For small businesses, using direct mail as a marketing tool is always a great idea. It allows a company to target recipients specifically. If you are opting to employ direct mail marketing, you also have the benefit of creating your own mailing list of hundreds of thousands of targeted customers. But with a large number of possible customers, you can expect a deluge of responses. There's no way you can reply to every single customer in a timely manner. Failing to give an immediate response to customer inquiry could cost you considerably. Thankfully, mailing list services can also solve that problem. Direct mail vendors can arrange a market test with a manageable number of recipients to have a better control of the response. Mailing services are also relatively cheap, allowing you to create a campaign that suits your marketing budget.
To help you plan a successful direct mail campaign and make the most of the advantages that it offers, consider implementing the following suggestions:
1. Use postcards – Since sales letters and packages sometimes don't get opened, it's only practical to consider sending out postcards instead. The recipient just has to flip the postcard to read your marketing message and that's it. This gives you an advantage of attracting even the most impatient reader. Create larger sized postcards to allow you more space on which to demonstrate your goods and deliver your proposal.
2. Deliver a strong message – An effective direct mailing should urge the recipient into quick action. To achieve this, you need a strong message, which consists of an irresistible offer and a call to action. Some examples of call to action are "call now," "visit our shop," "dial this number," and "claim this prize."
3. Be forceful – It's okay. You can never be too aggressive in direct mail marketing. Just add a little creative or humor although never veer away from your goal – make a sale. Make your postcard as creative and visually engaging as possible. Use graphics or imagery that would contribute to your desire to get the recipient to respond to your offer.
4. Test your campaign – Especially if it is your first time to launch a direct mail campaign, try testing it out with a moderate-sized group. Your test will give you a feel of the customer response rate, which you can use as a metric on the number of mailings you should send in a given week.
5. Be prepared to handle customer responses. – Plan your every move and be ready for any number of possible outcomes. For example, if your call to action is for customers to request additional information, are you ready to send a reply? To help you focus, think of how you plan to maximize those names and address in your mailing list.
With the aid of mailing services, carrying out even just a small campaign to target customers can deliver results in just days! You are guaranteed of a response time that is definitely faster than common print campaigns, such as magazine ad placements.
Author Resource:
Troy Duff works as a businessman and currently runs a printing company that offers mailing services , banners, magazines, flyers, door hangers, catalogs, direct mailing , custom printer and other printed ads.