If you don’t understand why your direct mail flyers aren’t making you as much money as you wish, you need to find out what you may be doing wrong and also how to fix it.
Here are some of the major things you should check before sending out any further mailings
It’s a fact that any mailing list you use has a certain percentage of outdated or invalid addresses. People move, die or change their surnames. For whatever reason, no mailing list will be 100% accurate by the time it’s sold to you.
Normal response to a good direct-mail flyer is only about 1 to 2 percent, so there’s not much point sending out a mailing to less than 5,000 customers, because you just can’t recoup the cost of buying a mailing list, printing the flyers and postage costs. The only exception to this is if you’re selling a really high-ticket item.
The mailing list you bought targeted the wrong type of people for your products or services, and your direct mail flyers were ignored.
The design and layout of your flyer did not attract the attention of the recipient and thus wasn’t even opened.
Your direct mail flyer itself was not motivational or clear enough and was thrown away.
Was the offer in your flyer was badly timed and did it lack any real substance.
In your flyer what was the product’s benefit to the consumer? What need or desire does the product full-fill?
Did you emphasize the benefit in the flyer clearly and in a strong way?
How is your product superior to that of your competitors? Is it of higher quality or is it less expensive? Is it more convenient to buy or use? Is it one of a kind? Did you stress these advantages or conveniences in your flyer as reasons for consumers to come to you instead of going to a competitor?
Does the product have a season or a window of opportunity in which most purchases are likely to occur? An example would be snow skis, boats or lawnmowers. Did you properly time your direct mail flyer so you didn’t miss the season?
Is your product usually purchased on an “as needed” basis, such as a car or a major appliance? In this case, it wouldn’t be unusual to see a low response to just one mailing.
Can your product be purchased and used at any time? If so, did you include a motivator like a coupon or a gift with purchase for immediate use?
Did you include testimonials or references from previous satisfied customers.
If you did your own design and layout, why not spend a little money and give it to a design agency to come up with a different approach to your mailing.
By taking another look at your direct mail flyers and all the elements involved in sending out a money making mailing, follow these tips and you just may see more customers knocking at your door.
