Frequency works in direct mail too! Can you imagine McDonald’s placing one 30-second TV spot and then waiting for people to drive up and order Big Macs? No way! They place hundreds of ads on TV and radio and in magazines and newspapers. Frequency creates top of mind awareness, and eventually gets a response from a targeted consumer with a Big Mac craving.
Direct mail works the same way. Think about some of the catalogs you receive. Lands’ End, Crate’n Barrel and Dell Computer have learned that the more often they mail, the higher the response rate. Many catalogers send the exact same catalog to the same customer list. Tests have shown that repeating with an identical mailpiece to the same list within two weeks of the original mailing will boost response. People are busy. They need reminders.
The rule of thumb in marketing and sales is that it takes six to seven impressions before you show up on a prospect’s radar screen. You can’t expect miracles after one or two contact attempts. Consistent repetition will help lift ROI.
A Milwaukee area direct marketing agency tested this theory recently for their marketing campaign. They developed a targeted list of about 900 decision makers. A series of six letters and one selfmailer were created. The letters were sent every two weeks. The sixth letter reminded the recipient that it takes six to seven contacts to make an impression. “Don’t make me send you a seventh letter,” it warned. “Get in touch today!”
The campaign generated over 35 appointments and five sales to date. It paid for itself four fold. What’s really interesting though, is that nobody called until after they received the fourth letter. Don’t give up too soon.
Posted on April 13, 2011
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