19 Proven Tips For Generating More Quality Leads Using Direct Mail

19 Proven Tips For Generating

More Quality Leads Using

Direct Mail

By Keith Smiley



19 Proven Tips For Generating More Quality Leads Using Direct Mail

Introduction

Despite the growth of online marketing, direct mail is still a great way for B2B marketers to

reach their target market. While many companies use email marketing and social media to

generate leads, direct mail offers a more personal and unique experience for potential customers

whose inboxes are bombarded with messages every day. This provides companies that use direct

mail an advantage over the competition.

But does direct mail still work you might ask?

The simple answer is yes it does. According to a survey by MarketingSherpa, 79% of 1000+

B2B marketing professionals found direct mail to either be effective or very effective. Some

sectors find direct mail especially useful. 34% of business service organizations in the study

found direct mail to be very effective. However, only 13% of business technology companies

said that that direct mail was effective.1

The key to success in B2B direct mail is relevance. You have to use the medium properly. You

can no longer focus your efforts on how great your product or service is. You have to offer your

prospect something of value for free and sell that instead of yourself. This way has been proven

to increase response.

In other words, you need to sell your prospects the benefit of your free offer in your direct mail

letter, not how great your product or service is.

In this report I will show you 19 tips on how to improve your direct mail response and how to

write a sales letter that gets maximum response using a proven copywriting formula. A sample

sales letter is included which I will break down step-by-step.

1

MarketingSherpa B2B Marketing Benchmark Survey August, 2010

Copyright ? 2015 Keith Smiley



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19 Proven Tips For Generating More Quality Leads Using Direct Mail

Tip#1: Offer A Free White Paper Or Special Report

Studies consistently show that white papers continue to be the most sought-after, the most

influential and the most viral forms of technology marketing content. 70% of IT buyers used

white papers to get information on enterprise technology solutions.2

Eccolo Media found that 77% of respondents responsible for either making B2B technology

purchases or purchasing decisions read at least one white paper in the first six months of 2009,

with 84% rating white papers as moderately to extremely influential when making final

purchasing decisions, and 89% passing them on to others.3

Another finding showed that trial software and white papers are the most utilized, along with

being the most forms of content for researching IT problems and solutions.4

So as you can see, white papers are still one of the most effective offers for generating

technology leads.

Important Tip: When offering a white paper to generate leads, sell the white paper, not your

product or service. Business buyers generally seek out white papers in the early stages of the

sales cycle when they are just gathering information. They are not ready for specific solutions at

that point.

Tip#2: Offer A Free Tip Sheet

A tip sheet is a series of short, practical tips on a particular subject.

Tip sheets are quick, easy and inexpensive to produce. They can usually be printed on one or

both sides of a single sheet of paper, so they also make convenient hand-outs.

Tips should be written in a product-agnostic fashion, so they are useful in and of themselves.

They must be practical, not a sales pitch for your product or service. If your product has been

designed to facilitate the practice of some of your tips, however, it is perfectly acceptable to

point this out at the end of your tip sheet.

Tip#3: Offer A Free Pamphlet, Booklet Or E-book.

Pamphlets and booklets are just extended versions of tip sheets. They offer room for more tips

and a more in-depth treatment of each. They can also be offered in electronic format as e-books.

2

The Tech Target 2009 Media Consumption Benchmark Report 2: Closing The gap Between IT Buyers And IT

Marketers

3

Eccolo Media 2009 B2B Technology Collateral Survey Report

4

Tech Target 2009 Media Consumption Report: Mindset Of The IT Pro During The Recession

Copyright ? 2015 Keith Smiley



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19 Proven Tips For Generating More Quality Leads Using Direct Mail

An easy way to produce a booklet is to take two or more related tip sheets you¡¯ve produced,

flesh out the tips with more details and examples, and combine them into one document.

A booklet has a higher perceived value than a tip sheet. You can take advantage of that, to make

your offer more enticing, by putting a price on your booklet. Print that price on the upper right

corner of the booklet cover. Then in your letter, be sure to point out to your prospect the value he

or she will be getting, absolutely free, just for filling out a brief registration form.

Tip#4: Offer A Free ¡°How-To¡± Article Or Guide

If you¡¯ve published a good ¡°how-to¡± article in a trade journal, consider re-packaging it as a

¡°guide¡± or ¡°special report¡± on the subject.

Ask your graphic designer to add an attractive cover and put in additional white space and

illustrations to make the article seem more substantial, but also more reader-friendly. Showing

the cover as an illustration in your letter adds credibility to your offer and tends to lift response.

Tip#5: Offer A Free Case Study

There are generally three reasons why case studies are great offers.

The first reason is that people are naturally drawn to stories. Studies have shown that we

respond to stories much more than we do facts and intellect. That¡¯s why we love to watch

movies, plays and reading a good book.

This is one of the main reasons why I remember many of my pastor¡¯s sermons¡­Because he¡¯s

such a great storyteller. He weaves three to four stories into each sermon and I find myself on

the edge of my seat listening to his message and recalling many of the stories years after he

shared them with us because they¡¯re so captivating.

The second reason is because they are excellent credibility builders. Case studies show potential

buyers the results other people received by using your product.

Let¡¯s face it; we want to know the experience others have had with the product or service we¡¯re

considering. That¡¯s true whether we¡¯re evaluating which CRM software to use or which flat

screen TV to buy. We consider this more important than the facts and technical details.

The third reason, although not a benefit for your potential customer, is that case studies provide a

great way to get media coverage. Just look through any business, industry or trade publication

and you¡¯re going to find plenty of stories of companies solving their problems by using specific

products or services. These publications know that is what readers want. Again it¡¯s because we

are naturally drawn to stories of people overcoming obstacles and coming out of it on top.

Copyright ? 2015 Keith Smiley



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19 Proven Tips For Generating More Quality Leads Using Direct Mail

Business decision-makers love reading about how their peers have overcome problems similar to

their own. If you have case studies that show off the benefits and ROI your customers get from

using your products, consider using them in your direct mail promotional offers.

Tip#6: Invite Your Prospect To A Free Webinar

Some prospects prefer to watch and listen rather than read. And some want to interact and ask

questions. A webinar is ideal for this. Plus they are easy and cheap to set up.

It¡¯s very important that your webinar is educational. It should not be used as sales pitch for your

product. You want your prospects to come away from your event feeling like they¡¯ve gained

some new insights that will help them solve their problems.

You also need to promote your free event as strongly as you would a paid seminar. Your sales

letter should make it clear to readers what they will learn and how important it is. You need to

convince your prospects that it will really be worth their time to register for this event and to fit it

into their busy schedules.

Important Tip: Promising to provide a recording and a transcript of your webinar after the

event will increase response. It will encourage those who can¡¯t attend the live event to sign up

anyway, so they can watch or listen to the recording later.

Tip#7: Offer A Free Podcast, Podcast Series Or Recorded Webinar

Podcasts and recorded webinars are another way to appeal to prospects that prefer to listen or

watch, rather than read. Plus, they address the time issue: prospects can download audio and

video files and play them whenever (and wherever) they wish.

Podcasts are also a great way to re-use content. Recorded teleseminars and webinars can be

promoted to those who missed the live event¡ªfor as long as the content remains relevant.

Articles and white papers can be turned into podcast scripts, as well.

Tip#8: Offer A Free Trial Download Of Your Software.

For software companies, one of the most effective tactics for influencing technology buyers is to

offer a free trial download of the product. Offering a free trial gives you the opportunity to ¡°sell¡±

the prospect on the features and benefits of your software without applying any sales pressure.

Tip#9: Offer A Subscription To Your Company Newsletter

Does your company newsletter or e-zine offer technical tips, case studies and other helpful

information?

Why not send prospects a subscription invitation? Newsletter subscriptions make great offers:

Not only do you capture leads; you get them to opt-in to receive further messages from you.

Copyright ? 2015 Keith Smiley



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