Direct response marketing has one goal — make the reader take immediate action. Are your current pieces accomplishing that?
Do you use a lot of print collateral? If yes, how many of those print collateral pieces act as a lead generator or effectively nurture leads? If you’re looking to get more out of your print collateral, you may want to consider turning those pieces into direct response vehicles by integrating these proven practices.
Use Benefit Laden Headline and Copy – You need to make sure that you’re addressing the prospects questions or concerns rather than just touting facts and figures. Take the time to really A/B test your headlines and copy, as those are often what draw prospects into a print collateral piece. Their needs and wants drive inquiries and decision making.
Make A Strong Offer That Invites Action – Most brochures and marketing pieces don’t contain offers. Why is that? If you want people to act, you need to give them a reason to act. Think hard about what will get prospects to take the logical next step. Offers need to be compelling if you want them to act. If you wouldn’t act on your offer, they probably won’t either.
Set Up Strong Measurement Systems – It is important to create unique, trackable/measurable items for variable features (phone number, unique landing page, specific QR code, etc.) for each piece so you can clearly distinguish which collateral piece is performing well and you understand why. By analyzing this data, you can see which response channels your prospects prefer and make other changes to increase collateral performance.
Contemplate How the Collateral Fits into a Nurturing Mix – With all the buzz about content marketing, marketing brochures can be an extremely effective tool. The typical follow-up sequence involves calls by sales reps and emails. There’s a big problem: most emails aren’t opened and many reps quit after one or two calls. Contemplate how you can mail your marketing pieces to prospects on a systematic basis to move more of them through the funnel and convert them.
Always Follow Up to People Who Respond – Picture a dog chasing a car. Suppose the dog actually catches the car. Then what? It sounds silly, but many companies don’t know what they will do if they “catch the car.” Have a process ready once a prospect takes action or you will miss your opportunity. Make sure the receptionist knows it, the sales rep knows it, and everyone else knows it so you don’t blow up leads.
