The art of direct mailing

Since we're talking about ramping up business for next year, this is a good time to talk about direct mail. In any industry, direct mail campaigns remain one of the most effective means of drumming up new business. Your newsletter can be an excellent representative for you in a direct mail campaign.

To ensure that the mail campaigns themselves are of a high standard there are three main criteria to be observed, namely; content, design and the target list.

The latter is, in a way, the most important, as without a comprehensive and accurate list of names and addresses, your direct mail campaign is simply a waste of paper.

The key to compiling a good direct mail list is to utilize all available sources e.g. yellow pages, local newspapers, personal contacts etc... It is then up to you to be constantly aware of opportunities to add to this list, thereby maintaining and expanding it.

Content and design are also of vital importance, as they should grab the attention of your existing and prospective customer. If the design in terms of layout, color and graphics is eye-catching, your mail campaign will almost certainly be read.

The main significance of direct mailing as a marketing tool is that apart from bringing in new business, it can maintain and strengthen relationships with existing customers.

If you want to increase your visibility throughout your market then direct mailing is a more subtle way than other means of advertising. A direct mail campaign reaches people in their own space and is therefore more personal and less invasive, as your (prospective customer) will turn their attention to it at a time that is convenient.

Perseverance is important when setting up your marketing program, for just as it takes four or five attempts to close a sale, it takes six or seven mail shots to close a customer. A constant direct mail system therefore allows you the necessary repetition to avoid buyer inertia.

Mail campaigns are useful in helping to build your reputation for having a different approach to others in your industry, for it may be that your competition are "too busy" to have a regular direct mail program, therefore it may be that at least a portion of your sales growth will come at their expense.