DIRECT MAIL MARKETING: STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO DIRECT MAIL MARKETING THAT DELIVERS GREAT RESULTS.
We would wager that most business owners don’t realize that Direct Mail (DM) marketing is one of those powerful promotional strategies to grow their businesses, increase reach, and boost sales. Despite how technology has evolved over the years, Direct Mail isn’t dead.
Direct Mail Marketing —What is it?
It is the process of sending promotional materials, brochures, catalogs, newsletters, or postcards, to potential or existing customers. If you are a business owner seeking to advertise your product or service to your prospects or customers at home or their office, Direct Mail is a tool to achieve that.
How effective is it to mail your promotion to prospects?
According to Forbes, “Direct Mail still works in a digital world.”
“Direct Mail is hot again,” this is another statement from US Small Business Administration.
In recent years, the prospect response rate has increased astronomically—almost 200% compared to previous years. For many, Direct Mail can elicit an emotional response, especially if you make your offers worthwhile. Plus, unlike TV advertisements and email, Direct Mail lasts longer and is affordable.
Mail Marketing Strategy
A well-thought-out Direct Mail marketing strategy should include information on your plan of action from start to finish. First of all, you need to define your goal. Are you trying to drive traffic to your website or boost sales for the new product?
The second thing to consider is the size of your pocket—your budget. What’s your monthly income, and how much are you willing to spend? To make a good budget, you need to track your spending first.
Decide – who do you want to contact? Whether you are selling your goods and services to businesses or consumers, the mailing list you use will be critical. It starts with where do you want your promotion to go. Consider zip codes, cities, counties or states
- Business Mailing List for Direct Mail What type of businesses? What size – based on employees or sales volume. What else will make a good prospect for your offer
- Consumer Mailing List for Direct Mail – Do you want to segment by age? Income? Homeownership? What else will make a good prospect for your offer?
When planning your campaign, you need to create a powerful call to action. At the end of your mail piece, your reader should have a clear direction on what to do. Please don’t leave them hanging!
Types of Mail Campaigns
There are tons of Direct Mail campaigns. However, we will only provide you with a list of the most popular ones.
- Brochures
- Coupons
- Parcels
- Catalogs
- Booklets
- Postcards
- Letters & Envelopes
- Menus.
There are key elements you should never forget when designing your Direct Mail. They include a Clear Headline, high-quality images, worthwhile offers, powerful call to action, and testimonies.
You can see some samples of post cards that you can customize based on your industry and business plan.
How to save cost when planning your direct mail campaign
Don’t start big. You may end up on the losing side if you direct all your resources towards Direct Mail marketing on your first attempt. Starting small allows you to study the landscape, learn the ins and outs of the entire process, and improve on your next attempt.
Use online template services to design your own postcards. ListAbility has templates for many industries to help you to design your own postcards. Industries include restaurants, roofing, senior care, real estate, moving and storage, landscape, pool, fitness and much more
Try freelancing websites for custom-design mail pieces. There are many freelancing websites to choose from, such as Fiverr, which will allow you to showcase your talent to potential customers all over the world.
Use Standard Mail discount postage. Instead of 1st Class postage, use Standard Mail (also known as bulk mail). Why? It’s less expensive compared to others. Quite often the cost of using a mail house can be mostly off-set by the cheaper postage.
ListAbility provides mailing lists and direct mail services for businesses nationwide.
Photo by JJ Ying on Unsplash
