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 8
Direct Mail Devices to Increase Involvement
By Dean Rieck
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 a leading
direct mail
copywriter. For more copywriting and selling
tips, sign up for Dean’s FREE
direct response newsletter and get a free
report, 99 Easy Ways to Boost Your Direct Mail
Response.
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