Be Direct! Target your marketing communications with direct mail.

Direct mail – whether surface mail or e-mail – is a great way to get response from a clearly defined audience.  But doing direct mail successfully means watching three things:

1.    LIST
Make sure your message goes to the RIGHT people. If you’re purchasing a list, ask to test a small number of names before investing in the full list.
When you send out a mailing, you can expect 1-3% wrong addresses.  These will come as returned mail or maybe phone calls.  It’s a good idea to keep track of the number of bad addresses.  If you get more than 3%, you may be able to get money back from your list provider.

2.    BREAK-THROUGH CREATIVE
Think of all the stuff in your in-box.  A mailer needs to break through that clutter.  Grab attention.  Beg to be opened and read.  So have some fun. Maybe take a risk.  Different creative approaches can be tested to find what works best.

3.    OFFER/CALL TO ACTION
Direct mail is all about response.  So offer something attractive to spur it – a trinket, rebate, coupon, or informational pamphlet.  Be creative here, too.  This is another variable that can be tested.

Other factors to think about are:

• REPETITION

For any communication program to succeed, you have to repeat, repeat, repeat. With direct mail you can send a series of mailers or send the same piece. Send pieces two or three weeks apart…and repeat the series in three to six months.

• FOLLOW-UP

Phone calls to recipients after they’ve received a mailing can help get maximum results.

• MEASUREMENT

Look at inquiry quantity and quality from your program.  Use the information to make your program better.