The ABC's of Direct Mail Advertising

Direct Mail is a potent weapon in advertising and marketing your business. Direct Mail can access a broad audience in your area or it can reach a targeted group that meets your customer base criteria. Mailings can range from Postcards of various sizes to Booklets and Brochures with multiple pages. You can mail to a group with as few as 200 addresses up to mailings in the millions. Direct Mail products and types are so varied, it can be daunting to those who have never mailed before. But Direct Mail can be an asset to your organization if you follow a few simple rules.

1. Use a Mailhouse. If you are mailing more than 500 pieces, using a Mailhouse will save you Time, Postage and Time again. You will save Time by having a Mailhouse do the work for you. They have addressing equipment that can whiz pieces through and have them addressed and sorted in the blink of an eye. This process also allows them to save you postage. Mailing software will find the lowest possible postage rate by which a piece can be delivered and by barcoding a mailpiece a Mailhouse can save you even more postage. The second way that using a Mailhouse can save you time is in delivery. As stated, when a mailpiece is addressed by a professional mailer they can add a USPS approved barcode. This barcode aids the USPS in delivery of your mail, thus improving delivery time of your mailpiece. One more thing, if you decide to do a mailing on your own, call your local USPS Bulk Mail Center and find out what they require for a mailing.

2a. Get a great list. If you are not mailing to your own list (see 2b) buy a list from a List Broker or call your Customer Service Representative at GagePress.com. Buying a list improves the return on your investment by allowing you to send your mailpiece to those that you want to target. If you own a lawn service company you do not want to mail to people who live in apartments. Instead, you can buy a list of homeowners in your area with a level of income that you want to target.

2b. Use your own mailing list. This can be a great way to build loyalty with your customers but there are some things you need to make sure that you do in order to be compliant with USPS regulations. USPS rules require that lists are run through software to verify their accuracy and that a list has been updated through NCOA (National Change of Address). Before you choose any Mailhouse, please ask if they can provide these services. Having an up-to-date list will save you money.

3. Keep your design simple. There are several articles on this site alone that deal with the need for simplicity when designing a mailpiece. To sum them up:
A. Keep your design simple.
B. Have a central theme and a call to action.
C. Use as few words as possible.
D. Let the artwork sell your idea.
You can check out several templates at GagePress.com.

4. Make them an offer they can't refuse. You have to make an offer worth responding to. Use the words "Free" and/or "Sale" whenever possible. Potential customers need to have a reason to respond.

5. Make a test run. Try smaller mailings (you can mail as few as 200 pieces using Standard Mail) with different offers to find out what works. You may have the right message but it is going to the wrong audience.

6. Be prepared for the results. The Direct Marketing Association reports that the average response rate to a Direct Mail piece is around 2%. Depending on what you send out this number may vary. First time mailers tend to get a lower response, which is why so many advertisers plan for more than one mailing to a customer. The more you mail, the more recognition you receive from potential customers.

For more information visit our website: http://www.gagepress.com/