Words That Work For Direct Mail Marketing

Are you suffering from a severe case of writer’s block and need some help getting started? Check out these words that work to discover helpful tips and tricks for writing great direct mail material that sells.

So, you want to know the secret words that will get you the direct mail marketing results you’re shooting for? You have two options, you can hire a professional direct mail copywriter who already possess the knowledge of what works and what doesn’t, or you can try to do it yourself. While there isn’t one single formula that directly equates to successful direct mail campaigns, there are certain words that have been known to elicit positive responses.

Whether the direct mail campaign is focused on potential customers attending an event, hiring a home repair or installation service, or becoming a donor to a charity – they all share the same goal – to persuade the target audience to do something. That’s why direct mail words that work are all about persuasion.

If you fail to think like your target audience when writing your direct mail copy – your results will show it.  In order to persuade your readers, you have to speak to their needs. You need to get inside of their heads. Start by imagining why they would be interested in your service, product or organization. What drives them to take action? What causes them to make a decision? What keeps them up at night?

To start, everyone always seems to look at what the competition is doing by reviewing the competitions’ direct mail marketing efforts and analyzing how it could be done better. Then, we all start brainstorming about our own campaign. However, keep in mind that your competitors might be writing direct mail pieces that aren’t effective, so only use it as a reference point.

Now that you know how to start brainstorming ideas for your direct mail marketing piece, let’s talk about specific words or strategies that work well. It’s all about benefits – not features. Features answer the question of WHAT it is that your product or service actually does. Benefits talk about what’s in it for them or HOW it will help solve a potential customer’s problem. While features are great – what your target consumer really cares about are the benefits. They want your product or service to make their life easier, save them time and money and provide a solution to whatever problem they are experiencing. Here’s an example:

You will save time and money processing your payroll with us. Our automated payroll software seamlessly integrates with your bookkeeping system and automatically files all of your payroll related tax forms.

The first part of the sentence lays out the benefit – that you save both time and money while the second part of the sentence focuses on the feature – the automated component of the payroll service. By combining both into one sentence, you can convey what it is your product / service does (feature) and how it helps or solves the customer’s problem (benefit). Remember, the key is to focus MORE on benefits than features, because after all, a consumer is driven to purchase based on the perceived benefit of your product / service.

Your call to action is the final piece of the persuasion puzzle. All of the words leading up to the call to action are building to that final moment. That’s why your call to action truly can make or break your direct mail campaign. Below we’ve compiled a list of words (in no particular order) that work well for igniting a response:

1. Effective
2. Special
3. Save
4. Discover
5. New
6. Free
7. You
8. Imagine
9. Easy
10. Exclusive
11. Now
12. Money
13. Guarantee
14. Health
15. Results
16. Limited
17. Love
18. Discovery
19. Proven

While these are just a few examples of words that work, there are many more that you can use to make your direct mail campaign successful. When sitting down to write great copy – keep in mind that it’s all about writing clear, concise copy that converts