How to Get the Most out of Local Business Direct Mail Marketing

For a local business hoping to increase foot traffic to a brick and mortar location, direct mailmarketing is a great way to reach out and touch the neighborhood. While online and mobilemarketing are increasingly dominating the advertising horizon, there's just something uniqueabout a colorful postcard that people hang on to - if it's also a profitableinvestment for your business. Like a business card, it's a tangible reminderto make contact. Here are some things to consider when launching a direct mail marketingcampaign.Choose a Service ProviderIf you don't have time to handle each step separately, you may decide to go straight to a directmail advertising company, such as DirectMail.com, PostcardBuilder.com or CactusMailing.com.These services can handle everything from designing and printing the postcards to creating themailing lists and dropping them off at the post office. If you're more the hands-on type - andwant to save a little money - USPS.com's Advertising with Mail page has quite a lot of helpfulinstructions and recommendations.USPS also offers an Every Door Direct Mail delivery tool that allows the user to map out a targetarea using demographic data - including age, household income and size - select a delivery route,choose a mailing date, and even pay online. This is perfect for local businesses who want totarget specific neighborhoods. For those seeking to reach a more select demographic, you'll needto pay for a specialized address list from a mailing service.Determine Your BudgetIf you go with a direct mail marketer, you'll be given a quote for a set number of pieces. Ifyou decide to do it yourself, you can find some helpful cost estimates at the USPS website.If you need a specialized address list from a mailing service, you'll need to add that to yourbudget. Other costs to budget for include graphic design, printing, alterations and proofs, aquality control check, and, of course, postage. A list of estimated costs can be found at the USPSwebsite.Decide on a FormatFor most direct mail marketing campaigns, postcards are the best bet. They're a cost-effectiveway to announce new products and services, promote sales events, and extend special offers.They can be posted on a customer's refrigerator or carried in a purse or briefcase as a reminder toattend a special event, or used as a coupon or invitation.Flyers allow more space for your message, but require extra handling costs for folding. Thenext step up is letters in envelopes, which are somewhat more costly than flyers and postcards.Letters are used for more formal requests or invitations, and can include coupons, tickets, or otheritems in the envelope. Should you decide to send out brochures, pamphlets, or reply mail, you'lldefinitely want to purchase a mailing list so that you can target more strategically, as printingand mailing costs for these items are significantly higher.Create Your MessageGet the most out of your mailing by persuading the recipient to hang on to it. Use a call toaction that says something like "present this coupon for" and include your offer, whether it's ageneral discount, buy-one-get-one-free, free add-on service with purchase, or introductory special, among other things. Now your postcard will remain in the customer's purse or briefcase, in the consoleof their car, or on their refrigerator, providing free advertising every time they look at it, right upuntil they remember to come in and present it. Don't forget to include an expiration date.Find a Local PrinterThe USPS website has recommendations for local printers if you don't already have one.Ideally, you should be networking with other local businesses so this shouldn't be too difficult.Hopefully your local printer will happily keep some of your postcards on his or her counter forcustomers that come in.Many printers have graphic designers they work with, or you can hire one separately. While itisn't necessary to budget for a four-color printing process, you should add at least a pop of colorto a basic black and white design to highlight key parts of the message. Be sure to proof yourdesign carefully before it goes to print and make sure to get a quality control check along theway. Once the pieces are printed, you can take them to the post office yourself, or many printerswill even drop them off for you.Keep Track of ReturnsOne of the benefits of having the customer return your postcard is that it provides an immediate,physical validation of the success of your mailing, and addresses from returned postcards canbe used to make up a preferred customer mailing list. Be sure to track the return rate of eachmailing to see which messages, offers, and deals are the most effective.