Does Direct Mail Still Work for B2B Lead Generation?
Posted by JasonB on July 8, 2009
When new clients learn that we incorporate direct mail into our Integrated Pipeline Management Process to generate leads, they almost always ask “does direct mail still work?”
Every month our company gets 1-3 inquires from our direct mail efforts. We get about the same for our clients. And, we really don’t send out very much mail.
Direct mail does work, but how?
Right Target
Prior to sending anything to a target organization, it is critical to identify who within that organization makes the buying decision. The days of sending a letter to “Dear Marketing Manager” are over. If you’re not sending your marketing materials to a key decision maker, you’re wasting your resources.
Letters should be from a person, to a person. Placing a cleansing call to your target organization, or even using LinkedIn, can help identify your prospect prior to sending a letter.
A quick note: Sadly, this economic environment has forced significant corporate changes. Very likely, a decision maker that worked at an organization last year may no longer be in that capacity. If your mailing list has not been cleansed in over 6 months, you have a good chance of sending a letter to a vacant office.
Right Message
If you find a decision maker, the next step is to tailor a message that stands out from your competition. Although this sounds like a no-brainer, we often see messages that revolve more around corporate successes than they do about solving a specific pain-point.
Visiting blogs used by your target audience can shed light on what areas of pain are being felt, and how they are being discussed. Observe what terms are being used, and mimic those in your message. This will create the perception that you understand their business.
Right Timing
You never know where your targets look for information – one letter is not enough. Because timing is so important, follow up with phone calls and email. Personally, I use the internet and email so much, that letters addressed to me actually stands out more than an email. I think that’s becoming more common. But letters should rarely be back-to-back touches. In other words, if you send a letter to a prospect, send an email as your next touch. If you don’t have a prospects email address, at least send a different type of letter, such as a case study, for your next touch. By changing your message and media type, it will make each touch stand out that much more.
But most of all, stay in touch – just because someone doesn’t respond to initial mail, don’t make the mistake of thinking they’re not interested or a good target. Once you’ve identified a decision maker, and created a relevant message, it should be fairly easy to stay in touch.
Follow these methods, and you’ll send far less mail, with better results.
