Direct Mailing-Direct Mailing Marketing in the 21st Century

Direct mailing marketing should always rely heavily on what is going on in the business world and real world at the same time. Don't be afraid to piggy back your direct mailing marketing off of current events. This is both a requirement AND good business sense. If, for instance, spring is upon you, then send out a letter that either works off of or is themed around spring. You will be surprised at how effective such mailings can be. Themed mailings have a much better chance of being open than regular mailings.

Direct mailing marketing also has a lingering marketing effect. Your message has a physical form that not only appeals to the senses but can be kept around to be re-read or even viewed by others. This method also allows for better sales analysis and the ability to more accurately track your return on investment (ROI). Unlike general forms of advertising, this method also provides quicker results, often generating immediate action or response.

You should definitely be thinking about doing some direct mailing in the first few months of operation. You don't want to do a huge blitz. At the beginning you should send a small number of direct mail post cards. This way you control your costs and you gather some baseline data to gauge what worked and what didn't when you prepare for your next round of direct mailing.

Direct mailing can also spur immediate action - sending coupons is a proven way of inducing customers to try a product. Again, a discount offer on a magazine subscription is quite likely to work well with regular readers. Unlike advertising, where there's usually a gap between the timing of the communication and the resultant effect, the impact of direct mailing marketing is quickly felt.

How do you overcome the problem of having your direct mails labeled junk mail and trashed directly by receivers? Most servers now provide the facility of reporting the mailer as junk or spam and thus the received mail is deleted directly without bothering the receiver. Despite the knowledge of a lot of people's response to direct promotion mails, companies still send them e-mails because, all said and done, this does prove a successful part of the marketing strategy.