How to write a mailshot

Feb 19, 2016 | News

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[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]If you’re investing time, money and effort into organising a mailshot, it is important to make sure you get the right content included too.

Studies suggest that the returns on mailshots are high, particularly when compared to other marketing channels, but you’ll only get the result you want if you’ve put in the work to make sure that the content hits the mark.

The mailshot you write will depend on your product or service and the message you are trying to convey to your customers, but there are some general tips that you can follow. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
[/cs_text][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”false”]Lead with the best[/x_custom_headline][cs_text]When writing a mailshot piece, it’s common to gradually lead up to the real attention-grabbing details but when you’re planning a mailshot, the reverse is true.

You only have seconds to capture the interest of your audience so if the reader has to plough through lots of wordy content before reaching the money shot, the chances are they’ll have given up before they get there!

A mailshot should command attention instantly, with the reader keen to read on to find out more. Don’t be afraid about using up your most fascinating content too soon, if you don’t start with a bang, your mailshot will be a damp squib as far as the customer is concerned.

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[/cs_text][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”false”]Personalisation[/x_custom_headline][cs_text]Mailshots have evolved from their early days and although you might want to send out a similar message to a large group of customers, that doesn’t mean you can’t make it personal too.

Personalisation is one of the main ways in which you can grab the attention of the recipient, and stop your mailshot from being instantly discarded as “junk mail”.

There’s lots of different ways to personalise your mailshot, with the simplest and most obvious just using their name and address. Using an individual’s name rather than just addressing it to “the occupier” or leaving out a name completely will immediately make your mailshot stand out from the majority of the others that arrive.

But you can do far more than simply add their name and address; by analysing their past habits you can customise your current mailing to what you think they might be specifically interested in. Receiving a mailshot which is tailored to your own specific likes is far more likely to elicit a response.

[/cs_text][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”false”]Incentives[/x_custom_headline][cs_text]There are lots of reasons to send out a mailshot and many of your recipients may be interested in what you have to say.

However, if there’s not an extra incentive to get them to respond it could very easily get put into the “deal with later” pile. Many mailshots grab the attention of the recipient but never materialise into anything more and this can be because there’s a lack of motivation for the customer to respond.

Offering an easy way for the individual to respond, such as a QR code, or an incentive such as a money-off coupon will ensure they make that extra effort to respond to your mailshot.

[/cs_text][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”false”]Make it clear[/x_custom_headline][cs_text]Writing a mailshot is not the same as writing an article for a newsletter; you only have a very limited amount of time to grab the attention and your message needs to be punchy, short and to the point.

Forget about long passages of text – short paragraphs and snappy sentences will help to make sure your customer reads everything.

Don’t be afraid of oversimplifying everything, this is a great way to get your message across effectively.

Use graphics and colours to make important points stand out if you can as a page just full of text will be an instant turn off.

[/cs_text][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”false”]Tell them what to do…[/x_custom_headline][cs_text]Once you’ve shown the recipient exactly what’s on offer, make sure you tell them in no uncertain terms exactly what they need to do in order to get in touch.

Be explicit in telling them to email, telephone or visit you and give them your details. Make sure there’s no vagueness about how to contact you and when you’re open.

Give your customers a direct invitation to get in contact with you and explain how and you’ll be far more likely to be successful in getting a response.

[/cs_text][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ accent=”false”]Rely on quality![/x_custom_headline][cs_text]Whatever else you do, make sure that you only produce mailshots of the highest quality, using quality colour printing and materials that really stand out. Here at Baker Goodchild we provide mailshots of the highest quality no matter how large the batch you need. Give us a call today to see what we could produce for your business.

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