[Home]

Click Here for the Preferred
Mailing Service Printing Company

Mailing Services

Direct mail campaigns can be extremely profitable for a business. It can encompass a wide variety of marketing material including brochures, catalogs, postcards and newsletters. Direct mail is an effective way of advertising as it allows you to monitor exactly who is receiving your message, when it will be delivered and what is being sent out.

Relevant topics:

Tips for Mailing Services

In order to create an effective direct mail campaign, here are some tips you can take into consideration.

• It is beneficial to get your name on as many mailing lists as possible. The mail you will receive will teach you a lot about direct mail and will give you a better idea as to what to include in your campaign.
• Use colors on your mailer that promotes the appropriate image.
• Involve the reader in the ordering process by enclosing stickers that say yes or no to be pasted on the order form.
• The direct material you send should include all of the information a potential consumer might need in order to understand your product, become interested in purchasing your product and act on a decision to place an order for the product.
• Send your direct mail to your targeted consumers at the appropriate time. If your product is seasonal, make sure you distribute your campaign a month or so prior to the season.
• Make sure to target to the markets that would most likely be interested in your product. If your list of targets is incomplete, you can contact a mailing list broker who should be able to supply you with a more complete list.

Checklist

Here is the US Postal Office's checklist for mailers when sending out a direct mail campaign:

• Decide on a class of mail
• Create your mail piece
• Get an address list
• Check the accuracy of your address list
• Address your mail
• Choose a postage payment method
• Get a mailing permit
• Pay an annual mailing fee
• Get supplies
• Sort your mail

Creating an Effective Mailing Campaign

Here are some steps you may choose to follow to enhance your campaign:

•  Establish a goal: Decide what you want your campaign to accomplish. Are you trying to increase sales, create awareness etc?

•  Decide on an offer: This is what the consumer is looking for when he/she receives the direct mail. An offer usually comes in the form of a sale, trial offer or a free gift. Having a compelling strategy for your campaign will entice more people to purchase your products or services. Start by stating the offer then at the bottom list the price. If you mention the price at the beginning they might immediately be turned off before they read on and realize the package is actually worth a lot more!

•  Generate your list: The people you target obviously depend a great deal on the product or service you are selling. There are many outlets you can go through to generate your list. Here is a list form the United Postal Service of possible outlets:

• Small Business Development Center
• List Brokers
• Trade Associations
• Local chamber of commerce
• Internet directories
• Magazine and trade journals
• Community newspapers
• Homeowner associations

Another option is to generate your own contact list. When you meet people or come across people on the internet that fit your customer profile, you can store their information in your database.

Making Effective Use of Your Mailing Campaign

Have you sent out your campaign but are not getting the results you had envisioned? Here are some steps you can take to fine-tune your campaign.

•  Try putting your mailings in a box or anything that isn't as flat as an envelope. The recipients will view it more as a gift and will almost always be curious enough to open it.

•  Add some pizzazz to your promotional package by sending a sample product, inserting a catchy tagline, or even creating a package that plays music or flashes lights.

•  Make your mailing consistent with your larger marketing message. While you should have a unique offer or theme for each individual campaign it should relate to a central marketing theme that your company utilizes.

•  Make sure there is some form of call to action in your mailer and make sure to follow up by phone one to three business days after your mailer has been received.