Creating Direct mail
30/08/2005
The Do's and Don'ts for Direct mail
CREATING MARKETING TOOLS
Direct mail
Direct mail is personally addressed advertising, either sent by post or most recently by email. It enables you to talk to your existing database or search for new customers through lists which you can buy from brokers. Its key advantage is that it allows you to talk intimately to your reader.
Deciding who you want to reach is crucial to the success of your mailing. Existing customers can offer businesses their best return on investment. Acquiring new customers can be expensive and as your existing customers are already warm to your brand, they are both the easiest to convert to a sale and your best advocates. Direct mail's great advantage is that if you choose your audience accurately it is much more cost effective than other forms of advertising.
The other benefit is that the formats used in direct mail are highly flexible. An OKI printer enables you to produce anything from a postcard to a postal pack (a letterhead, a business card, a newsletter, a booklet, a cover for a demo CD) which can be contained within an envelope. It can even print your address labels.
Do's:
* Make the content relevant. It is only junk mail if you have not done your job properly. If it is the right message to the right person and delivered in the right way, it will be genuinely useful.
* Update your data. Checking changes in names and addresses will not only stop you wasting money, but will stop you annoying people. Updating files with some background on the person will also allow you to further focus how you segment and talk to your audience.
* Consider how often to send mailings. Some seasonal businesses can send four times a year and still be relevant, yet from another business this would be overkill.
* Keep it simple. Be clear about your message and what you want the customer to do.
* Make it easy for the customer to respond. A free phone number or prepaid envelope will increase replies as well as pre-completed name and address details if you already hold these on a database.
* Make sure you have all the essentials such as envelopes and letters ready to accompany your mailing.
Don'ts:
* Don't send anything out without checking permission on the data you hold. Has the recipient agreed to receive direct mail? Have they joined any postal or telephone registers which mean they cannot be approached?
* Don't spell the name of the person you are targeting incorrectly. Make sure that your own database is up to date and that any addresses you buy are from reputable companies.
* Don't put too many things in a pack. You risk it looking like a fat credit card statement!
* Don't forget the call to action.
