Direct Mail Advertising Continued…

Keys to Direct Mail Marketing Success

Even though direct mail advertising is cheaper than television and traditional print advertising, it is still a risky investment if not executed correctly. Utilizing direct mail advertising for the first time will present many difficulties. With the rapid advances in technology over the last decade, understanding how to make your mailings go efficiently and with the best price tag possible is an absolute requirement. It's not as simple as sealing an envelope and putting a stamp on it. When you're mailing in quantities by the thousands, a simple sizing mistake can increase your cost from $30 to $85 in an instant. Proper research needs to be completed prior to addition of this advertising medium. It can be done. But it shouldn't be jumped into blindly.

Also of extremely key importance when implementing direct mail advertising is knowing your target audience and whom the mailings should be sent to. This means either purchasing good leads from a reputable agency or conducting the marketing research on your clientele prior to mailing. If the mailings go to the wrong people, then the mailings are nothing more than an advertising budget wasted.

The other major concern is the physical advertisement. The printing needs to be accurate and the message must be clear. The ad must tell the reader exactly what needs to be done next. Common mistakes include misspellings, printing the wrong web address or phone number, and bad pricing. These mistakes must be eliminated to have success with direct mail advertising.


The Statistical Advantage

The results of direct mail advertising are always going to be measurable. This is one of direct mail's greatest benefits. Over time, the rate of response, the value of that response, and the cost attributed to each response should be obtainable. In addition to these financial predictors, marketing data is also collected in response to each mailing. In no time, the customer base you want to mail to will be clearly evident. This will definitely aid in the improvement of all your future mailings. In conclusion, the direct mail advertising's part of the budget will not only drive sales, but marketing research too!

By Jamie Ward