Normal human attention span has shrunk to just 8 seconds, worse than a goldfish.
In a world where everyone is constantly inundated with noise — Facebook, emails, Instagram, Twitter, TV, YouTube — it takes persistence to make your message stick.
Persistence in the business world means constant follow-ups.
So when you don’t get a response, just keep following up until you do. Seems straightforward, right? Wrong!
You’d be amazed to see the stats.
A study by Microsoft shows that about 89% of salespeople never send a follow-up after their fourth attempt.
Hell, over 70% of sales emails don’t go past their initial contact.
This looks insane given the fact that it easily takes 7-13 touches to deliver a qualified B2B sales lead to the sales department, according to lead-to-sales funnels data collected for over 100 firms.
Any successful marketing campaign requires at least 8 touches.
According to one study, the probability of getting a reply on your second email is 21% if you don’t get any reply on your first email.
What do all of these stats show?
They show the power of consistency in lead nurturing.
But variety and innovation are the hallmarks of a multitouch approach.
Don’t Be Boring: Use Handwritten Direct Mail to Follow Up
You won’t want to bore your prospect with similar kinds of approaches and get blocked.
That’s where handwritten direct mail comes in.
Imagine a prospect getting a beautiful postcard having a handwritten message directly addressed to them with their name on it.
As a follow-up, a simple white letter with a handwritten message would make an impact.
And so on…
As people take handwritten direct mail more seriously than email or any other channel, following up becomes more fruitful.
Over 63% of people prefer direct mail as it makes them feel more valued.
Direct mail response rates easily beat those of email.
Nurture your leads slowly with well-time handwritten notes using a multitouch approach and see your sales getting a major boost.
Why Do Handwritten Follow-up Messages Work?
Handwritten follow-up messages will make you stand out extremely easily.
Why?
Two reasons.
First, handwritten notes are making a strong comeback. Writing handwritten notes is the coolest approach to contact anyone with an element of personalization.
Fun fact: Richard Branson and Jimmy Fallon are fans of handwritten notes.
Personalization results in higher response rates, as people are naturally programmed to pay attention and respond to a piece of paper having a message directly addressed to them.
That’s why over 84% of respondents in a survey said they are more likely to respond to a direct mail piece.
Second, it’s easier for every other salesperson to blast clients with email follow-ups (They still don’t follow up… I don’t know why!)
In handwritten direct mail, the competition is scarce.
When you send multiple touches using handwritten mail, the prospect will naturally think you are really putting an effort into the process.
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