Marketing By Jarvis

The Direct Mail Marketing Little Black Book

Table of Contents

Ways Your Business can Use Direct Mail ················ 3 Measuring Performance ·········································· 10 House Lists & Prospect Lists ·································· 14 Mailing Formats ······················································· 20 Copywriting······························································ 27 Personalization ·························································· 34 Strategies & Tactics ················································· 36

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Ways Your Business can use Direct Mail
Overview Reaching customers through direct mail is big business. Currently, over $41 billion dollars are spent annually on direct mail marketing in the United States. Because of the one-to-one nature of direct mail, you can targetspecific individuals who have a need for your product- increasing the likelihood of making a sale. You can also build lasting customer relationships that result in repeat business. If you include a reply device, you'll promote immediate response. Of course, you can use the number of responses to help measure the success of your campaign. Direct mail is the perfect way to reach selected prospects.And it can be a complement to your overall marketing mix. A direct mail package can be designed to make an instant sale, open a dialogue between the potential buyer and seller, or simply inform the potential buyer about a particular company's products and/ or services. Whatever the desired outcome of a direct mail effort, one fact remains- direct mail is a proven way to reach customers. Direct mailcan be focused. Mass media is more of a shotgun approach to a large, diverse universe of potential customers. Direct mail, on the other hand, can be targeted to a single individual, at a
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single address. The degree to which that individual is a potential customer, meeting a specific set of criteria, is a function of the lists you use. Direct mail sales can be predicted with accuracy Bycarefully testing and tracking responses on a small scale, you can effectively predict the revenues resulting from a large-scale campaign. In addition, the results of a direct mail campaign can be measured with precision. Direct mail allows you to take your product or service to the customer Direct mail can make it easier for a customer to make a purchase in a number of ways. For example, you canalert potential customers to new products or sale items before they come into the store. You can also include an order form and complete the entire transaction through the mail. Direct mail is economical Depending on the magnitude and complexity of a given campaign, direct mail can be a cost-effective vehicle to reach a sizable audience of potential customers on an individual basis. Direct Mail isVersatile Direct mail is a powerful marketing medium not only because you can use it to precisely target your audience, but also because it can be used effectively to achieve a variety of marketing objectives, including: Prospecting for new customers
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Generating qualified sales leads Establishing and maintaining relationships Cross-product selling to existing customers Building brandrecognition Enhancing results from other forms of advertising Not all of these objectives apply to every business. Here are some specific ways that certain types of business can use direct mail to achieve their marketing objectives. Retailers Give advance notice of a sale by mailing postcards to preferred customers  Mail flyers or brochures to all nearby addresses announcing new product lines, monthlyspecials, new seasonal hours, etc. Raise awareness and effectiveness of other advertising by mailing a postcard asking customers to watch for other advertisements. Service Companies Mail a periodic newsletter informing customers of new developments in your industry and providing helpful tips relating to your service. Turn your current customers into...