Marketing Letters to Public Middle Schools
Landing a public-school account could be a major boost for your business. A marketing letter is the first chance that you have to convince a school to do business with you. Although the letter is designed to encourage a business transaction, a conversational tone is more effective than business jargon. Marketers follow the AIDA formula when creating effective marketing letters. AIDA stands for Attention Interest Desire and Action.
Other People Are Reading
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Objective
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Define your objectives before you start writing the letter. The entire focus of the letter is going to be based on what you want to accomplish. If you want the principal or superintendent to call for more information, the focus of your letter is going to be why it is important for them to call you immediately rather than putting it off for later. If you are trying to get the reader to commit to placing an order, the focus of your letter is going to be focused on the benefits of the product itself. You can also request a meeting before the county school board or teaching staff.
Attention
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The first line of your letter should grab the reader's attention. If you know the name and position title of the person in the school who will give the go-ahead for doing business with you, you should address her by name. Your opener should immediately address how you are going to make her job as a principal easier. Keep it short, but titillating enough that she will want to read the rest of the letter just to see what you have to say. Telling an interesting story, giving some extraordinary statistics or hitting an emotional button are methods of grabbing attention.
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Interest
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Once you've sparked the recipient's interest in your letter, get him interested in your offer. Tell him exactly what your product is and its dynamic features. Waste no words in your letter. Get to the point as soon as possible. Tell your reader why you've written and what you are asking from him within the opening paragraph. Remove any instances of "I" and turn them around to use "you." Your letter should focus on the principal and the school.
Desire
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The principal's main concern is going to be whether or not your product or service will help his middle school meet its goals to educate or make his job as a caretaker of children easier. Now that he knows the features, tell him how those features will help him accomplish his goals, and the benefits to his job. Be specific. If your product will help him save money on maintenance, mention that. Go a step further and tell him other things that he can do with that money that he will save on maintenance.
Action
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Before you end the letter, you have to ask for the business. Clearly state how the reader can respond to your letter to fulfill your objective. For example, if you want the reader to call for more information, state it clearly. Then you reiterate the major benefits he will receive for following your instructions.
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References
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