Many business owners I know typically go to Kinko’s or Office Depot (which are great resources for some things) for their printing and then fold, stuff, label and stamp their own mailers. NO, NO, NO….depending on the number of mailers you have it could be much less expensive and less time consuming to go through a professional printer, print broker or even online and then to go to a local mail house for mailing services.
You don’t have to do it all yourself. Besides, what is your hourly rate? How much is your time worth? You would most likely be better off outsourcing these types of things rather than spending your valuable time when you could be working with a client instead.
While I’m on the subject, how many people do you have on your mailing list or current database? Are you including EVERYONE YOU KNOW? If not, WHY THE HECK NOT? Everyone you know will either be a prospect for your business OR a referral source without question. They all need to know what you’ve been up to or what you’re doing now in case they need your services/products or know someone who does.
I could go on and on with suggestions on who to use for printing, mailing, and all the services that go along with doing this but we’d be here forever. So, here are 5 tips on how to manage your direct mail efficiently:
1. Plan for large mailings. There's a big difference between a sales letter and direct mail, which is generally sent to lists of at least 5,000 at a time. Your lists must be large, since even good response rates may fall between 2 percent and 4 percent. If you don’t have a very large list – meet more people! There's another difference, too. Direct-mail campaigns are built around a single goal--an action your prospects must take in order to
move farther along in the sales cycle. Not surprisingly, mailings that are designed to produce leads yield higher response rates than those designed to close sales.
2. Choose the best format. In addition to catalogs, there are three basic types of direct mail: postcards, letters and packages (called dimensional mail). When creating your annual campaign, you can choose one type or all three. Postcards, preferably oversized to grab attention, can be an inexpensive way to alert prospects to an upcoming event.
Successful direct-mail letters, on the other hand, are complex packages: They generally consist of a teaser envelope--which promises something appealing inside--a one- or two-page cover letter, various inserts expanding on the offer and often a business reply card with a return envelope. And if you want to virtually guarantee your mail gets opened, you can put it in a box.
Last year, dimensional mail averaged the highest overall response rate--5.49 percent--of any direct-response medium, according to the Direct Marketing Association.
3. Assemble your campaign. Direct-mail marketing is rarely a do-it-yourself job. The steps include: designing and printing the creative pieces, choosing the lists, and delivering them both to a mailing house for labeling and distribution. Most mailing houses will be cost effective for a minimum of 1000 or more pieces for your addressing and postage handling and some can even do printing as well.
Print brokers will find the best printing prices for your job, either locally or regionally through gang runs and such which could take longer but produce less expensive results. Online resources will be quick and easy to use, sometimes providing the best pricing and quickest turnaround however you will want to test their quality first by ordering print samples.
Decide exactly whom you want to reach, and then obtain a list and/or use your own database. It's a good idea to mail multiple times to the same list, and you can reduce
your costs by negotiating for duplicate mailings at the time your initial list purchase is being compiled.
4. Test and measure results. Direct-mail success is measured one campaign at a time. It's essential to test various components of the campaign--the lists, your offers and creative approaches--in order to continually improve your response rates. The key is to test just one component at a time and make incremental adjustments until your campaign produces optimal results.
5. Call K. Sawa Marketing. We can offer referrals or solutions to your direct mail campaign needs. You don’t need to research it all yourself, we already have. We can help you with the campaign itself, what the message is, who to send it to, when and how. We can also find the best printing, mailing and delivering resources available based on your time frame and your quantity.
About the Author
Katrina Sawa, Small Biz Marketing Expert, helps entrepreneurs and small business owners build their database of clients and prospects, determine the best ways to market their business to their target market, teach them how to network, develop follow up systems, marketing and advertising plans and find ways to get free or low cost publicity which all lead to more customers and increased sales!
Katrina has been named "The Networking Queen" by her peers and clients
ever since she founded her business in 2002. She was always found out
mingling at chamber of commerce mixers, business networking events and
expos and any event she could attend where her target market would be in attendance. Consistent networking and follow up is the primary reason Katrina has been so successful in her business.
An avid gardener, party planner and softball buff, Katrina enjoys the sunshine of Northern California. She grew up not too far from the Sacramento area and then received her B.S. in Business, Marketing Concentration, from California State University, Sacramento.
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PERMISSION TO REPRINT: This article may be reprinted provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution:
Katrina Sawa, Small Biz Marketing Expert and Founder of K. Sawa Marketing. © Copyright 2002-2006 K. Sawa Marketing. Reprinted by permission of Katrina Sawa, a marketing and promotional expert who helps small business owners and entrepreneurs make the most of their marketing dollars and time. For more insight about her services, to get FREE Marketing Advice, or to sign-up for her FREE GET NETWORKING ezine, visit her at www.ksawamarketing.com, or email: katrina@ksawamarketing.com.