We’ve recently received a number of mail shots at Appletree – so of them bad, some of them worse and only one of them really great. What makes them different? I think it’s the planning that’s gone into them – or the lack of! Take a look at all three and let me know what you think.

The Bad – this one was sent by a company called Borland, who help their clients deliver new software. The mailer says “If you … want to augment Silk Performer with tools such as JUnit or Subversion …” They’ve spent a lot of money on the mailer – it’s not a conventional size and has a cut out section, into which they’ve dropped a fake mobile phone.

So what’s the problem? Firstly, we don’t create software at Appletree, so why have they sent us a mailer that’s full of jargon? They sent two copies to us, to people who don’t work here. We don’t have a Senior Software Engineer and Developer. So not only have they spent a great deal of money on the mailer, they’ve also wasted their marketing budget on buying a dodgy mailing list.

The Worse – Portman Asset Finance have written to three different people, at three different companies, all at our address. The names of the recipients are all ones I’ve not heard of, so I’m wondering if they really exist – one of them even seems to have the first name and surname the wrong way round! It took about three readings of the letter before I understood that they provide finance for equipment and vehicles. As an office based marketing company, we don’t need to buy large pieces of kit or cars for our team of salesmen.

So this company has done no research into who they are sending their letters to. They’ve wasted money on a poor quality mailing list. And the letter was very uninspiring, asking me to get in touch if I’m interested in spending money with them – no suggestion that they will follow up the letter.

The Really Great – this letter came from Peronel Barnes at Create and Consult. She’s a very talented artist who has recently had a painting accepted by the Royal Watercolour Society. To celebrate, she wrote to a select number of people she knows, with a lovely offer of buying some of her prints. The letter was addressed to me and was hand written. Onto the letter Peronel has attached a little heart, which made the envelope ‘lumpy’ and even more intriguing. The letter is printed on good quality paper, which shows the quality of her prints. The copy is cleverly written, picking up on the heart theme. I’m going to keep Peronel’s letter, so that when I need a lovely gift for someone, I know where to go!

The next time you’re thinking about using direct mail as a way to promote your business, remember what makes a mailer good, bad and really great. Take your time to plan what you’re going to say, who you’re going to say it and how you’re going to say it. And if you’d like some really specific help, come to our full day workshop on 21 March 2013 where we’ll show you exactly how to stop wasting money on your marketing!