In a classic business-to-business print ad from the late '50s for McGraw-Hill Magazines, an imposing-looking executive sits in his chair. He has both feet planted firmly on the ground, and a look on his face that is a cross between a frown and a scowl. His hands are folded together in front of him, and his elbows rest on the chair; he leans ever so slightly forward. To his right run these eight lines of copy:

I don't know who you are.
I don't know your company.
I don't know your company's product.
I don't know what your company stands for.
I don't know your company's customers.
I don't know your company's record.
I don't know your company's reputation.
Now—what was it you wanted to sell me?

Across the bottom, a single line of copy drives home the selling proposition:

MORAL: Sales start before your salesman calls—with business publication advertising.

This ad amplifies and expands on what many, including David Ogilvy, consider the best definition of advertising ever given. "Advertising," said copywriter John E. Kennedy nearly 80 years ago, "is salesmanship in print."

Any salesperson worth his or her commission check will tell you that landing worthwhile new business takes a repeated and concerted effort—and lots of contact with the decision maker. This is all the more true with salesmanship in print (or across the airwaves, phone lines and other forms of modern communication).

Repeatedly Exposing Your Market to Your Message

Repetition is, of course, fundamental to the success of any advertising program. The marketplace proves this fact, as does scientific research. Several years ago, a group of researchers at Harvard University were asked, "How many times must a prospect see a marketing message to take them from a state of total apathy to purchasing readiness?"

After a yearlong study, the researchers responded with a definitive answer: nine times.

Important note: Do not assume that your prospects will see, hear or otherwise experience your advertising every time you expose them to it. Ample evidence exists that in the din and clutter of today's communication-saturated world your prospects will miss or ignore your marketing message two out of every three times you convey it.

That's why, in print advertising, if you have the budget to run either six full-page ads or 12 half-page ads, it's almost always better to go for the 12 exposures. Another approach is to run a full-page ad in the publication's biggest, most popular issue (or issues) and smaller-size ads in other months.

Cost-Effective Ways to Use Direct Mail

These are two of direct mail's biggest benefits:

  1. Pinpoint targeting ability

  2. Ability to deliver a full and complete sales presentation of any length

Correspondingly, this makes direct mail a highly effective way to repeatedly expose your prospect to your salesmanship—and positively influence his or her actions.

That said, I'd like to outline two direct mail marketing strategies (as opposed to single-shot mailing ideas) that virtually any business can put to work to achieve better, more profitable marketing and lead-generation results.

1. Repeatedly mail the same letter or direct mail package to the same people. If your sales letter or direct mail package is generating an acceptable number of orders or leads, don't hesitate to mail it again and again to the same list. The basic premise for recommending this strategy can best be summed up in five words: "People quickly forget," and, "things change."

Consider this. The average person is exposed to well over 500 sales, marketing and advertising messages every day. And the vast majority of these messages do not even so much as register a blip on the mental radar screen. Of the handful of messages that do register, most are forgotten within two weeks.

Another reason this strategy works is... change. Your prospects' lives are constantly evolving. For example, you're an insurance agent mailing to a list of new homeowners. Three months ago Mr. and Mrs. Jankowski had all the life insurance they needed. So they tossed your envelope without even opening it. But, three weeks ago, Mrs. Jankowski found out she's pregnant—with twins. Because of this life-changing event, it's a good bet they'll be a bit more receptive to your next mailing.

Many highly successful direct marketing organizations, such as Dow Jones & Co. and Geico Corporation, routinely practice this strategy of repeatedly mailing the same message to the same people. Speaking from my own experience, I know that every year I get several identical mailings from the Wall Street Journal, and likewise Geico. Chances are, you do too.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Ernest Nicastro

Ernest Nicastro is an award-winning B-to-B freelance copywriter who is also equally adept at crafting B-to-C content. For more information, and to review samples of his work, visit Positive Response.

LinkedIn: Ernest Nicastro

Twitter: @enicastro