Direct mail campaigns don’t always work; these are seven common errors that could frustrate your efforts:

1. Using a bad mailing list. You wouldn’t mail an offer for gourmet steaks to a list of vegetarians, right? But you’d be surprised at how many marketers commit equivalent sins.
2. Not having an irresistible direct mail offer. For a company sending a mailing on its grass seed to home owners, “Send for our sales brochure” is hardly tempting a tempting offer. “Send for our FREE booklet, 7 Steps to a Greener Lawn” is likely to pull more inquiries.
3. Not testing. How do you know whether the outer envelope for your direct mail piece promoting your new energy-saving room air conditioner should say “saves energy” or “keeps you cool all summer”? You don’t — unless you test them in an A/B split.
4. Not having a sales letter in your mailing. Never mail a brochure in an envelope without an accompanying sales letter. Remember, the brochure tells, but the letter sells.
5. No reply form. Even if your goal is to get people to call an 800 number or visit a Web URL, including a reply card, fax-back, or order form can lift overall direct mail response 10 percent to 20 percent or more.
6. Bad copy. Promotional copywriting is an art. Some amateurs can pull it off, but if you have any doubt, get professional help.
7. Poor response tracking. Lots of marketers don’t bother to key-code reply elements or track Web or phone responses. If you don’t know where the leads or sales came from, how do you know whether your direct mail offer worked?

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