September
11, 2019
5
Messaging Tricks to Drive Direct Mail Response
By Summer Gould
We all need to reach ever-increasing direct mail response rate
goals. This is a challenge. Although your customers and prospects really like
to get mail, you need to make sure that what you send is relevant to them.
Your design grabs attention, but does your mail piece drive enough
response? So what can you do differently to increase your response rates?
Sending your pieces to the right people is No. 1; but, your messaging is very
important, too. How much time do you spend crafting your messaging?
Consider the following when crafting your message:
·
Create Your Core Idea — Core messages help people to avoid bad choices by
reminding them of what is really important.
·
Uncertainty Can Paralyze Decisions — The more we reduce the amount of information and
choices in an idea, the more it will resonate.
·
·
Create Analogies — Analogies make it possible to understand compact
messages, because they are based on concepts people already know.
·
·
Create Surprise — Unexpected ideas resonate more, because surprise
makes us stop and think.
·
·
Avoid Logic — Common sense
messaging is not remembered. Why bother? We already know it.
·
Beyond the ideas above, there are other areas we can focus on that
drive direct mail response. Human curiosity requires us to find answers,
because it is a gap in our knowledge that we must fill. To get people to be open
to our messaging, we need to provide a question that they can’t answer without
the information we are about to give them. What people don’t know can be used
to entice them to respond to your direct mail.
In order to create interest for a more complex idea or situation,
you need to use a clear structure, vivid examples, and fluid language. You
should then create a sense of mystery. This will grab attentio,n because people
need closure; they will have to read your mail piece to solve the mystery. Make
sure to provide clues to assure people they are getting close to the answer.
When you do, it compels them to finish in order to get the answer.
Keep in mind that an abstract message is hard to understand and
remember. Make sure your messaging is clear and concrete. Concrete language
helps people understand new concepts and appeals to the senses. It should
appeal to sight, smell, touch, taste, or hearing. The best messages are full of
concrete words and images. Some examples are words like tart, cold, green, coarse,
or fork. They are real and can easily be seen in the mind.
To make your message even more effective, shift from a “provide
information” tactic on your mail piece to a “what questions can I ask” tactic.
What do we mean by this? You need to create questions that get people thinking
and questioning their own knowledge. You want them to need you to help them.
The choice is clear, they need you. Of course, you also need a sense of urgency
to get them to respond right away and a call to action that resonates.
Are you
ready to get started driving a better direct mail response rate?
No comments:
Post a Comment