Direct mail marketing is perfect for any business. It doesn’t matter if you are a realtor, a lawyer or a vintage shop owner, direct mail gets the word out about your business to the right crowd at the right time.

But… there are a few characteristics about direct mail that you have to pay attention to in order for it to be a successful venture. First, direct mail is a method of marketing that uses printed pieces that are sent by postal service mail to a desired audience.

Pre-selected individuals who are likely to be receptive to the piece’s message receive the piece which includes information about products and services. It allows companies to control who they market to and how they market to those individuals. It can be a significant driver of new business. You will have to understand and develop your audience.

Direct mail pieces can be customized to a specific customer who are both new to you and established ones. It can target a wide range of chosen demographic features to ensure that the message is being directed in the most attention getting manner to the reader. The direct mail can tailor pieces based upon factors such as geographic location, gender and age in order to speak as directly as possible to the wants and needs of the receiver. This can entail using different colors, pictures and texts in order to tailor a message to the specific concerns of a set of recipients. The end result is that the person reading the piece is more likely to feel that the message was aimed at them.

The use of direct mail can also be very cost-effective. Thanks to bulk mailing options available from the postal service, a direct mail campaign can send a large number of targeted pieces for a fairly low price. Using direct mail in partnership with SEO, Email, tablet marketing, and a great website design, can be beneficial when trying to increase your customer base. 40% of your success will come from how effective your mailing list is. Another 40% will depend on how compelling your offer is. And, the remaining 20% will come from everything else which includes design, the copy/text of the mailing, the images you’ve chosen, delivery date and method.

Direct mail should get creative to catch a reader’s attention and see the message. For many businesses, the more creative the mailer, the more response they get. Direct mail can function both like a press release, and as a means to alert customers to deals, discounts, and specials. Catalogues are a way to use direct mail.

Many customers will still make their purchases online but they may have never found the website before they opened their mailbox and found the catalogue. And like grocery stores, fast food chains often send coupons to nearby addresses in hopes that the community will use their products and services more often.

In addition to a website and a mobile app that offer special coupons and company information, some restaurants send coupons in the mail. Customers often opt into the mailing list by filling out surveys or prize ballots at the local shops and then are mailed coupons in order to entice them to return.

As a means of expanding these mailing lists, many of the catalogues will include a “refer a friend” section, sometimes offering free gifts to those who write down their friends name and address. Some companies use direct mail to promote many of its new services. Most companies will track their results closely, usually by including a unique ID in the mailing. This way they can see what type of direct mail campaign works best and to whom. Creative mailing pieces not only helps to promote the company effectively but brings in many new clients.

A few more successful direct mail campaigns that were on the creative side are balloons that were put inside boxes and sent to 100 customers. Tags were attached to the balloon strings, which delivered the company’s marketing message together with an invite to an event. Another was a magazine direct mail piece for a furniture company that had a 3D version of a table which “popped up” as you opened the magazine. Then, there was one that included fake money inserted into a flyer titled “Don’t throw away your money”.

One company designed t-shirts that were packaged as sausages and hand-delivered to food critics, bloggers, and other influencers. When they unwrapped the butcher’s paper they found an invite to “the sausage party”. Because direct marketing is often used as a tool to promote food products,one chocolate manufacturer sent out a mailer that was made to look like the card left by postmen when they’re unable to deliver a parcel. Instead of saying that a package couldn’t be delivered, however, the mailer claimed that the package was unable to be delivered as it was “too chunky for your mailbox”. The recipients were able to exchange their card at their local grocery store for a free chocolate bar.

Building a direct mail campaign takes some work and some time to obtain the desired return. It’s important to develop your own mailing list and tie it to data about each customer. This information will allow you to introduce your customers to your website and to more specials and sales. No matter what your business is and whether you offer products or services, a direct mail campaign allows you to target specific individuals or groups with a message that is tailored to their interests. It is the perfect instrument for any company that’s trying to grow a loyal customer base. With effort and a tracking database, you can turn your direct mail campaign into a significant engine for your business.

Direct Mail Marketing is one of the best advertising strategies you or your business could utilize to reach customers and prospective clients. It is cost-effective, versatile, highly customizable, quick and easy to set up, reliable and helps you stand out from the typical marketing routines of your competitors. The advantages of direct mail marketing are limitless! Also, the results of your marketing efforts can be measured and tracked easily when using direct mail – no more complicated analytics or time wasted wondering what works and what doesn’t. Using highly-target mailing lists, coupled with unique letters and envelopes, direct mail campaigns ensure your potential customers heed your message by putting your advertisements directly into their hands. In the spam-riddled world of today’s online marketing, using direct mail to publicize yourself makes every cent of your marketing budget count with a high chance for a strong return on your investment. We at Everest direct Mail and Marketing, can create colorful, attention-grabbing designs with your images, logo, and any content you’d like to include – using your own design or one created uniquely for you by our talented and experienced designers.

Ajay Dalal is a content writer and a copywriter who specializes in writing marketing blog Technology and sales pages. He often writes for Everest DMM and Dricki and explores new technologies, and shares his knowledge through writing.