There are several ways to entice new clients, but today, we will talk about using direct mail. Let’s discuss a few steps to make it work.

One day, I received a grandiose direct mail addressed specifically for me, and this article basically talks about that experience. The package really got me thrilled. I mean, I was thrilled with the fact that  a decent company took time to even bother to find out my name; I began thinking that I was about to learn a very important lesson about direct mailing which I might use for my own business. I thought I had a good vibe about the whole thing until I found out the truth that sent me back to my senses. I found out those big direct mail campaigns, even the ones that cost a lot of money could get awry along the way if some of the fundamentals are not given enough attention.

I admit direct mail campaign could be a very potent cost efficient marketing strategy; if done correctly, it could greatly influence the growth of your business. Below are some of the fundamentals you should remember to cover and polish for your direct mail campaigns to achieve the desire result you aim for:

Impeccable Mailing List

Before you even start thinking of considering the myriad other details in undertaking a direct mail campaign, please make sure that your mailing list contains legitimate names or that it has all the correct details. The company that sent me direct mail that I got on that fateful day obviously forgot to apply this principle. The mail had my name misspelled, and I believe that by that alone, it is already a let-down. So before sending out your mail, have the time to check out the details in your database. It is better to have the mistakes rectified long before it could create more damage.

Right Timing

I believe right timing is crucial to the success of every campaign, right from its conceptualization to its implementation. The direct mail I got tried to make good use of this fundamental principle. It was a key sporting event promotion. The shortcoming of this whole thing was that the mail did not arrive on the right time. I received the mail long after the supposed event started, which made all their efforts to have no or less impact.

Accurate Target Market

It is completely devoid of sense to spend tremendous effort of sending a piece of direct mail to an audience who is obviously not your target market. It is a tremendous waste of resources. There is no point sending a direct mail to a car enthusiast anything about horses.

So before commencing with your campaign, have a focused group of audience. Spell and point out your most accurate target market

Appropriate Offer

Lastly, one thing that the company should have considered beforehand was gathering enough information about the appropriateness of any of their offers for a call to action. Sadly, The direct mail I got offered an NRL game pass as an enticement  which have I have no inclination anyway. Had they just made their assignment, they would have known that from a Melbournian like me, an AFL game pass would have worked successfully.

Again, extend an extra effort checking your database; details like these should have never escaped your notice.

Extensive checklist

To have a successful direct mail campaign, you have to consider a few more details to encompass the real need of your target audience. The checklist below will be a great help to you:

Secure impeccable mailing lists, and double check it for quality

• Make sure that you are sending the mail at the right time
• Send your mails specifically to your named identified target audience
• Make your offers appropriate and customized, this way you show that you really care
• Be original with everything that you send
• Be artistic with your designs
• Make use or prepaid reply envelopes to encourage responses