A great way to keep on top of trends in direct mail marketing is to keep a "swipe file." Set up a few file drawers to house direct mail samples that you like or do not like. Start saving the mail you get at home and at the office. If you really want to get crazy about it, organize the mail into consumer and business-to-business, or by product, or by objective, or by size, or go completely off the deep end and cross-reference them. (I did this once and gave up after about a month.) The point is, if you save the stuff, you can review it every now and then to get ideas, see what is working, and develop a sensitivity to what you like and what you do not like. The medium itself is the best training ground.

 

You will notice that the most effective direct marketing snares you first with all the benefits of the product and, once having done that, backs up the benefits with point-by-point features. Even when you find a list of the features, you will notice that they often relate directly to product benefits and that they just as often are in "you" language: "You can save time ..." or "You will save money ...". This personalizes the product message by bringing the prospective buyer into the picture as often as possible.

 

Business to Business Marketing info: Take a good long look at the print advertising and catalogs produced by successful mail order marketers of any products, but especially business-to-business products. Review the product copy, read and reread the guarantees. Analyze the ordering terms and conditions. Notice how these marketers handle shipping, returns, credit cards, and telephone ordering. When it comes to selling directly, leading mail order companies in the consumer market, such as L. L. Bean and Lands' End, are studies in how to do it right. Many of these types of marketers have successfully transferred their skills to the business-to-business market. See also Business Mailing List .