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What is direct marketing?

Direct marketing is distinguished from other types of marketing in that the message is sent directly to the consumer and that it is focused on driving purchases that can be attributed to a specific "call-to-action."

One of the most common forms of direct marketing is direct mail: paper mail is sent to all customers on a list or in a postal area.

Typical components of a direct mail piece

There are typically five components to a direct mail piece: the outer envelope, the letter, the brochure, the reply form and the reply envelope.

The outer envelope

The objective of the outer envelope is to:

• grab attention
• get opened
• set the tone and
• start the "selling" process

However, don't make promises you can't keep; people who are disappointed are not inclined to give.

The letter

It is very important to keep it "reader friendly." Be sure to use:

• subheads
• bullets
• indents
• serif type (12 point)
• underlines
• wide margins and
• always use a P.S. to restate your point

The letter needs to draw the reader in. Use it to make an emotional connection and keep them reading. There is no ideal length - the letter should be as long as it needs to be.

The brochure

A brochure can add credibility and gives you additional space to tell your story. Keep the requirements of the letter in mind when you decide to use a brochure as (part of) your direct mail piece. It's nice to have a beautifully designed piece, but functionality is paramount: if people can't read it, it will join the pile in the trashcan. A few rules of thumb:

• images are attention-grabbers: use exciting, colorful images
• your eyes are drawn to the right, upper corner of the page
• even though great images are essential, COPY IS KING: write concise and compelling copy

The reply form

Your envelope got attention, set the tone and got opened; your letter and brochure convinced the prospect to give or buy or order or come, but even if all these materials disappear in the thrash your reply form should still be able to get the job done.

• keep it simple
• restate your case
• test ticket packages
• test event pricing/combos
• attempt to get the subscriber to upgrade

The reply envelope

This is another chance for you to restate your case and/or create a sense of urgency ("Rush!," "New member - process immediately!"). It is common practice to pay for postage for prospects but not for current subscribers/donors, but even when you supply the postage, always ask for a stamp ("your gift can help even more...").

Graphic Design and Readability

When you develop promotional materials, readability of your copy is equally, if not more, important as the look of your design.

Research shows that a serif typeface such as Times New Roman is five times easier to comprehend than a sans serif typeface such as Arial or Helvetica. However, on the Web, sans serif is preferred.

Black text on a white background is 8 times easier to read than white text on a black background, so called "reverse type." And, although appealing, colored type as well as colored backgrounds should be used sparingly: comprehension goes down a whopping 50% on average.

Secrets of Direct Response: Copywriting tips to boost your mailing results

1) Start with a creative brief.

Start your campaign the way advertising agencies do: by writing a creative brief. Let it inform every decision you make as you write copy and develop artwork. The creative brief should be only one page and should include only three items: • What is the offer? • Who is the audience? • What are the key messages? If your creative brief starts getting too complex, consider breaking up the project into multiple mailings.

2) Create benefit-oriented copy.

It's copywriting 101: readers respond to benefit-oriented copy. Yet, so few people actually know what this means. The simplest way to explain it is the following equation:
Benefit = Feature + You.

"The Amazing Cooking Machine bakes a potato in 10 seconds!" Great. That's a feature. Add "you" to the mix to get: "You'll have dinner on the table for your entire family in less than 15 minutes."

Confused about whether your copy is selling features or benefits? Practice reading it aloud and asking "So what?" It can be tricky to bring this technique to arts marketing, but it's worth the effort. "Loved for centuries, The Nutcracker is the quintessential holiday story," becomes, "Rediscover all the things you love about the holidays in The Nutcracker."

3) Use the word "you" meaningfully.

"You" is the most fascinating word in the English language. Yet too many arts organizations are writing "we oriented" copy. Get the word "you" into the first sentence, and use it throughout your copy. "We'll sing songs of hope and inspiration," is weaker than, "You'll be inspired and uplifted through the power of music."

Even better, tell the reader you know something about him or her. Explain why the recipient is getting this piece of mail ("You loved our production of "Cinderella," so you are sure to enjoy..."). If you're writing to season subscribers, let them know that you realize they are subscribers. If you are targeting first time attendees, tell them you know who they are. Nothing kills response faster than a recipient asking "Why did I get this in the mail?" Well, almost nothing.

When using the word "you," be careful to limit yourself to things you actually know about your audience. If you mistakenly attribute qualities or behaviors to your reader that don't ring true, you've undermined your credibility for this and any future mailing.

4) Don't let your brand (or season) identity infringe on your message.

If your goal is to sell tickets, your brand identity or season tagline can actually get in the way. Go back to your creative brief and focus on the offer and the key messages of this project. Nothing is sillier than reading the tagline, "Provocative, Disturbing and Probing Theater" only to find out that they're selling a Neil Simon comedy.

5) The most emotional copy wins.

Direct response is an emotional medium. Don't educate your audience; move them. An annual campaign crowing, "10,000 inner-city children discovered opera through our outreach efforts" isn't half as engaging as the story of Anna who screamed at the stage as the witches made their entrance. If you're recycling information from your annual reports or your grant applications, you're in trouble.

6) Use photo captions.

After headlines and subheads, photo captions are the most read part of any mail package. Your recipients are skimmers. Use captions to highlight your key messages. If your mail piece was a telegram-and you were paying by the word-your headlines, subheads and photo captions should tell your entire story.

7) Say something intriguing (or say nothing) on your outer envelope.

If your package doesn't get opened, it doesn't get read. Say something powerful (that will engage the recipient to invest time in reading your package) or say nothing at all (to create a sense of mystery or curiosity). If your graphic designer brings you a concept for a season brochure, don't even look at it until you see the carrier envelope. Start your creative process with the outer envelope. The greatest brochure in the world will underperform if it's hidden in an "after thought" envelope.

8) Don't "give it all away" before engaging the reader.

Every September, I get tons of mail from arts organizations announcing their season lineups. And most of them have the entirety of their season listed on the outer envelope (or the cover of their self-mailer). It allows me to object without even opening the package: "Seen it...never heard of it...sounds dull...seen the movie...."

If you're investing time and money in your season brochure, don't undercut it by giving away all your tricks before the reader even opens it. Use the collateral materials in the mailing to tease the brochure, and intrigue the reader into opening and reading it. In the brochure, you'll have the space to fully sell your season and overcome initial objections.

9) Don't ask, "Why should I respond?" Ask, "Why should I respond right now?"

Direct mail is emotional. It's not enough to ask the reader to respond; you must ask him/her to respond now. This call to action is part of your offer. The sense of urgency can be created any way you like ("tickets are going fast," or, "sure to sell out," or ,"respond by February 1st for the best seats," or, "get a free CD when your order by November 10th").

10) Use "no" to empower "yes."

In a fundraising campaign, it's fairly common to have a reply card beginning with "Yes! I want to support the arts in Scranton!" Consider adding another choice to give your audience a real choice: "Yes, I want to join the Director's Circle and receive exclusive offers or  "No, I don't want to join at this time, but send me your email newsletter You can even try:  "Maybe. I have questions about the Director's Circle. Please call or email me with more information."

11) State your offer.

Then state it again. Repeat. Of course you're sending mail to sell tickets or secure donations. But don't assume your reader knows that. Restate your offer throughout your package. The call to action should appear on every page. Vary your "ask" but make sure you include it explicitly three to seven times, depending on the format of your package.

(Source: Kansas City Direct Response Marketing)