Direct mail tips for your marketing plan

1. The most valuable single sheet of paper you can create in marketing is a press release. You should be sending them every month.
2. If you have trouble writing copy, start scribbling and cross out your first sentence – or paragraph. This lets you cut straight to the important part of your message.
3. Send more than one piece of mail to follow up serious inquiries and sales leads.
4. Ask if you’re sending your press release to the right person. Even if you already know you are, by calling ahead you get the contact’s attention and interest.
5. Create a letter series and mail it to prospects on a continual basis. Make the series look like traditional letters, and make the prospect think he or she is the only one receiving them.
6. Always use a thank you letter – instead of a phone call – to acknowledge someone who helps you out.
7. Write your objective first. Always make sure you know what you want to accomplish before you start a marketing plan.
8. Include a return envelope with a live stamp in your direct mail.
9. Take your time. No one will ever know how long it took to write a one-page ad. No matter how long it takes, make sure it’s perfect when you finally send it.
10. Don’t be afraid to ask for the order several times. Ask twice in the body copy and once in the postscript.

Source: Jeffrey Dobkin, “Uncommon Marketing Techniques”