11 Reasons To Use Direct Mail
   By B.J. Addington

Despite the rise of e-mail marketing and pay-per-click advertising, traditional direct mail is still a dependable marketing tool for many small businesses.

Check out these 11 reasons to make direct mail a part of your marketing mix.

1. Delivers multiple marketing
Direct mail puts your sales presentation in front of multiple prospects. Instead of you making hundreds of sales pitches to one customer at a time, direct mail puts your message out to hundreds of prospects all at once.

2. Reinforces other marketing
Use direct mail to complement your other advertising. If you place a newspaper ad, use direct mail at the same time to reinforce your message. Your Yellow Pages ad is a great way to make buyers aware of your business. But direct mail is more timely. Use it to announce special sales, introduce new products and pitch expanded services.

3. Targets local buyers
Many small businesses are local businesses. They sell to people within a specific city, ZIP code or even a neighborhood. Direct mail lets you target those buyers.

4. Generates fast response
You’ll know quickly whether your direct mail campaign was a hit or a miss. David Frey, president of Marketing Best Practices Inc., reports that you’ll receive 80 percent to 90 percent of responses within one to two weeks of your mailing.

5. It’s cost effective
Targeted direct mail is a cost effective way to reach buyers. You can send a first-class sales letter for just 37 cents. So you can reach 50 hot prospects for only $18.50 in mailing costs. You can reduce that expense to just 23 cents by mailing a postcard. Expand a postcard mailing to 1,000 prospects, and the cost to mail is only $230.

6. Fits your budget
You can send out as many or as few direct mail pieces as your budget allows. If your business is new, opt for less expensive but more frequent mailing to establish your name. If your business is established, use direct mail to send a few customer appreciation notes each month.

7. Grabs attention
A direct mail piece can contain cool stuff that gets attention. For instance:

• A lumpy envelope with a refrigerator magnet as a freebie

• Odd size envelopes that generate curiosity

• Colorful paper for interest

• A press clipping that gives your business credibility

• A business card for future reference

• Discount coupons for shoppers

8. Allows easy testing
Because direct mail is low cost and can be precisely targeted, you can easily test your messages to see which works best. Try sales letters with different headlines. Use postcards with different sales offers. See which direct mail messages and mediums draw the best response.

9. Provides easy tracking
When preparing different direct mail offers, code each one. Ask customers to provide that code when they respond to your offer. You’ll be able to see the exact number of responses you receive from each mailing. You’ll also be able to determine your return on investment by comparing the cost of your direct mail campaign with the sales it generates.

10. Helps you find new customers
By using reputable direct mail list brokers, you can specifically target prospects that need your products and services. Commercial list brokers can help you develop a mailing list that is tailored to your target market’s demographic, geographic and psychographic characteristics.

11. Helps you recapture lost customers
Maintain a mailing list of every person who ever purchases from your small business. Periodically send a mailing to customers who haven’t purchased in the last six months. Use a discount offer to entice them to return. Alert them to new products. Tell them about new services. They just might come back.

(Posted October 2004)

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