Direct mail is an important tool used by many businesses. And although traditionally it refers to any form of advertisement (generally letters and postcards) sent through the mail, today it can include e-mail and -- in one sense -- web pages.
These web pages are those long, one-page letters designed to sell online products. They are essentially sales letters normally sent through direct mail but in this case used online. In fact, a business could hire such a letter to be written for both direct mail and use online and thus expand its use. They would, however, require different formatting.
For an example of two of my own online sales letters:
Direct mail can be as "straightforward" as writing a sales letter or designing a postcard; it can also be as complex as developing an entire package of materials designed at selling something. It can include supplementary materials, pull cards that are returned for the sale, stickers or other gifts for the reader, etc. All elements should support one another in a logical way, aimed at generating that feverish "gotta buy it" feeling.
And by the way, I put "straightforward" in quotes because nothing about direct mail is straightforward. It is perhaps the most difficult form of writing, because you're not just trying to get someone to understand your words. You're trying to get them to respond to your words in a very particular way -- and usually in a way they don't want to respond. You want them to send you money.
This is why I believe a professional business writer or copywriter is so important -- because if you haven't invested yourself in the craft of writing, you can miss a good miss a good deal of the opportunity involved in communications with your customers. In a substantial direct mailing, the difference of half a percent in response can mean the difference of tens of thousands of dollars (or more) in sales.
My rates for direct mail vary a great deal only because there are so many forms of it. My goal is to make you enough profit to more than cover my costs, and I'll quote accordingly when I hear the details of your project. Better yet ... when I provide my quote, I'll give you my initial thoughts on how the project can be pursued. This will give you a good sense of what I can bring to your direct mail project.
