There’s a lot of skepticism and questions about direct mail and more specifically about whether direct mail still works or not.
A few of the things to consider when you’re thinking about sending direct mail is whether to use a live stamp or not? Should you use a live stamp or is it ok to use stamps.com or something similar? What about using the machine in my office? The answer is you want to use a live stamp every time. Every single time!
You’re trying to make your mail look as personal as possible. Let’s face it, does your brother send you a birthday card using stamps.com? Probably not – he probably uses a live stamp. You should too - use live stamps. It looks more personal when you use a live stamp. And, the bottom line, for your business is that it gets better results.
When you know you get better results with something, you don’t always have to ask why. Just do it. And, make sure you always do it – not just sometimes, or when it’s easy or convenient… do it all the time.
Here is another tip for you regarding stamps. A crooked stamp will out pull a stamp that’s sitting at a 90 degree angle. Does grandma go get her level to make sure the stamp is on exactly right when she sends you something in the mail? No, she just slaps it on, and you should too. Don’t worry about the stamps looking just so and being perfect – none of us are perfect and the stamps on your envelopes don’t have to be either.
Another thing to remember is that two stamps will out pull one stamp. It might be a little more work to put on two stamps instead of one, but if it doubles your results, do you really care?
It’s all about the return on your investment. It’s all about what happens on the backend – the sale. It doesn’t matter if it takes a little more work up front, if the result on the backend is better.
So, remember a crooked stamp out pulls a stamp at a right angle on the envelope. Second, two stamps out pull one. If you are doing direct mail and you’re using live stamps, like you should be, make sure they are crooked and use two, or more, stamps, not just one.
You should definitely be using direct mail in today’s market – and in every market really. There is no question direct mail works… you just have to make it work for you and your business.
Diane Conklin is an internationally known marketing and business strategist. She is also an author, entrepreneur, coach, consultant, event planner, speaker and direct mail expert, who for over 15 years has specialized in showing entrepreneurs and small business owners how to integrate their online and offline marketing strategies, media and methods, to get maximum results from their marketing dollars, through direct mail and other media.
Diane specializes in helping entrepreneurs and small business owners grow their companies to the next level and showing them how to outperform their competition by measuring their marketing and strategically using multi-media campaigns to stand alone in their marketplace as the go-to provider for their products and services.
Through her company, Complete Marketing Systems, Diane consistently develops and produces multi-step, sequential, direct response marketing campaigns, many that gross in excess of $1,000,000.00. She has managed direct mail campaigns from 50-50,000 pieces.
Diane was named Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle, Marketer of the Year for her outstanding work in the area of direct response marketing and for helping small business owners grow their companies quickly to six and seven figures and beyond.
As a speaker, Diane has shared the stage with the likes of Joan Rivers, Dan Kennedy, Bill Glazer, Barbara Corcoran, Harry Dent, Lee Phillips, Peggy McColl, Marshall Sylver, Marie Forleo, Alex Mandossian, and many others.