Despite the convenience and speed of email and texting, most automotive repair facilities still rely on good old fashioned direct mail as a key marketing strategy. Great idea – as long as you do it right. This video is sponsored by the MyPlace4Parts Studio.
According to a recent study, nearly three quarters of people asked said they had responded to a direct mail piece within the past three months — and 20% said they’d responded to direct mail within the past week.
It didn’t matter whether they were young or old. In fact, 63% of tech-savvy millennials in the survey who responded to direct mail actually bought something.
How can your next direct mail campaign get these results? These five tips can help.
1. Be sure your headline includes at least one concrete benefit to get readers’ attention and draw them into the rest of the letter. And don’t forget about the “Johnson box.” Experts say this box, containing the most important message in your campaign can boost response rates by up to 40%.
2. Your letter needs to be written well. Reinforce the benefits of your product or service stated in the headline. Use bullets and strong action verbs at the beginning of each bullet.
And get to the point. Ideally, your offer should be stated within the first or second paragraph of the letter.
3. Effective Use of White Space — Creating a successful direct mail letter is as much about what you don’t write as what you do.
If your letter is just a big block of uninviting copy, most recipients will likely toss it because it will be too hard to read. White space in the letter to make it easy and inviting to read. Remember, less copy is generally more.
4. Have a strong Call to Action — Don’t be subtle. You have to tell readers what you want them to do after they read the letter.
This could be having them call a specific number or visit a dedicated website where they can fill out an application. Regardless of what you want them to do, tell them how to receive your offer.
5. But wait, there’s more! Direct mail letters should include a strategic “P.S.” line after the signature. Not including one is a missed opportunity to reinforce your message one more time. In fact, most people read the P.S. line before they read the body copy.
And just like that P.S., here’s a few extra tips. Doing it right also means NOT doing it wrong. Here are three “don’ts” to remember when writing a direct mail letter:
• Don’t worry about the size of your logo. Nobody cares about this — except maybe you.
• Don’t use bad photos. You can find plenty of low price or even free stock photos online, but make sure they’re quality. Bad stock photos turn lots of readers off immediately.
• And finally, don’t obsess over the creative. Overdesigning your letter can get in the way of making a clear and compelling offer.
The most important thing you need to do is to make a compelling offer to the right audience. People respond to Direct Mail when it’s done correctly.
