Direct Mail Advertising

A survey conducted recently found that 87% of the people who bought products through Direct Mail Advertising were satisfied with the ease of buying and convenience as well as the value of the product.

Why is Direct Mail advertising so successful?

The main reasons for the huge success in this field include targeted address lists, flexible options, high quality inserts and efficient use of advertising dollars. The Return on Investment (ROI) can be easily predicted based on previous results so that the criteria of targeting can be further optimized. With each success, marketers can learn about ways to measure response and reduce their costs while increasing profits.

The advantages of Direct Mail Advertising

1. Generates more sales as it is sent to a target audience who has some interest in this product.

2. Acquires new customers with every product

3. Reaches a vast area of land compared to other forms of marketing

4. Enables people in the countryside or isolated areas to browse, select and buy products they need

5. Allow people who are disabled (handicapped) to buy products they love

6. People who love to get mail are fascinated by the inserts and may need a product that is advertised.

7. Allows information exchange from customer to customer via friends, families or other groups that share one address.

8. Products may be introduced through the mail and then be the subject of cold telephone or in-person calls to the customer.

9. May be used as a test for the introduction to new products.

10. Added familiarity with product can stimulate larger purchases in the future.

The advertising insert is one of the most important and pivotal item in this method of advertisement. Some customers may just toss the envelope out if it looks like yet another piece of “junk mail”. The way to get people’s attention is to mark the offer on the envelope itself along with some advantages to the offer if they open it; free sticker, free stamps, free coupon for takeout, anything. Items such as bookmarks, postcards, savings coupon, percentage off coupons, free CD or DVDs and even free books on gardening, etc are instant attractions which are grabbed by the customer who is being encouraged to open the envelope.

Now that we have the attention of the target audience, how do we make the sale?

It is better to send two mailers to a thousand customers than send one mailer to two thousand customers. Another way to grab their attention is to send parts of offers in separate envelopes so that you can add more advertisements or fillers in each of the envelopes.

Postcards are always attractive and reusable by the customer, but they do not hold much information. The next best choice is a flyer with coupons and other information. It is not a good idea to put too much information but a colourful insert with a small coupon or a colourful bookmark that can have the link to your website on the backside.

One of the best ways to create the insert is to use self-mailers. These are similar to the old Aerogramme which was a piece of paper with sticky edges that could be shaped and folded into a mailer. Some of the latest Direct Mail Advertising strategies also include plastic or clear envelopes through which the potential consumer can see the attractive contents, envelopes that look like personal mail or postcards with handwritten style of printing which would imitate a far away relative’s mail.

Direct Mail Advertising is a great stretch from the days of handing out leaflets at store corners. This method enables us to pre-determine the consumers who may be interested in a product and then to get the information directly to them to ensure maximum success.