Direct Mail Basics

Determine how direct mail marketing will help your business grow

Direct mailings are a marketing gimmick used to attract more potential customers to your business. While this advertising campaign may not reach as many people as a television or magazine ad, it provides a more reasonable alternative for small businesses on a tight budget. Additionally, other advertising mediums have a broader outreach that can lead to overwhelming results that your business may not be ready for just yet.

An examination of direct mail basics shows the success brought with the use of direct mailers. Whether your hire a direct mail business to do the work for you or plan to do it all yourself, a direct mail marketing campaign will help your business grow because:

1. Production and shipment costs for direct mailers are much more affordable than many other advertising options.

2. You can send business mailers directly to your target market so that nothing goes to waste and you see better results.

3. You can easily measure the successful results of your direct mail advertising.

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.

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.

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.

• 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.

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