Craft Your Message A clear understanding of your audience should guide what you say in your marketing piece. Tie in your specific marketing and sales objectives, and you will have a well-constructed direct mail campaign. For example, you may want to sell lots of Product A because it has a great profit margin, but if you have determined that 90% of your customers prefer Product B, you will need to craft your message accordingly: illustrate the benefits of Product A over Product B, offer a particularly strong incentive to buy Product A.

A well-crafted marketing message should include three elements:

1. Relevant Headline

Your headline needs to immediately resonate with your audience by establishing a relevant main message. Since you’ve already carefully segmented your customer and prospect groups, you should have a good sense of what will grab each group’s attention and make them feel like you “know” them.

2. Compelling Offer

Based on your understanding of your particular audience, and of course, your marketing and sales objective, decide what type of offer will be enticing:

• Up-selling a specific product or service, based on purchase history
• A seasonal or other specialized promotion, based on purchase habits
• A personalized push to convert a specific prospect, based on their place in the conversion cycle

Your offer can be as brash as "Today only! Save 25% on Product A!" or as subtle as "Call me to discuss the insurance needs of your growing family."

3. Clear Call-to-Action

In the rush to tell everyone how great their product or service is, many small businesses forget the most important part of their marketing message: tell your customers what you want them to do. "Call Today!" "Be sure to tell your friends." "Bring in this coupon." Whatever it is, you'll be amazed how well it works when you simply tell people what you want.  Make sure your message concludes by stating explicitly what action you would like them to take.

It is also important to impart a sense of urgency: following your call to action, make sure your offer includes an expiration date or incentive to act quickly.

Last But Not Least, Verify Your Contact Info

You could have the best prospect list, a great offer, and a strong call-to-action, but if your phone number is wrong on the piece, none of that matters! Did you include other important details like your store hours? Also, keep in mind that some people prefer the phone, some email, some an in-person visit, so if possible, give your customers multiple avenues to respond.  Trust us, taking that extra minute to give your copy one, final review (a 2nd set of eyes can also be invaluable) will help you avoid major headaches.

Next: Design Your Print Piece >