Whitepaper #1 Using Direct Mail to Grow Your Business
According to the Direct Marketing Association, companies spend an estimated $161 billion annually on direct mail marketing in the United States. This advertising expenditure increased sales by an estimated $1.85 trillion. Although many consumers claim they throw away “junk mail,” there’s no denying direct mail can be an effective way to grow your business.
Three elements are key to a direct mail campaign that gets results. First you need to mail to the right group of people. That means the right mailing list. The interests of 40-year old male rancher in Colorado are going to be different from those of 15-year old female college student in Boston. Second, you need to come up with an offer that motivates your target audience to take action. Third, your direct mail piece has to get past all obstacles to get into the targeted recipient’s hands. If the address is wrong or a secretary screens out your mailer, your marketing opportunity is
You can use direct mail for acquiring customers and sustaining relationships with existing ones. It’s easier to sell to existing customers than it is to find new ones. Smart marketers use direct mail for everything from newsletters to sale and new product announcements. Those customers who are contacted regularly tend to buy more over time and remain customers longer.
Unlike other areas of graphic design, with direct mail, the only thing that matters is the response rate. With printing and mailing costs going up, savvy businesses will track how much each mailing contributes to the bottom line. In the direct marketing world, profitability means more than aesthetics. Often it’s those “ugly” designs that out-perform “pretty” direct mail pieces.
We’ve all seen the Publisher’s Clearinghouse mailings, for example. The way they look is the result of years and years of testing. What you receive might not be beautiful, but it generated the largest number of responses, winning the opportunity to end up in your mailbox.
When used wisely, direct mail can be a significant marketing medium for almost any business. Because you can measure the results, you can continually refine your designs so they give you the best return on your investment.
