By Jim Duncan

Your potential clients receive dozens of direct mail pieces every week, so how do you make sure your marketing materials are among the chosen few that remain out of the “circular file” and firmly planted in the reader’s mind?

The challenge is to design attention-grabbing direct mail pieces that both entertain and educate. This balance can be particularly difficult for engineering firms that often need to convey highly technical information in a reader-friendly format to their creative clients, many of whom are architects.

The competition for prospects’ attention is fierce, with 65 percent of architecture and engineering firms publishing brochures for various specialties or market sectors (Zweig White & Associates 1996 marketing survey). When Sparling, an electrical engineering, lighting design and technology consulting firm in Seattle, recently surveyed its audience of architects and owners, the results showed they were turned off by the “over-complicated, visually cluttered, highly technical impossible-to-read” promotions often associated with technology marketing materials.

What these prospects really wanted were materials that offered a balance of factual information about services offered and a well-written, clever format that pulled them through these facts in an entertaining way. “The direct mail pieces I remember, and pass on to my colleagues, are those that creatively catch my attention and follow through with concise, meaningful information,” says Scott Wyatt, partner/CEO of NBBJ, a leading architecture firm in Seattle. “If a company is creative in the way it presents itself, it is an indication that it will bring that same spirit and creativity to my firm’s design projects.”

In response to this type of client input, Sparling developed a fun, information packed set of four 5” x 5” booklets to introduce clients to its new “Technology Consulting Services.” The direct mail effort was so successful that it increased the technology studio’s backlog 105 percent (the goal was 50 percent) in just six months. This campaign also won in the direct mail category and took Best of Show Award at the SMPS 1996 convention.

The “Catch-22” of designing attention-grabbing direct mail is to surprise and amuse, yet have your audience take you seriously as a real authority in your field. And, of course, the last thing you want firms to remember is shocking or offensive materials that may be considered to be in bad taste or questionable humor.

Here are some basic guidelines you can follow to shorten the learning curve in creating client-winning direct mail pieces that both entertain and educate.

1. Clearly communicate your company’s personality.

What sets your firm apart from the pack isn’t just the services you offer but the personal qualities that define your organization. All of your collateral, especially direct mail materials that may serve as an introduction to potential clients, should mirror your company’s personality and values.

“A firm’s personality and corporate culture definitely come into play when we’re evaluating consultants,” says Wyatt. “Beyond qualifying, we look for people who have a work style and belief system compatible with ours to facilitate better communication while working on a project together.”

The ability to convey your company’s personality in a direct mail piece is a challenge; the process of communicating your message must be compressed into the few moments someone examines your piece. Some firms convey their personality in direct mail with quotes from clients or key members of management. Others use a more subtle approach; a writing style that communicates their firm’s style. Using light clever creative play on words versus succinct and efficient copy elicits different responses from clients about your culture. How you write the message can be as important as what you have to say.

2. Leverage your differentiating brand.

Designing collateral that leverages your company’s brand principle – the promise you keep to customers, business associates and employees alike – is a key factor in keeping your direct mail out of the recycle bin. It is essential to portray a clear and consistent company – an authentic message in a reader-friendly format will go a long way towards winning and retaining loyal clients.

Simply put, brand is the value intersection between your firm’s strengths and your clients’ perceived benefits. This concept has been around since the turn of the century, and used by companies ranging from Coca-Cola to Walt Disney. The difference today is this: whether a company is high-tech or low-tech, the immense scale of the information being thrown at consumers has made the battle for their attention – and the process of building long-term customer relationships – more complex than ever.

The value of communicating brand in direct mail lies in the fact that people do not just buy your products or services, they buy your entire company’s beliefs and culture. Can I trust this firm? Are they reliable and stable? Do they share my sense of creativity? These are all questions that potential clients ask themselves when selecting a consultant. And your direct mail must answer with a resounding, “Yes!” to each of these questions.

4. Make sure consultants share your vision and values.

If you choose to bring in an outside consultant to help develop concepts for a promotional campaign, this can open up a wealth of new creative ideas or a can of worms. Just because an ad agency or design firm has great ideas, that doesn’t make them your ideas. Using consultants who understand the psychology of direct mail and the design and building industry is just the beginning of this process. They must also have a clear understanding of, and share, the values you want to project. Only then will your messages ring true and serve as a call to action for the reader.

5. Always use the “call to action” litmus test.

When evaluating a direct mail campaign, use the “call to action” reality check as a guide for and test of effectiveness. As with other forms of advertising, your first step is to ask, “Do we know what the prospects now know of and believe about us?” The next question is, “What do we want them to know and believe about us, so that they are prompted to act?” If your direct mail piece prompts this action, you have succeeded. But, no matter how clever, if the materials don’t make the reader want to pick up the phone and call you, or at least return your phone calls, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

6. Evaluate the budget based on the return value you want.

Cost always plays a central role in designing direct mail pieces, but keep in mind the high return value when calculating the cost/value equation for your budget. After the technology books direct mail campaign, Sparling completed a client survey that showed 90 percent of its major clients now know about its technology capabilities. In the first three months after the technology books were mailed, Sparling received 11 unsolicited phone inquiries about its technology consulting services. Two of these calls resulted in fees that paid back 72 percent of the campaign cost.

7. Test, test, test.

Creating the perfect balance of education and entertainment in direct mail pieces may be a process of trial and error. So make sure any errors you make are in the testing phase, sent to small test markets, before you mail to your final list. Try out different headlines, teasers, and visuals on a few versions of the piece and judge your success by which version gets the greatest response.

8. Establish a plan for handling inquiries.

While there is no one correct way to handle inquiries, a system should be in place before the initial mailing. Most importantly, assign responsibilities to individuals and/or departments in your firm to handle calls, send additional information, and set up appointments. Also, establish a reasonable schedule for responding to calls in a timely manner, preferably within 48 hours. Finally, assign one person to prioritize the best opportunities and implement tactics that will lead to new work.

Professional service marketing is about building relationships, and direct mail can be an effective communications tool to do just that. The challenge is to differentiate your company from the rest of the pack, and make a connection with the prospect; in the brief moment their eyes meet the written page. In this age of information overload, the best way to make that connection is to both educate and entertain your audience.