A Guide to Successful Direct Mail and Telemarketing

Posted by Elliot Jolesch on September 26, 2017

The internet has changed the business world unlike few other innovations since the invention of paper money, and the marketing industry may have felt this impact more than any other. For many small businesses, the digital world has opened up boundless possibilities for reaching audiences that were not possible before. Because of this, the size and scale of many entrepreneurs’ marketing efforts often completely outweigh their capabilities of converting prospects actual paying customers.

This is one of the many reasons why direct response marketing can provide some of the most beneficial and tangible results for small businesses. In addition to the measurable success of direct response campaigns, many modern customers respond better to marketing that opens a dialogue with them and asks for their immediate input. While there are many kinds of digital direct response strategies that can be effective, most small business owners find two tried-and-true marketing techniques to be the most efficient.

Direct mail marketing and telemarketing have both been around for decades, and even with the prevalence of digital marketing, both strategies can be highly effective when used properly. For many specialized or higher-priced items, these techniques provide higher conversion rates than any digital strategies, and the direct response element adds measurable data for future campaigns. Here are a few tips to get the most out of each:

Direct Mail

  1. Build and/or purchase a mailing list that fits your target market.
  2. After accounting for the cost of mailing lists, determine your budget by comparing the cost of mailing vs. cost of the order.
  3. List the benefits customers would receive from your product/service and determine which is the most meaningful.
  4. Develop an engaging, informative sales letter centered around that specific benefit. Add appropriate graphics and headlines.
  5. Include supplementary items that would aid in the purchase, such as an order form, reply envelope, brochure, etc.

Telemarketing

  1. Develop a call plan that lays out exactly what you hope to accomplish during your calls. Add topics to discuss and potential questions that may arise.
  2. Create a sales script based on this initial call plan that includes appropriate verbiage, product features, product benefits, selling terms, etc. This will provide a structured guide for the call, but you should not expect calls to follow it exactly.
  3. Ask questions that demonstrate that you understand the potential customer’s needs and offer feedback to show that your product/service can address his/her needs.
  4. Be relaxed and conversational, always focusing on the needs of the customer but always guiding the call towards an eventual purchase.
  5. Remember to be grateful for the prospect’s time and allow your demeanor to reflect that.

As with all marketing techniques, the key to success in both areas will be continual evaluation and adjustment. You should not expect overwhelming success on your first direct mail campaign or in your first series of calls, but paying attention the data of direct responses and adjusting accordingly will ensure increasing levels of success as your business grows.