The Advantages of Using Direct Mail in a Tough Economy

By: Mike Dolpies

Yes, the U.S. economy is tough right now due to the election year and the housing market. But smart school owners are benefiting from the ability to laser focus on the qualified prospects in their areas using the power of direct mail.

In today’s article you’ll discover some of the reasons why direct mail can be your ultimate “self-defense” in a tough economy (and your best friend regardless of the economy).

The two types of direct mail that have stood the test of time are sales letters and post cards. What you’ll read below applies to both. Stay with me because I’m also going to reveal a winning formula that’ll help you craft a powerful sales letter even if you can’t write or despise the idea of writing!

You’ll discover that the “pen really is mightier than the sword” and once you master direct mail you’ll never again wonder where your next student is coming from!

Here are just a few of the many advantages that direct mail can give you in a tough economy.

You can “pin point” who you want. The most important question to ask when marketing your school is: Who do I want? When times are tough direct mail affords you the luxury to go after the folks who are not affected. Do this by simply looking at the median income in your area then adding a minimum of fifty percent to it. You will end up with a smaller list, but you’ll be targeting people who can afford your program. The truth is that not everyone is affected in a “down economy.” Remember the media makes this out to be a lot worse than it really is!

Response comes quicker! When you send out a good direct mail marketing campaign you can be ready to answer your phone with the knowledge that the letters or post cards will be arriving by a certain day and time. For best results always mail first class! Believe it or not, a lot of “bulk rate” mail never gets to its destination and when it does it gets there late! Unfortunately most services that want to do this for you mail third class bulk which hurts your chances of getting the mail where you want to get it on time!

It can be cheaper because you can test it out with small sections of the list. If you’re not sure how committed you want to get to a particular direct mail campaign you can always take a small section of the list and mail to it. Then you can mail the rest of the list based on your results.

You can design it and get it out the door fast. A good sales letter is by far the easiest and most powerful direct mail weapon because it does not have to be fancy. It just has to do the job. And that’s make the phone ring!

Sales Letter Short Cuts- Follow this formula for guaranteed success…

Step 1) Compelling Headline- Your letter lives and dies on the headline! It is the most important part of any mail piece, never forget that! It must speak directly to your reader and be benefit oriented. Better to be direct than cute! One exception would be when you begin to regularly send things out you’ll have to mix it up! Check out example three, one of my “cute” post cards

Step 2) Sub-Headline- This tells why the person should keep reading.

Step 3) Greeting- The most powerful thing to do is put there first name in the greeting

Step 4) Intro- Begin to create the problem you’re solving.
 
Step 5) Establish your creditability- Why are you qualified to help this person?

Step 6) Agitate the problem a little- Take out your salt shaker and pour a little salt in the wound.

Step 7) Explain- A little of how your program works

Step 8) Use Bullet points to summarize and detail benefits.

Step 9) Introduce- your special offer and tell why you’re offering this.

Step 10) Close- Tell the person what they need to do next!

Step 11) PS- Summarize and nudge a little more to get them to take action!

The above formula will give you a starting point to craft your own “student generating” letters!

(Don’t forget to join Champions Way and Mike Dolpies for a special webinar on June 10th  at 1PM EST, 12 CST,  Direct Mail Secrets That Will Fill Your School.)

Michael Dolpies started his first school in 1998 when he was just 18 years old. He is the creator of many top selling martial arts business programs including: “Quick Karate Sales Letters” and “The Magic Intro Program.” He is the co-founder of “The MA-Biz Secret Society.”  To register for some of his free resources go to: www.MaBizSecretSociety.com or www.QuickKarateSalesLetters.com