IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS

Despite the glut of junk mail, direct mail marketing continues because it is still successful for many businesses. The key to a successful direct mail campaign is the mailing list. If you have a well-honed, targeted mailing list, you can get a better rate of investment (ROI) than if you are mailing randomly. You can purchase a list through a good list broker. However, it is essential that you make sure the list is targeted, current and legally sold. Get references and check on the list broker. There are too many people passing off stolen or old lists. In addition, it is not wise to buy a list blindly off of a web site or a CD Rom. Often such lists are randomly generated from various other lists and not frequently updated.

Buy updated lists when necessary to keep your list current. Every three to six months your list should be updated. Some local businesses or niche companies opt to do their own due diligence and create their own lists. This is only effective if you have the time and manpower to put into creating a strong list.

To do a direct mail campaign you need to:

• Have a targeted (current) mailing list that suits your demographic needs
• Determine what you want to send (i.e. flier, brochure, postcard, sales letter)
• Find a mailing house
• Find a good printer — shop around and get quotes
• Have a means of tracking the success of your mailing

Any direct mail program starts with two basic components — a message and an audience. What are you trying to say and to whom are you saying it?

First the audience. Who are you trying to reach? What common traits and characteristics does the audience share? For example, paint companies looking for new customers could reach all the painting contractors in Brooklyn by sending a direct mailer to every address in New York City, but they would waste postage on a lot of unqualified prospects. Targeted direct mail, on the other hand — both postal and electronic — reaches a more select audience and a more receptive reader.

Would it help to have a list of names and addresses of companies that ordered supplies and equipment from the largest retail paint store in Brooklyn? How about access to a list of people who expressed interest in new painting products and also asked to look at new information about those products?

Lots of mailing list providers sell both prepackaged and specially developed lists that answer these types of questions. Mailing list providers also sell lists with demographics tailored to the target audience you want to reach. But make sure your list is qualified.

Crafting the Content

What is the message you want to send to your targeted mailing list? Every message is different, but effective direct mail copy contains a few universal elements.

It’s as simple as D-I-R-E-C-T:

D - Direct. Get to the point, and don’t waste the reader’s time. Tell the most important message first.

I - Insight. Do your homework and know your audience. Don’t try to sell denture cream to teenagers or peddle tractors to urbanites.

R - Respect. Be respectful in tone and content. Don’t insult or intimidate the reader.

E - Educate. Be informative. Share knowledge and communicate value.

C - Creative. In printed material, use graphics, photos and colors to highlight your message in printed material. Online, stick with simple text that transmits easily, avoid bandwidth-hogging images or exotic typefaces.

T - Think ahead. Anticipate the reader’s questions and answer them in your message.

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