Tips for Effectively Using Direct Mail to Fill Seminar Seats

By Jenny Hamby, the Seminar Marketing Pro™
Certified Guerrilla Marketer and Direct-Response Copywriter

Digital marketing is, by far, the most popular way to promote events. But direct mail — or “snail mail,” as it’s sometimes called, still has its place.

Let’s start by defining “direct mail” for anyone who is new to marketing. Direct mail is any sort of promotional material that you are sending through your country’s postal system. The most common forms of direct mail content are:

  • Flyers, including flyers that are inserted into other publications, such as newsletters and newspapers
  • Postcards, which can range in size from the standard 4×6 to oversized cards as large as 8.5×11
  • Sales letters that are stuffed into envelopes
  • Self-mailed brochures, which range in size from “Slim Jim” format (8.5 x 11″ sheet of paper folded in thirds and then sealed shut and mailed) to brochures consisting of 6, 8, or even more pages

Which Format Is Right for Your Event?

There is no “perfect” format of direct mail to use for a particular event. Instead, it’s a matter of balancing several factors to pick a format — or formats — you want to test.

Factor #1: What’s your budget?

A longer piece will generally get better results, in particular if you are marketing a high-price event, because this allows more time to build your case persuasively.

The trade-off, of course, is that larger packages cost more money, and sending them requires a greater deal or organization and legwork than with smaller formats.

When beginning direct mailing, don’t splash out on expensive brochures right away. Keep a conservative approach with cheaper methods like postcards before trying pricier options.

Factor #2: Who is your audience?

A brochure or package can offer the space for a more persuasive argument and detailed information for people unfamiliar with your events.

Your “A list” of people who are familiar with you and your events will probably be happy to receive direct mail from you, so a postcard will generally be a much better option than a package for these individuals.

Entrepreneurs, small companies, and people who open their own mail are also more likely to look at postcards, self-mailed brochures, and other forms of “naked” mail, as they will probably open unmarked letters which are sent to them.

Factor #3: Who is opening the mail?

Large corporations often have mailrooms where unmarked letters are immediately disposed of, so when marketing to corporate clients, featuring attractive packaging can be beneficial.

A teaser to put on the envelope when mailing to corporate targets could feature a message saying, “Look inside for [benefit of your service]”, with the listed benefit corresponding to the content found inside.

For A-list mailing, simply hand-seal and hand-stamp your letter and don’t include your company name or return mailing address.

Finally, consider listing the website name on the outside of your letter, as this could potentially fulfill the role intended by your postcard or brochure before the recipient even opens your package.

How Can I Start Using Direct Mail To Promote My Marketing Events and Seminars?

When you’re ready to try direct mail, you might be tempted to send everyone on your list a direct mail piece. Resist the urge. The price of direct mailing content can balloon quickly, so for inexperienced marketers, diving into major direct mailed promotional projects can be extremely risky.

Instead, limit your risk by starting with the smallest possible format and/or testing direct mail with only small segments of your list. Carefully monitor your results. Is is producing enough sales to justify the investment of time, money, and energy? If so, continue expanding and experimenting with different targets and different formats until you’ve optimized your direct mailing approach.

Direct mailing: a great promotion technique to be used carefully

Using direct mail to promote your marketing events can be a powerful investment of your time and money if done correctly. If you’re new to event marketing — or just new to direct mail — start small, analyze the results carefully, and expand your direct mailing practice from there. With time, you’ll be putting your event’s information straight into the hands of the people who are the most eager to see it.

guerrilla-marketerJenny Hamby is a Certified Guerrilla Marketer and direct-response copywriter who helps speakers, coaches and consultants fill seminar seats and make more money from their own seminars and workshops. Her on- and offline direct marketing campaigns have netted response rates as high as 84 percent … on budgets as small as $125.

To explore how Jenny can help you generate more registrations and profits from your seminars, workshops and webinars, book a 30-minute complimentary discovery session.