franchise is usually a well trodden path where all the mistakes have been made, the model refined and the profit margins established but more often than not, it is the on going training and support afforded by the franchisor. Often the sales person will tell you that the dif
    If you want to have any success with your business, you already know you need to advertise. While there are many methods available in today’s marketplace, the one best suited for any small business with a limited budget is without a doubt, a well written direct mail sales letter.

    While a well written sales letter definitely has the most potential for generating a flood of new business, it also has the potential to be a huge failure if not done correctly. You see, consumers today are absolutely bombarded with marketing materials and advertisements. So much so that if your piece doesn’t stand out from the crowd, it could easily get lost in the avalanche of junk mail.

    So, to help combat this potential disaster with your next direct mail piece, here are 10 key elements that will help you deliver a super-successful marketing piece:

    1. Use An Attention Grabbing Headline

    With so much advertising already competing for your prospect’s attention, it’s critical to your success that you grab their attention right off the bat. In fact, you should think of your headline as the ad for your sales letter. You MUST give your reader a strong reason to read what you have to say or you might as well save the postage and printing costs.

    2. State the Problem Your Prospect is Having

    Right off the bat let your reader know that you understand the pain and frustration they’re feeling. No matter how big or small the problem may be in reality, the pain and frustration they’re feeling is very real and it represents an opportunity for you to be the hero.

    3. Agitate the Problem

    After bringing the painful problem to their attention, paint a picture of what this problem is costing your potential customer in terms of health, wealth, time, status, or frustration. Helping them really feel the pain of the problem will urge them to continue reading as they’re now looking for a way to eliminate their pain and frustration.

    4. Paint a Picture of a Brighter Future

    Once you’ve painted a clear picture of what this problem is costing them, it’s now time to repaint the picture and give them an image of what it could look like. Just as you painted a clear picture of everything this problem is currently costing them, you want to paint an equally vibrant picture of what life COULD be like if this problem no longer existed.

    5. Lay Out Your Solution

    Now that they have a clear picture of what life could look like without the frustrating problem affecting their life, tell them how your solution can make that happen. Don’t just list all the various features associated with your product or service, but smother them with the numerous benefits they’ll receive as a result of your solution.

    Sure, you need to describe your process and how you’ll accomplish this pain-free picture you painted, but be sure to explain each step in the process in terms of how it will benefit them.

    6. Overcome Objections

    Unfortunately, no matter how well you paint the pain-free picture and describe your process for making it happen, your potential customer will have some questions or objections. Don’t worry, its human n

    Expressing Your Brand in 60 Seconds or Less!
    Each week, small business owners gather in droves to the equivalent of the office water cooler – the networking event. Dressed in our most impressive garb, we make our way through the crowd anxiously preparing to answer the inevitable question, “what do you do?” While some enjoy the hunt for new connections others would rather spend an afternoon with a dentist drill than introduce themselves to someone new. Whatever camp you reside in, the #1 most effective way to get the word out about your business is networking. It’s inexpensive, and when executed correctly, your best means of advertising your brand. Power networkers abide by a few simple networking commandments: 1. Networking requires an objective<
    lost in the avalanche of junk mail.

    So, to help combat this potential disaster with your next direct mail piece, here are 10 key elements that will help you deliver a super-successful marketing piece:

    1. Use An Attention Grabbing Headline

    With so much advertising already competing for your prospect’s attention, it’s critical to your success that you grab their attention right off the bat. In fact, you should think of your headline as the ad for your sales letter. You MUST give your reader a strong reason to read what you have to say or you might as well save the postage and printing costs.

    2. State the Problem Your Prospect is Having

    Right off the bat let your reader know that you understand the pain and frustration they’re feeling. No matter how big or small the problem may be in reality, the pain and frustration they’re feeling is very real and it represents an opportunity for you to be the hero.

    3. Agitate the Problem

    After bringing the painful problem to their attention, paint a picture of what this problem is costing your potential customer in terms of health, wealth, time, status, or frustration. Helping them really feel the pain of the problem will urge them to continue reading as they’re now looking for a way to eliminate their pain and frustration.

    4. Paint a Picture of a Brighter Future

    Once you’ve painted a clear picture of what this problem is costing them, it’s now time to repaint the picture and give them an image of what it could look like. Just as you painted a clear picture of everything this problem is currently costing them, you want to paint an equally vibrant picture of what life COULD be like if this problem no longer existed.

    5. Lay Out Your Solution

    Now that they have a clear picture of what life could look like without the frustrating problem affecting their life, tell them how your solution can make that happen. Don’t just list all the various features associated with your product or service, but smother them with the numerous benefits they’ll receive as a result of your solution.

    Sure, you need to describe your process and how you’ll accomplish this pain-free picture you painted, but be sure to explain each step in the process in terms of how it will benefit them.

    6. Overcome Objections

    Unfortunately, no matter how well you paint the pain-free picture and describe your process for making it happen, your potential customer will have some questions or objections. Don’t worry, its human n

    You Are More Than Your Resume
    Remember the days when you were in high school or college and you had to write a term paper with a typewriter. Actually, some of you reading this article have never seen a typewriter let alone have used one. Technology has changed so fast that equipment that was “cool” and expensive in its day is now given away for pennies on the dollar at a flea market.Now enter the age of internet job search. In the past, it was sufficient to have a resume to submit to Human Resources (HR) via fax, mail or simply hand it to a friend to give to HR. Well, those days are over and you need a better method, unless you want to remain unemployed.In a competitive job market, not only must you have a solid resume, you must also find a way to diff
    roblem Your Prospect is Having

    Right off the bat let your reader know that you understand the pain and frustration they’re feeling. No matter how big or small the problem may be in reality, the pain and frustration they’re feeling is very real and it represents an opportunity for you to be the hero.

    3. Agitate the Problem

    After bringing the painful problem to their attention, paint a picture of what this problem is costing your potential customer in terms of health, wealth, time, status, or frustration. Helping them really feel the pain of the problem will urge them to continue reading as they’re now looking for a way to eliminate their pain and frustration.

    4. Paint a Picture of a Brighter Future

    Once you’ve painted a clear picture of what this problem is costing them, it’s now time to repaint the picture and give them an image of what it could look like. Just as you painted a clear picture of everything this problem is currently costing them, you want to paint an equally vibrant picture of what life COULD be like if this problem no longer existed.

    5. Lay Out Your Solution

    Now that they have a clear picture of what life could look like without the frustrating problem affecting their life, tell them how your solution can make that happen. Don’t just list all the various features associated with your product or service, but smother them with the numerous benefits they’ll receive as a result of your solution.

    Sure, you need to describe your process and how you’ll accomplish this pain-free picture you painted, but be sure to explain each step in the process in terms of how it will benefit them.

    6. Overcome Objections

    Unfortunately, no matter how well you paint the pain-free picture and describe your process for making it happen, your potential customer will have some questions or objections. Don’t worry, its human n

    Interview Questions: How To Stump The Interviewer
    In the limited time an interviewer has with you, their mission is to know you and assess your worth, especially in relationship to the other candidates interviewed. Asking you questions is the way they accomplish that mission.Since interviews are two-way streets, your time should be spent assessing the position, the company, the employees and anything else that could sway you toward, or detract you from, the job opening at hand. To accomplish this, you’ll want to come to the interview prepared to ask your own questions. Keep in mind that although an interviewer may like you and want to see you continue through subsequent interview stages, you may decide that, based on their responses to the questions you have posed, the job ma
    for a way to eliminate their pain and frustration.

    4. Paint a Picture of a Brighter Future

    Once you’ve painted a clear picture of what this problem is costing them, it’s now time to repaint the picture and give them an image of what it could look like. Just as you painted a clear picture of everything this problem is currently costing them, you want to paint an equally vibrant picture of what life COULD be like if this problem no longer existed.

    5. Lay Out Your Solution

    Now that they have a clear picture of what life could look like without the frustrating problem affecting their life, tell them how your solution can make that happen. Don’t just list all the various features associated with your product or service, but smother them with the numerous benefits they’ll receive as a result of your solution.

    Sure, you need to describe your process and how you’ll accomplish this pain-free picture you painted, but be sure to explain each step in the process in terms of how it will benefit them.

    6. Overcome Objections

    Unfortunately, no matter how well you paint the pain-free picture and describe your process for making it happen, your potential customer will have some questions or objections. Don’t worry, its human n

    How Branding, MarComm and CRM Relate
    The most important single distinction we must make in our target group for any brand is the one between prospects and customers. This is because these two groups play very different roles in our business building program.There are two broad strategic activities involved in increasing our brands’ market share. We have to keep getting more revenues. And we have to avoid losing revenues we are already getting.We will never grow our market share if we don’t keep in-creasing our revenues. We will also never grow our market share if we keep losing more revenues than we are getting.Each of these two strategic activities involves two functions:There are two broad ways to keep getting more revenues: 1. We hav
    our solution can make that happen. Don’t just list all the various features associated with your product or service, but smother them with the numerous benefits they’ll receive as a result of your solution.

    Sure, you need to describe your process and how you’ll accomplish this pain-free picture you painted, but be sure to explain each step in the process in terms of how it will benefit them.

    6. Overcome Objections

    Unfortunately, no matter how well you paint the pain-free picture and describe your process for making it happen, your potential customer will have some questions or objections. Don’t worry, its human nature to be skeptical.

    However, it does require that you address as many of these objections as you can. This can be accomplished by including a FAQ section, testimonials, before-and-after pictures, or listing your qualifications. There are numerous ways you can overcome these questions and you should employ as many as it takes to help set your prospect at ease.

    7. Present A Valuable Offer

    Remember, the whole point of your direct mail sales letter is to eventually get sales. As such, it’s critical to the success of your mailing to present your prospects with an offer that gets them to move to the next step in your marketing process.

    However, don’t assume that just because you listed all your various products or services that they’re going to jump all over it. You need to present them with a very clear offer so there’s no confusion as to what the purpose of the mailing is.

    8. Create A Strong Call To Action

    Again, don’t just assume that because you sent a sales letter that lists your phone number or website somewhere on the letter that your prospect knows what to do next. Tell them exactly the steps they should take to respond to your offer and tell them exactly how to accomplish each step.

    For example, “Pick up the phone right now and call (704) 444-5555, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to schedule your FREE, no obligation estimate.” Don’t assume anything or leave anything to chance.

    9. Create Some Urgency

    Unfortunately, we live in a society of procrastinators. Unless you give your prospects a reason to respond to your offer immediately, chances are pretty good that your sales letter will end up stuck on a refrigerator never to be looked at again or in some pile of papers the does little more than collect dust. Avoid this undesirable fate by giving your offer a deadline, limiting the number of packages available, or by using any number of ‘urgency creating’ devices.

    10. Don’t Forget the P.S.

    Believe it or not, the P.S. is the second most read part of any letter, following only the headline. As such, it’s important to include one that restates your offer and chief benefits your prospect will receive. If necessary, repaint the picture of what life would be like without the problem and remind them of your offer for creating this new scene.

    Include these 10 elements and watch your next sales letter pull like a super-charged magnet.

    Remember, a powerful direct mail sales letter can be a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal, if

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