Masonry Magazine September 2001 Page. 34
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On the back of the brochure, include some references from past clients and list some past (and relevant; remember: focus) projects. Again, if your brochure is meant to appeal to medical clients, include only those related projects.
As tempting as it is, try to avoid using old, wash-out cliches like "We're the leader in the industry" or "We're number one." Terms so superlative have simply saturated most people's everyday lives and they've come to ignore them. Talk as if the person were standing across from you.
I'm guilty of this next one: stay away from using too much color and gimmickery. With the advent of less-expensive color printers, graphics packages (that go on forever), and other addable "bells & whistles," it can be easy to get a little carried away with your ability to "jazz up" the brochure. But unfortunately, most of the time, you simply end up distracting the reader away from what's truly important: your message.
Choose a heavy, non-bleeding paper. Nothing comes off cheaper than a flimsy brochure.
Finally, ask for the sale. Ok, we've stepped back to Salesmanship 101, but never forget this all too important element of the good pitch. Also, always give the customer something to do in response, such as "mail in this card" or "call our toll-free 800 number..."
CONCLUSION
There are other considerations to weigh when developing a direct mail program, not the least of which is to be sure that it makes sense at all from a business point of view. Remember, the whole point of any marketing program is to generate revenue for your company.
After the first few direct mail attempts, if your response rate isn't at least "break-even" (that is, the profit from the work you've taken in from the direct mailings isn't at least what you've expended in postage, office time, printing, etc.), then it's either time to re-think the current program (perhaps through a re-designed brochure or more streamlined data-base of potential clients)... or move on to other marketing avenues altogether. Good luck!
Steve S. Saucerman is a full-time commercial construction estimator/project manager, freelance author and lecturer for the construction industry and also teaches Building Construction Technology at Rock Valley College in Rockford, IL.
34 MASONRY-SEPTEMBER, 2001