The 12 Most Common Direct Mail Mistakes ... And How To Avoid Them

1. Ignoring The Most Important Factor In Direct Mail Success,
2. Not Testing,
3. Not using a letter in your mailing package,
4. Features vs. Benefits,
5. Not having an offer,
6. Superficial copy,
7. Saving the best for last,
8. Poor follow-up,
9. The magic words,
10. Starting with the product -- not the prospect,
11. Failing to appeal to all five senses,
12. Creating and reviewing direct mail by committee,

Mistake No. 12: Creating and reviewing direct mail by committee

Do you know what a moose is? It's a cow designed by a committee.

Perhaps the biggest problem I see today is direct mail being reviewed by committees made up of people who have no idea (a) what direct mail is; (b) how it works; or what it can and cannot do.

For example, an ad agency creative director told me how his client cut a three-page sales letter to a single page because, as the client insisted, "Business people don't read long letters."

Unfortunately, that's an assumption based on the client's own personal prejudices and reading habits. It is not a fact. In many business-to-business direct mail tests, I have seen long letters outpull short ones sometimes dramatically.

Why pay experts to create mailings based on long years of trial-and-error experience, then deprive yourself of that knowledge base by letting personal opinions get in the way?

Here are some things you can do to become a better direct-mail client:

Reduce the review process. The fewer people who are involved, the better. At most, the mailing should be checked by the communications manager, the product manager and a technical expert (for accuracy).

Resist the temptation to meddle. Point out technical inaccuracies and other mistakes. But don't dictate the piece's content, tone, or style.

Make a commitment to judge direct mail not by what you like or by aesthetics, but by results--which can be measured accurately and scientifically.

Become more educated in direct mail by reading books. I recommend "Successful Direct Marketing Methods" by Bob Stone as a good place to start.

Know what's going on in the industry. Subscribe to at least one of the direct marketing magazines: Direct Marketing, Zip Target Marketing, DM Nexus. Also, keep in touch with industry developments by reading the more broadly based marketing publications, such as Business Marketing and Advertising Age.

If you challenge your direct mail pros, be willing to spend for a test. In direct mail, the answer to "Which concept is best?" is the same as the answer to the question, "Which mailing piece pulled best?"

Because nobody can argue with results.

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