Guide to Direct Mail News and Trends

Find helpful information and advice for your direct mail advertising campaign

By Michelle Cramer

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate collections of direct mail marketing articles

Many websites offer a collection of articles that provide information for success with direct mailers. These sites allow access to multiple articles in one location so that you don't have to search all over the Internet for information.

I recommend: Visit PostcardSmart for articles ranging from basics to design tips to what to look for in direct mail companies. Navigate through categories under the Direct Mail Articles section of the navigation column. DirectMailQuotes.com offers an expert advice section full of direct mail marketing information in various categories.

Subscribe to blogs with direct mail advertising tips

Many blog writers provide tips and tactics on a regular basis to help you make the most of your direct mail business strategies. These blogs may contain anything from how to have more success with your business mailers to what you need to consider when hiring direct marketing companies.

I recommend: Marigold Technologies offers direct mail news and trends in The Direct Marketing Blog. Red Clay Media includes video clips in its direct marketing blog.

Access marketing magazines for up-to-date advice on direct mail marketing

There are many Internet magazines and newsletters to which you can subscribe and receive periodic emails with marketing information and trends. You can also search their websites for previous articles regarding direct mail strategies and advice.

I recommend: BtoB is an online magazine for marketing strategists with a RSS subscription available for specific topics, such as direct marketing. Target Marketing offers a free subscription to its published magazine or an email subscription to its newsletter.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  It may be difficult to find websites, blogs and magazines that focus solely on direct mail news and trends. More than likely, you will find resources that have more broad range coverage on marketing and advertising. There is still some great general advice available that will help with your direct mail campaign, and most provide a search function so that you can find information on specific topics.

Guide to Effective Direct Mail Marketing

Get the maximum impact from direct mailings

By Jeanni Brosius, CEO, Brosius Young Communications

1. Ensure that you have accurately identified the demographics for your target recipients.
2. Hire a qualified direct mail company with its own demographic data if you don’t have the time, resources or desire to conduct your own research.
3. Use bulk mail to reduce your postage expenses.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose your tactic

Direct mailers are but one way to get your advertising out there. Direct marketing companies also use door hangers, magazine and newspaper inserts to connect with customers.

I recommend: Know your targeted client base to determine which type of direct mail will best benefit your business. Evaluate the age group, income level, gender and other characteristics of your target audience. Demographic Research offers some wonderful demographic information. If you’ve hired a direct mail company to handle your direct marketing needs, ask your contacts for recommendations.

Use a direct mail business

By selecting a direct mail business, you will be able to target your audience based on the research conducted by the direct marketing companies. Many times, it is less expensive to foot the bill for the direct mail companies than to compile the list yourself.

I recommend: Get a mailing list from the direct marketing company to keep in your file, and update it regularly. Some companies that offer mailing lists are Best Mailing Lists Inc., Access America Direct Marketing Group, and Direct Mail.

Launch your direct marketing campaign

After you've created, rented or purchased your list of targeted consumers, create your mailing piece. A postcard is probably the least expensive direct mailing and can be just as effective as sending a brochure. Use a professionally designed and printed mailer that will get your point across in a clever, concise way. Don't overwhelm the reader with too much fluff.

I recommend: The United States Post Office and Business Knowledge Source offers advice on creating and implementing your direct mail campaign. VistaPrint is a great resource for affordable, professional, do-it-yourself direct mail design and printing. The company also offers design services for those who wish to outsource the design work.

Have recipients respond to your plea

Whether it is enticing the recipients with a business reply card, a customer code or a coupon, you need to know how well your direct mailings are working. Using a specific code on each mailing will also help you determine when the mailing was sent and to whom. A coupon also works well to boost response to a direct mail campaign. It can boost response within a specified time frame, and you get to track the overall response to your campaign so you know how well the direct mail advertising worked.

I recommend: Get a quote for printing coupons or other direct mailings at Direct Mail Marketing Services.

Dip your toe in the water

Test the market. Even a small direct mail campaign can drive your costs up. Try sending out a small sampling from each of your lists to see what sort of response you get.

I recommend: Incognate gives some test marketing solutions.

Manage the response

Make sure you can handle the fulfillment of your direct mail campaign. Don't shoot your business in the foot by sending out a large quantity of coupons or discounts on something you only have available in short supply.

I recommend: If you're shipping your own products, UPS offers information on order fulfillment. Intellitrack offers order fulfillment software and inventory tracking solutions.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Not only do you do a direct marketing to promote your business, it can also be a great market research tool. Evaluate the results of your direct mailings. Keep track of which list got the most response and the characteristics of each household. This will help with future marketing campaigns.

Guide to Direct Mail Basics

Determine how direct mail marketing will help your business grow

By Michelle Cramer

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Fit your direct mailings campaign to your business budget

While direct mailings have production and shipping costs, and costs for obtaining a mailing list if you go through a service for it, they are significantly cheaper than most other advertising possibilities. Additionally, you can adapt your direct mail campaign to fit your business's budget. It provides the possibility to produce and send out what you can afford at that time, with the freedom to send more as your budget allows.

I recommend: If your business can afford it, hire a direct mail advertising service, such as Harte-Hanks, to take care of your entire campaign, including design, production and mailing it out to the public. Visit PR-Inside for tips on how to save even more money within your direct mail campaign.

Personalize your direct mail advertising to reach your target market

Direct marketing companies provide target market mailing lists for a feasible fee. They determine who should receive your direct mailers based upon your goals for the advertisement and provide you with a list. Another alternative to direct mail companies is to develop your own mailing list through other means, like the phone book. Regardless of how you obtain a mailing list, you should personalize the content of your mailer as if you are talking to the potential customer directly and explain how your product or service can meet his or her needs.

I recommend: Perform a consumer search, based upon your target market needs, with Mailing Lists Direct. You can also target specific recipients for your mailing list through DirectMail.com.

Measure the results of your direct mail marketing campaign

One of the great benefits of sending direct mail is that it is much easier to measure the response from potential customers than it is with most other advertising strategies. You know exactly who you sent information to and can basically check them off your list as they contact your business. You can also send a number of different special offers to various individuals on your list to determine which offer generates the most response so that you can use that offer more frequently in the future.

I recommend: PostcardSmart offers information on various ways to test your direct mailing campaign to find out which process generates the most response. Purchase software, like MarketingPilot, to help organize your direct mail campaign and measure the results.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Another option for obtaining addresses for your direct mailing list is to ask for referrals from loyal customers. You can also have a prize drawing where those interested must fill out contact information on their entry form.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

List broker

A list broker gathers and sells lists that fit a particular demographic. For example, you may be able to purchase a list of new parents, senior citizens or people with credit cards through a list broker.

I recommend: Accelerated Marketing Group describes what a list broker does.

Direct mailing service

A direct mailing service, or fulfillment company, can take care of as much of the direct mailing process as you need. For example, you could use a full-service company to create the ad, print it on postcards and send to a list.

I recommend: FedEx provides direct mail services and describes some of the options.

Direct mail copywriting

Direct mail copywriting is a style of writing that entices recipients to open your mailing and purchase your product or service. A good copywriter may be expensive, but often has a good return on investment.

I recommend: Mal Warwick Associates talks about copywriting and offers a checklist for getting started.

Ancillary service endorsements

Ancillary service endorsements help a business owner maintain his or her mailing list. It will notify them of any changes to a recipient's address.

I recommend: The United States Postal Service talks about what happens to mail when the address is incorrect and how business owners can resolve this through ancillary service endorsements.

Response rate

The response rate is the percentage of people that responds to a direct mail campaign. Depending on the campaign, this can mean different things, such as how many people purchase a product or sign up for a seminar.

I recommend: Gaebler Ventures talks about typical direct mail response rates.

Direct Marketing Association (DMA)

The Direct Marketing Association is an organization that supports companies that use direct marketing techniques in order to sell products or get donations.

I recommend: Learn more about the DMA and how they can help your business through their website.