Direct Mail Marketing 101

You have to communicate with your customers and prospective customers, or your business will not survive. There are many ways in which you can do this, and the number of options grows all the time. You can use the internet, television, radio, newspapers, bus stop benches, billboards, and almost anything else you can think of to advertise your company.

One of the oldest forms of communicating with customers is through direct mail. Companies have been sending literature through what is now known as “snail mail” for over a hundred years. And they continue to do so, because direct mail is one of the most reliable and effective ways to get in touch with the people who will buy your products.

One of the best things about a direct mail campaign is that it is very flexible. You can send a variety of things to your customers, including postcards, brochures, letter, greeting cards, or several other things. But no matter what you send out, there are a few things that you can do to maximize the power of your direct mail campaign. Whether you are planning a postcard printing project or a brochure mailing, these points will be equally important.

Your Mailing List
The mailing list is the most important aspect of your direct mail campaign. No marketing literature can succeed if it is not placed in the right hands. Make sure you constantly collect information from people who purchase from you. And continually collect demographic information to find the people who are likely to need or want what your company provides. Combine those two collections of data, and you have your mailing list.

Your Message
Even if you get your materials into the hands of the right customers, they are still not guaranteed to have an impact. They will only succeed if you use the right message. Use words that will entice the type of people that you are targeting. Include special offers in all of your literature.

Your Benefit
There should be something about your company that makes it stand out from its competitors. What is it about your business that makes it better than the rest? What can you offer your customers that no one else can? Determine what this special benefit is, and emphasize it in your direct mail campaign.

Your Results
It is important that you keep track of how each direct mail campaign performs for you. Record the people that you send material to, and make a note of it if those people come in and make a purchase from you. That, obviously, means that your direct mail efforts had an effect, at least on some customers. Run several different campaigns and record the effectiveness of each. Use this information to help you make decisions as you go forward.