By Chet Pensak - InForm Print & Promotions

Every successful direct mail campaign requires three properly executed elements, all working harmoniously in balance for a 100% effective mailing: your Mailing List is 50% of your success, the "Offer" your making is 30% and the Creative Design of the mailing piece is 20%.

From the September How 2 issue of RTO Magazine

Chet Pensak, InForm Print & Promotions

In addition to direct mail, InForm Print & Promotions is a leading supplier of promotional items to the RTO industry. See RTO Online's video podcast with Director of Operations Chet Pensak.

You have two seconds to get the interest of a rent-to-own / lease purchase prospect in a Mailed Offer before she "circular files" it. To stop the filing process, an attention-getting mail piece with an attractive Offer must be directed toward the demographically correct recipient. Below are direct marketing tips to help guarantee a successful direct marketing program.

50-30-20 Marketing Plan: Every successful direct mail campaign requires three properly executed elements, all working harmoniously in balance for a 100% effective mailing: your Mailing List is 50% of your success, the "Offer" your making is 30% and the Creative Design of the mailing piece is 20%.

Mailing List - 50% of your success: A qualified mailing list is by far the best list; one that is of your own creation, from your own data source, and includes names of people that have willingly given you their contact information. It may be an active account list or a list gathered from an in-store promotion. The rub is, you must maintain it. Addresses need to be verified and corrected a minimum of once a year, or they are worthless (You can do this with a first class 4" x 6" postcard mailing that will give you address correction). Lists of customers with active accounts are generally well maintained. Qualified prospect lists must be maintained either through telemarketing, first class mailings with address correction, email requests for address correction, or a third party list-cleaning service. NCOA is the US Postal Service's National Change of Address service which compares and updates your list with individuals, and businesses that have moved and filed an address change with the post office. The benefits of NCOA include: Reducing undeliverable mail; lower postage, printing and mail preparation cost; speeds mail delivery by several days; meets USPS requirements for automation discounts. NCOA processing costs vary depending on the list quantity, but average $10 - $15 per 1000 and are simply done by contacting an NCOA broker such as BZ Mailing Services, Inc. (www.bzmailing.com).

When it's necessary to purchase a compiled list of unqualified names, purchase it thru a well-recognized list broker that has verified its list within the last year. When purchasing your list, since you know your targeted audience best, be sure to be very specific about the demographics you require such as: household income, age, zip code, own or rent home, or nationality (Spanish postcards are popular). The use of "Occupant" rather than individual names can reduce the cost of your mailing list. Ask your list supplier if you can reuse the list you're purchasing. Some allow it (for an extra fee) and some don't. Those that don't may "seed" the list to notify them if the list is being reused. You can build your own list thru many mailing services such as BZ Mailing mentioned above or go to Dun & Bradstreet and build your own at www.zapdata.com.

The Offer - 30% of your success: You know what drives your customers' in-store purchases. Exploit those drives with a variety of different direct mail Offers to match. The "99 Cents" or "First Week Free" can be effective in getting prospects into the store when used sparingly, but are often over-used and worn out. The goal of your direct mail campaign is not to sell the prospect but to get the prospect into the store. It's your sales staff's job to sell them. Consider "give-aways." You'd be surprised how often the Offer of a free hat or T-shirt will get the prospect into the store and a Big Screen sold. In-Store Promotions, combined with your direct mail piece are a really good idea. Get the kids involved. They will get the parents into the store to sign up to win the Giant Christmas Stocking or the Easter Bunny and Basket of Toys.

Creative Design - 20% of your success: When designed properly, colourful, unique postcards are the most "guaranteed to be read" direct mail vehicle for your Offer. There's no envelope hiding your attention-getting message. The standard 4" x 6" postcard is appropriate for small mailings such as to paid out customers, for thank you's and for happy birthdays. Its advantages include low postage ($.26 each), first class service with address correction and lower printing cost. Their biggest disadvantage, however is its SIZE. Size really makes a difference and a bigger postcard will get more noticed. An attention getting 5.5" x 8.5" or better yet, a 6" x 11" postcard stands out, gets noticed above other mail received and, when used in a larger mailing, can actually cost less to mail overall. Include people and lifestyle in your designs. "Mood" images of furniture or appliances being used by happy people help to put your prospect into the scene, enjoying that new living room suite. Be creative in your headline. A quizzical headline can catch the curiosity of the prospect and lead him right into your message and Offer. White space is just as important as printed space. Resist the feeling that unless every square inch of the mailing piece is covered with ink (text or pictures), you're not getting your monies worth. White space helps to define what's important in message.

The Ultimate Direct Mail Targeting: Technology now gives us the ultimate in targeted direct mail. Variable printing on the press, of text and images, enables you to send a postcard to your paid outs, with their name as part of the headline, make them a custom Offer unique to them, and including pictures of products they have not yet rented. Every postcard is different. Every postcard designed for the prospect to whom it was sent.

__

Chet Pensak is Director of Operations for InForm Print & Promotions, Inc. which has provided creative, print and direct marketing services, as well as promotional items and RTO-specific business forms and agreements to the RTO Industry since 1980. For more information on these services, he can be reached at: 888-786-3676 or chet@rtoforms.com. Products may be viewed and ordered at www.rtoforms.com.