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Murr Printing &
Graphics |
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Write
a Letter That Really Connects |
A well-written
letter can go a long way toward establishing or strengthening your
customer relations. Here are tips for making your letters more effective:
Dear Linda" is much more compelling
than "Dear Customer."
Encourage the reader to believe you are speaking
only to her. This is where your customer file comes in. Use it to
personalize your mail communications and make them more powerful. For
example, this letter is tailored to a regular customer whose purchase
pattern indicates she prefers fiction. Different authors could be
substituted for customers who purchase non-fiction.
Don’t try to accomplish too many things in
one letter. Establish a primary message, stay with it, and state it
clearly early on so that the reader understands it right away. A
headline accomplishes this almost instantly.
Keep bringing the reader back to the primary
message. Again and again.
Boldfaced type is more than okay – it’s
recommended. Many customers will be too busy to carefully read your
letter word by word and may simply glance over it. Boldfaced type will
help you capture the eye and maintain the interest of even the most
casual reader.
Unless your product or offer is complicated, you
should keep your letter to one page. Several short paragraphs are more
reader-friendly than one long one.
- Tell your customer exactly what you want them to do.
State it
simply and clearly.
- Include your phone number.
No matter how simple your message is,
or how often you state it, some customers are bound to have questions.
Providing your number gives customers a way to reach you without having
to dig out the phonebook.
Don’t forget to include your written signature at the
end of each letter, as well as your typed name. A message is much more
believable if it’s from someone, rather than from a business,
"Susan Wise, Susan’s Books" is stronger than just
"Susan’s Books."
The postscript is one of the most-read parts of
a marketing letter. Use this important message area to hammer home a
single thought (the one that you want your customer to remember after he’s
done reading the letter). In his book, Successful Direst Marketing
Methods, Bob Stone said, "The P.S. is one of the most effective
parts of any letter…use it to restate a key benefit."
An expiration date lends a sense of urgency and
increases your chances of a response. You can also take a softer tone,
indicating a "limited time only," but with no specific cut-off
date.
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