News
 8 Direct Mail Devices to Increase Involvement
By Dean Rieck, president of Direct Creative
One of the primary advantages of using direct mail
is your ability to divide and conquer. Your letter
delivers a personal message and makes an offer. Your
brochure demonstrates features and dramatizes
benefits. Your order form calls for action and eases
response.
Each piece performs a specific function and, because
each is dedicated to that function, does a better
job than a mailer attempting to do everything
simultaneously. With that in mind, consider testing
an appropriate insert or involvement device that can
boost response enough to offset the additional cost.
Here are eight ideas:
1. Encourage involvement with a quiz or
checklist. Is your offer relevant to your
prospect? You can prove that it is by including a
simple quiz: “Do you qualify for our 80 percent
discount on life insurance? Take this quiz and find
out.” Or a checklist: “Here are 25 ways our
investment course can turn you into a millionaire in
10 years.”
2. Make your offer tangible with a check or
coupon. If you’re offering $25.00 off, enclose a
coupon or simulated check worth $25.00 and
instructions for returning it with an order. If you
can, offer a real check that provides an instant
reward or even activates a service when cashed. A
check can be personalized and show through an
envelope window.
3. Dramatize your offer with stamps or stickers.
If you have several offers, configurations, or
options, you can print each on a stamp and ask the
recipient to affix one to the order form. Stamps and
stickers are highly involving and make it clear that
some action is required.
4. Answer objections or highlight a benefit with
a lift letter. The lift letter is the dean of
all inserts. It is usually a short message signed by
someone of higher authority than the letter signer.
It presents a second point of view, meets
objections, adds credibility, highlights benefits,
etc.
5. Increase credibility with a testimonial
insert. Testimonials often work best when you
print them as a stand-alone piece, which increases
the “bandwagon” effect. You can also have a benefit
headline to introduce them, such as “Over 3 million
satisfied customers agree, a Wahoo Widget lasts so
long, it’s the last widget you’ll ever have to buy.”
6. Prove your superiority with a sample.
Let’s say you’re selling a coat or jacket to outdoor
enthusiasts. You claim it will withstand all manner
of torture because it’s waterproof, fireproof, rip
proof, and stain proof. Enclose a one-inch square of
the fabric that is attached to a small card with
instructions for testing the fabric. That way, your
prospect can see firsthand that your product is
everything you say it is.
7. Emphasize exclusivity with a membership card.
People like to belong. If you can structure your
offer as joining a club or organization, you can
send a membership card printed on plastic or heavy
paper. You can even personalize it, provide contact
information and list benefits.
8. Reinforce your guarantee with a merchandise
return label. It’s one thing to say a
dissatisfied customer can return a product. It’s
another to actually provide a prepaid return label
in advance. It shows how confident you are in your
product and lowers perceived risk. One way to do
this is to combine a label with a lift note that
explains the return process and how there’s no risk
or obligation for responding.
---Source: Dean Rieck is president of Direct Creative, a full-service creative firm. He is also a
Favorite Author contributor to Melissa Data’s Direct Marketing Advisor. Contact him at
DeanRieck@DirectCreative.com.
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