This document provides 11 useful direct marketing tips. It advises marketers to not underestimate direct marketing and to always test databases before renting them. Small changes through testing can bring significant results. Marketers should use customer data to personalize communications and explain benefits in detail with long copy. They should prove their claims with evidence and value building a quality database. Marketers need to be clear in their messaging so people hear and read what is most important. Overall, the tips encourage marketers to test, optimize, and personalize direct marketing efforts.

1. How to Do It?
11 Useful Direct Marketing Tips
Direct Marketing Tips by Mediapost Hit Mail
#8

2. 1. Don’t underestimate it
under
Direct marketing is not as “fancy”
as TV. That’s why people treat it
not so seriously.
However, it is quite hard not to
pay attention to something that
comes through your door with
your name on it. And if it's
persuasive enough it makes
people do something.
And, you know what? It is
measurable.

3. 2. When renting databases,
always test them first. You
will save a lot of money.
You may already know this,
but it’s worth repeating it,
because usually obvious is
overlooked.
Which leads to...

4. 3. Always do tests
Always have in mind that small
changes could bring significant
results. Moreover, small changes
are almost invariably free or very
cheap. Keep monitoring your test
results and they will guide you
through the road to success. And,
what is also important, they will
provide you with a back-up
alternative when results go down.
Because sooner or later they will.

5. 4. What do you know?
Use the information that you have about your
customers or prospects when contacting them.
Don’t keep if for yourself - personalized letters, e-
mails or any other promotional materials could
significantly boost your results.
And by using the data you have wisely, you will
speak to the right people, at the right time, with the
most relevant proposal.

6. 5. Give something
Try incentives related to some
actions: registration, opt-in, enquiry,
early buying, telling a friend (and
prove it), buying more etc. But never
give something for nothing - it won’t
pay for itself.
Organize sweepstakes or contests,
send collectible gifts, but ask people
to react.

7. 6. Don’t be clever
You don’t need to “blind” your
customers with knowledge or
creativity when the only thing
they might need is a relevant
product or service.
Say what you have to say in a
way it will convince them to
buy. If you want to entertain
them - good, but don’t be
funny about serious things
(money, loans, insurances etc.).

8. 7. Explain in details
Tests reveal that long copy almost always beats short
copy. You might think that brevity is good, but when you
are sending direct mail you don’t expect everybody to
react - only those who are interested in your proposal.
Use the letter or the e-mail you are sending to explain
every reason to buy, answer possible questions and
retain objections. Offer clean and strong benefits.
Describe clearly what you are offering. Ask people to reply
and to do something.
Space is what you need to have a complete and
convincing story.

9. 8. Prove what you’re saying
If you think that people will
believe what you say just
because you are saying it, you
will be in trouble. Use everything
that you could use to prove your
statements - testimonials,
research results and statistics,
reports, newspaper or magazine
articles. Offer guarantees. “Your
money back if you are not
satisfied” usually will bring you
amazing results.

10. 9. Value of a name
A customer that you got for just 3 BGN
is leaving in your pocket 50 BGN over
one year. Another one that you got for
20 BGN is spending 2000 BGN. Which
one is better? Don’t forget to check
what the quality of the database you
are gathering is.
Usually banners build weak databases
while direct mail or flyers gather top-
quality names. But you never know
before testing it, don’t you?

11. 10. What people hear?
It’s not important what do you say - it is what your
customers or prospects hear. Here are several ways of
saying the same thing. The green one is often working
best, but don’t forget to test it.
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12. 11. What people read?
“We live in terrible times:
everyone is writing, but
nobody is reading.”
(Oscar Wilde)
This is true even nowadays - people read what they
want to read, not what it is written. So be precise and
instantly clear. Don’t leave it obscure or confusing.

13. More to come:
1. Why Do You Need Your Own Database?
2. How to Build a Database?
3. How to Manage Your Database?
4. How to Segment your Customers?
5. Tests - How to Run and Analyze Them?
6. The Deliverability Problem
7. Personalization
8. Online & SMS Promotions
9. Useful Direct Marketing Tips
10. How to Launch Your CRM Program?
11. The Advantages of Direct Marketing (Summary)

14. Thank You!
two more slides...

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just one more...

16. Hello,
We are very close to the end of the “Direct Marketing Tips” series.
Don’t forget that we would be glad to know your opinion on it. Please
drop us an e-mail at
office@mediaposthitmail.bg,
or call us at +359 885 360 715. You will get FREE all the presentations,
in case you’ve missed some of them.
Thanks!
Hristo Radichev
Country Manager, Mediapost Hit Mail
P.S. Do you know someone that would be interested in our services?
Or probably you want to know more about direct marketing? Why
don’t you give us a try - we won’t charge you for the test if your results
are better than ours for two out of three attempts. You don’t lose
anything if you try.
A good deal, isn’t it?