By Kim Harrison, Consultant, Author and Principal of www.cuttingedgepr.com

Direct mailing expert, Alan Rosenspan, was recently asked, “Is direct mail really effective for reaching CEOs, CFOs, CIOs and CMOs?”
 
His answer: “Of course you can do effective direct mail to the C-level. In fact, one might argue that's the only form of marketing that really gets through to them.”
 
Just make sure you:

1. Make it look personal so it gets by the gatekeeper (PA/EA/receptionist/secretary).

2. Write the letter from one CEO to another. Put the name of the CEO who is writing the letter in the upper left hand corner of the envelope.

3. Make it look important.

4. Use a dimensional mailer to get their attention. (Nobody ever threw out a box without opening it; no gatekeeper ever decided that "the boss doesn't have to see this.")

5. Use PURL's (Personalized URL's) to gain their attention.

6. Show you've done some research on their organization. Whenever Alan gets a new client, he visits their website – lots of valuable information is there, some of which can be included in the direct mail programs.

7. Don't do a one-shot; make it a consistent campaign. If reaching the CEO is very important to you (and worth it to your company) don’t just do one mailing. Do a series of mailings designed to work over time.

Alan’s website is worth visiting because it contains lots of good anecdotes and tips on direct marketing.

Source: www.alanrosenspan.com

About the Author

Kim Harrison is a recognized authority in the public relations field. His website, www.cuttingedgepr.com, provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on public relations techniques and management.