Sending out for success
Small business marketing series
Originally published in Small Business Charleston, January 2009
By Tiffany Jonas
You've decided to send out a mailing. What can you say that will convince recipients to seriously consider your products or services? Use these six simple tips to increase your chances for success.
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You've decided to send out a mailing. Getting the word out about your offerings is essential to your firm's success, and naturally you want to garner the highest response rate you can. What can you say that will convince others to seriously consider your products or services?
Consider these six simple tips. Used correctly, they can greatly increase your chances for success.
1 } Hand-address the envelope or pay someone to do this for you, and hand-sign the letter. A pre-printed mailing label shouts "junk mail." I so rarely receive envelopes hand-addressed to me, I open every one that is. To me, it means it's either from someone I know or that someone took the time and care to specifically address it to me.
2 } Send it to an individual, NOT to a title or company (or heaven forbid, "resident"), and show respect by spelling his or her name correctly. If you're not sure, find out. Look it up online or call the receptionist at that firm to double-check. Most will gladly spell it for you.
3 } Keep it simple. Decide on one main idea and stick to that. Think about how you feel when you receive an email blast or letter during your busy day: are you ready to read a thesis? If you're like most hard-working Americans, you feel overwhelmed just seeing blocks of text and quickly move on. If you must send more information, keep your cover letter simple and enclose a brochure the recipient can read for more detail if desired.
4 } Focus on benefits that appeal to your target market. A common mistake even among seasoned marketers is to focus on the features of your product or service instead. A feature might be "open until 7 p.m. on weekdays" or a "tax planning service." A benefit might be relief from schedule stress ("Can't make it to our office until you pick up your child from daycare? No problem! We're here until 7.") Or in the case of the tax planning service, financial peace of mind: when the IRS reviews your tax document, you'll know you relied on the knowledge and skills of reputable professionals. (Note how each benefit above is tied to an emotion… in these cases, relief.)
5 } Use real-life testimonials. No matter how eloquently you can say something ("Really, we're extraordinarily easy to work with"), reading it in a customer’s own words ("Oh my goodness, she was SO easy to work with!") is twice as powerful, and then some.
6 } Expect to invest in regular mailings. Like ads, mailings are not a one-shot event. It usually takes multiple "impressions" before a prospect will remember your company, and the more consistent those impressions are, the more likely that memory will be clear. Though you may (and should) receive interest from prospects with each mailing, you'll do well to send out mailings at regular intervals throughout the year.
Happy mailing!
About the author
Aio Design founder Tiffany Jonas graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Journalism degree in advertising from the Missouri School of Journalism, a top journalism school. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and has taken coursework toward an MBA. She’s a member of Mensa, an organization for those who have tested in the top two percent of the population on a standardized intelligence test. She has been the two-time recipient of an 11-state award for design, honored at the Chicago Book & Media Show and was chosen as one of the Charleston Regional Business Journal’s 2008 Forty Under 40, honoring those who have achieved professional success while contributing to the community.
