In the past 6 months or so, I witnessed three publishers sitting in on circulation marketing meetings make comments about how they really didn't like direct mail, didn't respond to it, thought it was wasteful, and so on.

I understand their sentiments because that's how I feel about telemarketing when I am home (though I am open to it in the office).

Recently, one of my clients (Yale Reivew) thoughtfully provided me with a summary of a direct mail campaign, for which I did the creative.

At the end of the report, they recorded comments written by customers who had responded to the direct mail solicitation. Here they are:

"The letter was terrific!" -- DL, New Jersey

"I would love to send a year of your enchanting sounding Yale Review to my son. It will be enjoyed and shared, and who knows, may bring you new subscriptions. Thank you for suggesting good things about my intellect in your letter." HH, Washington

"I loved your examples and your elegant flattery." FH, Washington

"...thanks for bringing the existence of Yale Review to my attention!" CG, New York

"...beautifully written, beautiful presentation!" LB, Kansas

Yes, direct mail is more expensive than ever. Yes, list sizes are shrinking. Yes, it's hard to get a higher price. But direct mail is still better than a lot of sources, more efficient than most forms of advertising. And, once in awhile, it's good to remind ourselves that some people welcome the chance to learn about our products in a way that respects their intelligence, gives them clear information so they can make a decision about your product, and perhaps leads to some word of mouth subscriptions.

When we send direct mail letters to our prospective subscribers, we should remember that. It will help us approach them with a respectful message about our product, and why they can benefit from it.

Posted by Rebecca Sterner at 3:18 PM | Link