Direct mail marketing enables you as a business to communicate directly with a consumer. You can use mail to introduce a new aspect of your business such as a product or a service or remind customers that you are still around. You can also use mailings to send consumers physical coupons that they can bring to the store. The cost of stamps in addition to the materials for all your mailings can drive up costs quickly, meaning that as a business you have to make extra sure that your mailing pieces will help generate a return on investment. Be sure to follow these basic tips before proceeding with a direct mail marketing campaign.
Audience
Before you even start designing your mail pieces, you need to consider who will be on the receiving side. You can get an idea by determining where your business is and where your consumers typically come from. From there it is a matter of identifying the addresses of your target audience in the area where your consumers tend to live and creating a mailing list. You should make sure your mailing list is up to date periodically so none of your mailing pieces are going to waste. The size of your mailing list will also have a dramatic impact on the price, so be sure to keep quantity and cost at the top of mind.
Design
A professional design on your mailing piece will lend your business credibility as well as more eyeballs. Consumers will have no problem with tossing a piece of mail that doesn’t capture their attention or that isn’t aesthetically appealing. You must also decide whether you want your pieces to have a matte or glossy finish. Keep in mind that the piece’s colors and theme must fit in with your business and your company name should be featured prominently on the piece.
Medium
Consider what format you want your mailing piece to be: a postcard, brochure, sales letter? Picking an appropriate medium helps deliver a cohesive message. In any case, always use professional-grade paper as consumers will be able to feel the difference in quality and distinguish your piece immediately from other mail. What medium you choose will also depend on what kind of information you are convening in your piece. A piece that is primarily dedicated to promotion a deal may work best as a postcard while a piece explaining your business may be better suited to a brochure.
Value
Try to add value to your piece so that the receiver doesn’t toss it as junk mail. Value can include a promo code or some other type of discount that is only available via direct mail adds a sense of exclusivity to your strategy. Be sure to develop a way to measure response whether it is tracking promo code usage or monitoring hits on a landing page.