Direct Mail Goes Digital

What was old is new again thanks to thinking inside the box. Add a QR code to any printed marketing piece, such as direct mail, and you’ve opened your marketing to a multiplatform experience for your customers and prospects.

What is a QR code? You’ve probably seen them cropping up in magazines and other printed materials over the past few months as smart phone technology continues to reach more hands in the U.S. In essence, a QR code is a relatively new type of two-dimensional barcode box that, when scanned by an app on a smart phone’s camera, generates information that causes a smart phone to take a desired action.

Those actions range from opening a website browser with specific information, providing a phone number to be dialed or triggering a text message to be sent. Here are some ways you can capitalize on using printed material in concert with other digital marketing channels.

Direct mail. QR codes are still relatively new to many smart phone users, and so are their phones. That means many are anxious to see where a QR code will take them. Add them to your direct mail to send prospects to your website, a landing page on your website for a coupon or drive them to your social media pages like Facebook or Twitter.

Brochures, menus and catalogs. Imagine having customers peruse your catalog or menu and giving them a QR code to go directly to a detailed information page where they can order online instantly. Maybe your brochure has a QR code that gives them instant access to a video demonstration of how your product works.

Business cards. We’ve all had to enter contact information into our little black books. Now with a quick scan, your contact information can be uploaded to your customer’s address book.

With this new technology, all of the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. To get started, give the print-to-mail experts at Professional Print & Mail a call at 559/237-7468 or email us at info@PrintFresno.com. We can help you with your new integrated marketing campaign.

The 5-Step Plan to Win Business

STEP 1 – Put together a mailing list.

If you don’t already have an existing customer list, this is not hard. All you need to do is give people a reason to give you their names and addresses. This could be as easy as a notebook on your counter or a form on your website that invites customers to “Join our mailing list.” Or a fishbowl that says “Enter a drawing.”

STEP 2 – Devise an offer.

Once you have a list of names and addresses, you need to give the people/businesses on that list a reason to do business with you. Or better yet, a reason to do business with you now.

Discounts and sales are among the most common offers because they steer business your way that might otherwise go to competitors. But anyone can have a sale. Make it a private sale only for people on your mailing list, your valued customers, and you gain loyalty and sales.

STEP 3 – Create the offer, print it, and mail it.

Now it’s time to present your offer to the list.

STEP 4 – Review your results.

One of the benefits of direct mail is that it’s measurable. You know right away if it’s working or not. By testing different offers and mailing formats you can discover what works best for your business.

STEP 5 – Repeat.

A successful direct mail program is just that, a Program. To be successful, you need to mail consistently and frequently.

5 W’s of Getting Your Message Out

Who should you mail to? Mail to people with whom you do business. Mail to people with whom you would like to do business. Buy a list of potential customers and mail to them. Don’t be shy – you’re trying to let the world (or at least your corner of it) know your great offer.

What should you mail? Direct mail is flexible. Send letters, postcards, self-mailing brochures – whatever you think fits your business, your product or service, and your offer.

When should you mail? Anytime you have news or an event. The key is to mail frequently and consistently – this will build brand recognition.

Where do you send mail? Again, send your mail to everyone who can do business with you. Take a look at your existing customers and find others who are just like them.

Why send mail? Direct mail is personal – it’s measurable – and if done correctly, it works!

3 Simple Facts about Direct Mail & Growing Your Business

Almost every day, every customer you have and want goes to the mailbox. They look for bills that have to be paid, letters from kids at school, and news & information. Additionally, people want products, services and ideas that can make their lives better. Direct Mail can actually help them decide to get those products, services and ideas from you.

1. Direct Mail can help any kind of business grow. If you can write a letter, you can build your business. You can drive traffic to your store, find clients for a service, get people excited about a new product, and even make your existing customers more loyal – all through the use of direct mail.
2. Direct Mail is Flexible. There is practically no limit to how direct mail can be used. You can send a simple postcard, letter or brochure. Or you can add unusual promotional items or samples to an envelope for more impact. The mail lets you control the timing of your message. Mail also allows you to address a customer’s specific needs.
3. Direct Mail Works. With direct mail you can create a highly personalized, relevant presentation for your customers using Variable Data or even a fully integrated campaign. Better yet, you can measure the results of every mailing you send out. As you develop a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t for your business, you can make adjustments to future mailings.

6 Features of Graphic Design that Sell

The design of your direct mail piece has two jobs to do. One, it has to get attention for your primary offer. Two, it has to help the reader absorb the information that’s presented. Every well-designed piece has the following 6 features in common:

1. One thing dominates the page. When you look at a well-designed page, there is usually one dominant feature to catch your eye. It could be the headline or the photo/graphic, but not both. Something has to dominate. Though it might be tempting to throw in a starburst that says “Free Trial,” be careful how you use it. When you emphasize everything, you emphasize nothing.

2. Typeface variety is minimal. Your computer may come with hundreds of fonts, but that doesn’t mean you have to use every one of them. The best designers stick with one, maybe two fonts per piece – plus the logo.

3. White space. Don’t feel compelled to fill every inch of space with copy or pictures. A dense blob of type and pictures can look unattractive and turn readers away. An open airy design is inviting and friendly.

4. The text is easy to read. Equally important as the overall design of the page, is the design of specific text blocks. If the type is too small or condensed, if the columns are too wide, if the paragraphs are too long, it becomes too much work to read and people won’t. Break up the page by interspersing short paragraphs with long ones, indenting paragraphs, using bullet points or bold subheads.

5. Relevant illustrations. The purpose of the illustration is to help draw attention to or dramatize your message. That’s not to say that a plumber has to show faucets in his direct mail piece or that a dentist has to show teeth. That plumber could, for instance, show Niagara Falls.

6. Clear, visible logo and a call-to-action. You captured the readers’ attention and guided them through the information. You aroused their interest and desire. Now you have to let your readers know what you want them to do. Don’t confuse a clear, visible call-to-action with a big, oversized name, address and phone number.

4 Ingredients of Direct Mail that Sell

When asked what he thought was the greatest slogan he’d ever seen, an advertising expert responded, “Farm-Fresh Eggs Sold Here.”

Cutting through the serenity of a backcountry road, the sign demands your attention. If your favorite breakfasts come in sunny-side-up and scrambled varieties, “farm-fresh eggs” provokes your interest and fills you with desire. Meanwhile, the words “sold-here” command you to stop the car and take action.

In five short words, ”farm-fresh eggs sold here,” captures the four-part formula for letters, flyers and brochures that sell.

1. Attention
2. Interest
3. Desire
4. Action

Attention – If you know what your customers want, it’s not hard to get their attention. Just think about the biggest benefit your product or service can provide and dramatize it.

Interest – Now that you’ve got your customer’s attention, don’t disappoint. Hold their interest with important, relevant details about what you’re selling. Short, simple sentences keep a reader’s interest best. So does believable, everyday language.

Desire – This is where you really excite the customer for what you’re selling. It’s giving your customer an opportunity to imagine what it’s like to own and use your product. The key to building desire is to focus on benefits, not features. A feature tells you what the product has. Benefits, on the other hand, tell you how that feature improves your life.

Action – Now that you’ve got people’s attention, interest, and desire, don’t forget to ask for the order. It isn’t enough to say, “Buy now.” Give a compelling reason to visit your store or call your company immediately

Building Customer Loyalty

5 Easy and Inexpensive Tools.

Follow-up with customers is extremely important – especially in the face of uncertain economic times. Consistent follow-up requires a lot of effort, but does not necessarily require a big budget. With enough persistence, you’ll reap the benefits of a steady stream of repeat business and referrals. After all, it takes far less time and money to sell to an existing customer than a new prospect. Here are 5 follow-up tools to motivate your customers to keep coming back:

1. Thank-you notes: This is a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised at how many businesses neglect to write thank-you notes--especially when they get busy. Take the time to show your customers that you genuinely appreciate their business.
   
2. Postcard mailings: Postcards are an effective way to stay in contact with your customers. They can be used to inform them of special promotions and new products and services. Regular mailings will also maintain a front-of-mind awareness with your customers.
   
3. Customer Newsletter: Send out a periodic newsletter that includes such good fodder as "Quote of the Month" and "Recipe of the Month." Try adding useful tips on such topics as time-management, gardening or anything else that interests the bulk of your customers. After all, you’re reading our newsletter, aren’t you?
   
4. Birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions: These occasions are very important to your customers. Be among the few who actually remember a customer's special days, and that customer will never forget you!
   
5. Customer Surveys: Demonstrate that you care about the quality of your service. Without this invaluable information, you'll have a hard time improving your products and services.

Multi-Channel Marketing

Multi-channel marketing leverages the value of your customer data with the power of Professional Print & Mail’s comprehensive print, mail and data management capabilities to fully maximize the impact of your marketing message.


We now offer an Integrated Marketing Solution, focused on providing you with the ability to significantly improve your direct marketing results. Additionally, you gain the ability to track and measure, in real-time, every aspect of your campaign including the ROI.

• Personalize your messages to leverage your data


• Integrate your message across multiple media channels with the use of personalized URLs (pURLs) and QR Codes


• Gather specific responses to create future campaigns that target customers’ needs, wants, and desires


• React immediately to leads


• Close more deals


• Increase returns on your marketing investment
  

Try it and watch your responses increase! Call your Sales Rep at 559/237-7468 or email to schedule a demo.

7 Pointers on Sales Prospecting Through the Mail

Why your foot in the door should be an envelope.

Sales people spend a tremendous amount of time and effort prospecting. Going through phone books and industry directories, calling dozens of people, and refining their pitch – hoping that the person on the other end of the phone will warm up to them enough to agree to meet.

Direct mail can make that job a lot easier. Sending out a compelling letter and offer can change that cold call in to a warm or even hot lead. Also, mail can reach hundreds or even thousands of prospects at a time. If the mail piece has the right message, the right offer, and falls into the right hand – they may even be calling you!

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind.

1. Get Attention. Be professional, but don’t avoid using attention-getting headlines, graphics and offers.
2. Make an Offer. When you ask for a meeting, you are asking for one of the most valuable commodities a busy person has – time. Make sure you make a compelling value proposition and maybe even offer an incentive.
3. Over-deliver. Make sure you deliver everything you promise and then take it one step further. This will tell prospects you are not only reliable, but you can be counted on to deliver more than is expected.
4. Mail Often. In prospecting, persistence pays off – the same holds true for direct mail. Start a newsletter, create a series of informative mailings – prospects will begin to look forward to it. Eventually, when a prospect is in the market for what you sell, they will think of you first.
5. Get a Good Mailing List. Remember, your mailing can only be as good as your mailing list. Take time to develop a profile for your ideal prospect, then purchase a list based on that profile. Also, be sure your list is current and you have selected contacts at the appropriate level of authority to purchase your product.
6. Send “Thank-you” Notes. One of the most powerful prospecting tools is a thank-you note. Let prospects and customers know that you appreciate their time and their order. An additional benefit of a thank-you note is that you never know when one will lead to a referral.
7. Solicit Testimonials and Referrals. A perfect time to ask for a testimonial or a referral is when you send out your thank–you notes. The experience is fresh in the mind of your prospect or customer. If you did your job right – they will be more than happy to oblige.

Creating a Successful Mailing List

If you can find one great customer, you can find thousands.

At this very moment, there may be hundreds or even thousands of people or businesses who are ready to buy what you have to sell. You can advertise on television, radio or in the newspaper, but you will spend a lot of money reaching people who have no use for your product or service.

A good mailing list, on the other hand, lets you pinpoint just the kind of person or business that is most likely to buy from you. Then you can mail them relevant and important messages.

Here is how to select a list to meet your needs.

1. Identify your best customers. A mailing list works best when you mail to people who are like your best customers. Before purchasing a list, take a look at your existing customers. Look for customers who bought from you most recently, most often, and who spend the most money.


2. Understand your “model” customer. Now that you’ve identified your best customers, you need to find out what they have in common with each other. This may be as simple as they are all in approximately the same geographic area. If you sell to businesses, your best customers may all be from the same industry.


3. Find more “model” customers. Once you know the people you want to mail to, you can most likely find a mailing list to reach them. There are thousands of lists available.

Choosing the right mailing list is one of the most important factors in the success of any direct mail program. Taking time to select the right list for your business will pay for itself many times over. Let the experts at Professional Print & Mail help.

5 Quick Direct Mail Tips

When you're in the middle of producing a direct mail campaign, it’s easy to overlook some of the basic elements that are necessary for it to be successful. Keep these five quick tips close when preparing a direct mail campaign.

1. Select the Right List. The list is the single most important element in a direct mail campaign. A poorly designed mail piece sent to a good list can make money, but even the most brilliant mail sent to a bad list will most likely fail.
2. Update Your List. According to NCOALink, at least 15% of the average list becomes outdated every year.
3. Be Bold. Choose a clear, bold headline and a color that pops for your mail piece to stand out from the rest of the mail.
4. Have a Clear Call to Action. One of biggest mistakes is burying (or not including) a call to action. Tell your prospect exactly what you want him to do.
5. Be Consistent. Hit your prospects with different communications about the same product/service, or with different products with the same look or feel, or both. This sort of persistence reinforces your presence and adds credibility to your brand.

Direct mail catalogs help increase online sales.

Even though the role of catalogs has undergone a change in recent years, they are hardly a thing of the past. Research has shown that catalog recipients account for 22% of website traffic and 37% of e-commerce dollars.

The Key Catalog/Multichannel Issues Survey, conducted by Vovici EFM late last year revealed that 96% of respondents agreed that their printed catalog generates online sales, and more than 60% said it influences half or more of those sales. A majority of the respondents saw a 20% – 50% increase in online sales immediately following a catalog mailing.

Another study conducted by comScore showed that direct mail and catalog recipients are more likely to make an online purchase than shoppers who do not receive them. Not only are they more likely to make a purchase, but they typically buy more items and spend more money. Direct mail and catalogs not only influence shoppers to go visit a site, but they also discourage comparison shopping.

Even though the role of catalogs has changed a bit, catalogs and other direct mailings are an effective way to increase online sales. Make sure you mail regularly to keep your brand top of mind. Contact your Sales Rep at Professional Print & Mail to learn more about using direct mail to drive web traffic.

Should I Mail it?

There are many ways to promote your products or services. Research consistently proves that one of the best ways to get your message into the hands of your audience is to mail it. With direct mail, your message reaches your customers’ home or office in a non-intrusive way where they are free to browse it at their leisure.

So how do we get these printed products where they need to go?

Start with a database of names and addresses. Professional Print & Mail can work with your database, or we can help you buy a list that will best reach your target audience. We then run this data through “cleanser” software that will validate and certify the addresses to make sure that the piece will be going to a real address with a real recipient. We also update the list by performing a “move update”, which brings your data current with change of address notices that have been submitted to the US Postal System.

To get the best possible postage rates, we sort the addresses and take advantage of mail “automation” by adding a bar code to the mail piece. The less work the post office has to do, the less expensive your mailing becomes.

Once the data is perfected, we run the printed mail piece through our high-speed addressing machine, which utilizes the latest in inkjet technology to print addresses, bar codes, and endorsements onto it. The mail pieces are then correctly bundled, labeled, and entered into the mail stream.

The direct mail experts at Professional Print & Mail will work with you, from start to finish, to make sure that your direct mail projects meet your marketing objectives as well as minimize your costs by complying with the countless and ever-changing postal regulations.

Tracking Response…The Easy Way!

It’s easy to play direct mail response detective…

Like every business, you want to make the most of the money you spend on advertising. That means you need to know what’s working for you and what’s not.

By using a keycode to identify not only your mailing piece (letter, flyer, postcard) but also the recipient (customer list, rented list, past buyers), you can track response.

Playing direct mail detective requires you and your staff to question inbound sales calls, inquiries, and orders. You simply ask, “Would you give me the number that appears in the lower left-hand corner… or just above the name?” See how this can help you identify what is driving your responses?

In order to be a good detective, you must ask the question and you must keep track of the answers. That will lead you into reinvesting your direct mail dollars in those messages that work the best!Another effective way to track response to your direct mail campaign is to add an online response vehicle such as a pURL (personalized URL) or QR Code (quick response) that directs the recipient to a unique landing page. The advantage to using these types of response options is that tracking is immediate and automatic – notification comes to you instantly via email without having to ask any questions or wait for the recipient to call you. To learn more about adding an online response vehicle to your next direct mail campaign, contact the direct mail experts at Professional Print & Mail.

5 Ways to Utilize QR Codes in Direct Marketing

1. The journey to your message or offer just got shorter. With QR Codes, prospects no longer have to write down or type a lengthy URL – all they need to do is point their camera and scan – your message is literally in their hands.
2. Response tracking. Like pURLs (personalized URLs), QR Codes are great for tracking a host of valuable information, such as identifying what offers are working and who is responding. These are particularly helpful when testing.
3. Reach new customers. The WOW factor of QR Codes can create a high pass-along rate with existing recipients.
4. Say more with less. Keep your direct mail message short and sweet. QR Codes can point the recipient to additional information on a website.
5. Immediate conversion. Direct recipients to a URL that has a special offer, a coupon, or a survey, instantly.

QR Codes Go Mainstream

Take a look at this clip from an episode of CSI NY where investigators explain QR Codes, and get one step closer to solving the crime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43886f2c06I

QR Codes

Reach the Busy, Mobile Consumer

QR (quick response) Codes are images that compact data into graphic form. Also called mobile barcodes, they work by scanning the QR Code with a camera phone equipped with reader software. The phone’s browser will then open and be redirected to a URL, text message, or contact information.

To learn more about the services we offer, activate the code reader on your mobile phone and take a photo of this QR Code to visit our website. Mobile barcodes can help reach customers anywhere, anytime. They allow you to measure ROI (return on investment) of your marketing campaigns-based on actual responses and actions of consumers.

To learn more about adding a QR Code to your next direct mail campaign, contact the direct mail experts at Professional Print & Mail.
To learn more about the services we offer, activate the code reader on your mobile phone and take a photo of this QR-Code to visit our website.

5 Things to Minimize Costs on your Print and Direct Mail Projects

You always want to make every dollar in your marketing budget count, and it’s that much more critical when your budget is feeling the effects of an unsure economy. But there is hope! There are many things you can do to minimize your printing and direct mail costs and make each project as cost-effective as possible. Review this checklist each time you begin a print or direct mail project.

1. QUANTITY DISCOUNTS – Planning ahead is key! Take advantage of quantity discounts when printing. Look ahead at your marketing calendar and print more than one project at a time. All the printed pieces don’t have to be the same. As long as there are commonalities in paper or ink, you can save by combining jobs. It may take a little extra time in planning, but the cost-savings will far outweigh the time spent. And just think – every mailing will be ready to go at a moment’s notice.

2. MAIL SCHEDULING/PROCESSING – In addition to print quantity discounts, there are additional savings to attain by processing all your jobs, or at least several at a time, at the same time. This approach really lends itself to mailings that go to the same list each time, or when one list is staggered over several different drop dates.

3. PAPER OPTIONS – Paper cost is a significant portion of every print project. Paper quality requirements vary from job to job. An annual report will most likely be printed on a better quality sheet than a self-mailer might. With practically endless paper options, ask your Sales Representative to recommend the most cost-effective paper for each project.

4. DIGITAL vs. OFFSET – Digital printing can be a cost-effective alternative to offset printing in smaller quantities. With no lengthy turnarounds and limited setup costs, digital printing may be an effective alternative for some projects. Digital printing also offers the flexibility of fully customized pieces using Variable Data Printing technology. Ask your Sales Representative to price jobs as both digital and offset.

5. SIZING (printing set-up & mail size) – Paper comes in various standard sizes. It is important to look at the size of your finished piece and how it will fit on the press sheet. Minor adjustments to the dimensions of a piece can significantly reduce paper waste. The size of your direct mail pieces also determines postage parameters and greatly impacts the postage you pay on each piece. This is also something to review before designing and printing pieces for mailing.

Rest assured, our Sales Staff already takes all of these items into consideration when pricing your print and direct mail projects. We make it our responsibility to evaluate your project based on these various items to make sure that your projects gets completed in the most cost-effective manner while still meeting your marketing objectives.

2010 Trends in List Marketing

The success of any direct marketing campaign is directly related to the quality of the list being used. There are two major trends in direct marketing specific to the mailing lists that are expected to grow in 2010.

Increased Detail in List Content
Companies are looking for data beyond gender, age, and contact information. New data fields such as marital status, hobbies, past purchases, and ethnic information are now being included.1

Using Detailed Lists to Produce Customized Mailings
Companies are taking the increased detail found in marketing lists and using the data to create more targeted messages. Targeted campaigns focus on specific data and demographics, rather than mailing the same generic message to everyone on the list. Compared to these generic messages, customized marketing campaigns have been posting strong results in recent years. This has been accomplished with the use of variable data and personalized URLs added to direct mail pieces.

As targeted campaigns using Variable Data Printing and Integrated Marketing Solutions become more prevalent, this type of data will become more and more important to companies looking to increase response rates.
1 http://www.dmnews.com/online-data-will-explode-due-to-robust-targeting/article/160777/

Improving Direct Mail Results One List at a Time

Your creative is compelling. Your offer is irresistible. So why aren’t you getting good results? Chances are it’s your mailing list.

A bad list can bring your marketing campaign to a screeching halt. When you’re trying to stretch your marketing dollars and improve your results, targeted lists and high-quality data can make all the difference. Here are three steps to improve the quality of your lists and boost the effectiveness of your marketing campaign:

Clean and Update Your List
Gathering data on your customers and prospects is relatively easy; keeping it accurate and updated is the hard part. For example, some of your customers will move, others will change their names or phone numbers. If your mailing list contains outdated information, you’re not connecting with all of your customers and prospects. More importantly, you’re sacrificing a valuable source of revenue. By regularly cleaning and updating your mailing list, you will connect with more customers and boost response rates.

Fill in the Missing Pieces
If your mailing list is limited to only names and addresses, you’re sacrificing an opportunity to contact customers through multiple channels. Adding contact information such as email addresses and telephone numbers can help increase sales conversion rates through the use of Integrated Marketing campaigns. By adding demographics, you’ll gain a clearer picture of exactly who is buying your product or service. You can also use that data to customize your campaigns through the use of Variable Data Printing.

Rethink Your Audience
Even the fanciest direct mail piece will fail if you’re sending it to the wrong people. The easiest way to ensure you’re targeting the right prospects is to study your best customers – what do they all have in common? By identifying their unique characteristics, you can fine-tune your list to include only those most likely to buy from you.

Your mailing list is the #1 factor in the success of any direct mail campaign. Obtaining targeted lists and maintaining high-quality data can have a strong impact on your campaign results.

Letters and Postcards and Brochures…Oh My!

Finding the Right Direct Mail Piece for Your Business

You’ve created your targeted mailing list. You’ve set realistic goals. You’ve created a compelling offer and written your copy. So what’s left? Your creative.

Do you want to mail a letter, a brochure, a postcard, catalog, or a full-blown direct mail package? As you refine your use of direct mail, you will discover that different audiences and different offers require different formats. Here are a few of the common direct mail pieces:

Postcards
One of the most versatile options in direct marketing, a postcard is the perfect medium for delivering a quick campaign in a small space. Postcards are ideal for service reminders, invitations, announcements, or special events (like a sale). They’re economical and can be launched quickly. The best benefit of a postcard is, unlike a letter, there’s nothing to open – all you have to do is flip it over!

Self-Mailers
Larger and more elaborate than a postcard, a self-mailer can be a single piece of paper folded in half so the mailing panel is on the outside. Self-mailers are relatively inexpensive because, just like a postcard, you don’t incur envelope costs. Another bonus: They give you more room to feature your product or service. The downside? Some recipients view them as junk mail and immediately throw them away. However, self-mailers have proven to be effective vehicles for advertising seminars and promoting conferences.

Letters
Even in today’s era of online marketing, sales letters still work. Why? A letter allows you to tell your story persuasively. It gives you the forum to offer solutions that speak directly to your customer’s or prospect’s problems. It creates a sense of urgency that motivates your readers to respond immediately. And it’s versatile: Use a letter to introduce your business, provide news and updates, appeal for donations, and much more. Regardless of what you include in your sales letter, don’t forget to ask for the sale.

Fliers
Often accompanying a letter or handed out at a meeting, a flier provides additional information on your product or service. A word of caution: Don’t make the flier depend on the sales letter – it should be able to stand on its own in telling your company’s story. Chances are you’ll have other uses for a flier such as including it with an invoice or in a display rack.

Brochures and Catalogs
If you sell a wide variety of products or want more room to tell your story, a brochure or catalog may be the way to go. Multiple-page formats provide room for plenty of copy, photos, and graphics to showcase your offerings.

Direct Mail Package
Designed to tell a complete story, the direct mail package provides a lot of room and multiple ways to showcase your product or service. The typical direct mail package contains any or all of these elements: an envelope, letter, brochure, order form, and reply card. You can also throw in “extras” to emphasize benefits or advertise special offers. These can include stickers, fliers, buck slips to summarize your letter, or lift letters to reinforce your message.

Direct mail gives you all these choices. Use the right vehicle for your next marketing campaign.

Anatomy of a Good Direct Mail Campaign

Here are 5 ingredients essential to a successful direct mail campaign:

1. A Targeted Mailing List
Your mailing list is the #1 factor in the success of any direct mail campaign. If your targeted audience is wrong, even the best of pieces will receive little to no response. Research the demographics of your current customers and develop a targeted list based on those characteristics. Be sure to update your list regularly and don't get tunnel vision - continually redefine and adapt your list.

2. A Simple Message
You only have a few seconds to get your customers' attention - do it with a simple, powerful message that clearly explains what you're selling and the benefits. Use potent words that paint a vivid picture.

3. A Compelling Offer
Offers come in all shapes and sizes - a discount, a free trial, promotional items, or coupons. Not surprisingly, consumers are increasingly interested in coupons. According to a DM News/Pitney Bowes survey on direct mail, as many as 94% of consumers say they took action on promotional offers and coupons received in the mail.

4. A Clear Call to Action
Make it easy to do business with you. Lay out exactly what you want the recipient to do - call, email or visit. Give recipients options. One very effective option is incorporating a Personalized URL or pURL into your mail piece. Be sure to design the call to action so it's clear and easy to follow.

5. A Follow-up Mailing or Email
In today's busy world, your recipients will miss your message 2 out of every 3 times. So repetition is crucial - the more they see your message, the likelier they are to buy. For the highest response rates, mail multiple times. At the very least, follow up your mailing with a phone call, an email, or a second mailer within two weeks.

A Bonus Ingredient - testing, testing, and more testing
Many variables can affect the response to a mailing - the list, the offer, the price, etc. Try mailing only a few hundred or thousand pieces to refine these variables before rolling out a big mailing.