The Direct Mail Blog

Types of Direct Mail

by Kent Moon, President, The Addressers

It is very important when engaging on a direct mail campaign to have a good idea of all the options available to you, in terms of the types of direct mail you can print and send.

Although there are many different types of direct mail packages, they all fall into five basic categories. In this article we'll talk about each type, what it contains, and the best uses for each type.

Classic Package

The most important type of direct mail package is called a "classic package", which is sent inside an envelope, and includes a letter and a response device such as a business reply card, or an order form and envelope. It often contains other items too, such as a brochure or flier. The classic package is considered the most effective type of direct mail piece, but it is also the most expensive because of having to print the several items included. It is a good idea when designing the package to make mockups of all the various pieces and then weigh them on a postal scale to ensure they weigh less than one ounce, so you can get the lowest postage rate.

The letter is the most important part of the classic package, and is generally the first thing people read when they open your package. The letter is often personalized with the recipient's name and address printed on it.
The most important thing in writing a direct mail letter is to hit your public's buttons, i.e. the things they want that you can satisfy, or the things they dislike that you can solve. To find out these of course, you have to survey your public.

Postcard

Postcards are the most affordable type of direct mail. If your postcard is at least 3-1/2 x 5” and no bigger than 4-1/4 x 6”, you can get the basic postcard first class postage rate which is 28 cents. But you can design many other sizes of oversized postcards which are cheap to print (although you move up to higher postage) and have excellent impact when arriving in someone’s mailbox. My favorite is 6 x 11” oversized postcards.

Self-Mailer

A self-mailer is defined as a direct mail piece that mails by itself, without being put inside an envelope. These can be anything from an 8-1/2 X 11 sheet folded down to the size of a standard envelope, to larger size sheets folded down to various sizes, to a brochure, etc. There are many options.

One of the advantages of self-mailers is that they are usually cheap to produce, as they are usually made out of one printed sheet of paper.

Newsletter

Newsletters are a very effective vehicle to sell your products and services. Usually these are used for maintaining current customers and keeping them buying more, although newsletters can also be used effectively for selling to raw public. Newsletters are usually inexpensive to print and mail, although they require a lot of man-hours to put together and regularly maintain.

A newsletter has to contain a mix between news-type or helpful information and sales-oriented information. The news or helpful information is the draw that gets people in and gets them to then read your sales copy. Conventional wisdom is that sales copy should not exceed 40%.

Catalogs

Catalogs are excellent for companies that offer multiple products. This category also includes the circulars that are put out by grocery stores, drug stores, department stores, etc.

Bob Stone, in the book Successful Direct Marketing Methods, states in his "30 Timeless Direct Marketing Principles" that with catalogs you should put your proven winners in the front pages. He also says that a new catalog to a catalog customer list will outpull cold lists (i.e. new lists of people who have not bought anything from you) by 400% to 800%.

 

Customer Retention and Direct Mail

by Kent Moon, President, The Addressers

Most business owners think about their business every day. I know I do. And your employees are generally thinking about your business at least 5 days a week.

But there is a very important group of people who do not think about your business every day – your customers or clients. They are thinking about their businesses.

This aspect of the customer mindset may be unfortunate, but it is the way of the world. But that does not mean one should shrug one’s shoulders or curse the lack of steadfast attention among these hardworking folks. Not only do such actions fail to change the condition within the customer base, they usually have an adverse effect on both blood pressure and revenue.

It is a generally accepted truth that it is far easier to sell to an existing customer than to someone who has never heard of you. But customers rarely have need of your product or service every day. Or even every week, sometimes not even every month. Most likely they will need it again at some point and this is when you make your second or sixty-fourth sale. Customer forgetfulness can impact your business right there, especially if some fast talking salesman from a competitor slips in your customer’s door at the wrong time.

The key to keeping customers is ongoing communication from you. Skillfully handled, ongoing communication keeps your name and your value in front of the customer, increases good will and the chance that he will dial your number when he needs your product or service. It also provides an opportunity to inform the customer of the other products and services you offer. Newsletters that include information of value with regard your industry or the customer’s have been successfully used by many. But that is far from the only form of communication that can be of value.

“Oh, that is what email is for.” I hear some readers thinking. Email has many uses and its speed and cost structure are impressive. But email is ephemeral. Even if it avoids the delete key, it has no weight, no lasting power. If it can’t be read as it comes up on the screen, it is gone. It will rarely be saved for later review.

Direct mail is the way to communicate to customers. First and foremost you have their correct address. Second, there is often sufficient recognition to get the mail opened. And if it can’t be read immediately, your chances of it being saved for later in the day or later in the week are at least 100 times better than email.

One important part of the formula for keeping customers is the word “ongoing”. You have to mail more than once, and the more regularly you mail, the better.

What you mail is up to you. Newsletters, testimonials from other clients, customer satisfaction surveys, news about new products or services – all these and more are possible.

We can set up the mailing list and the regular mailings and do database management. We can even assist in generating content. But the impetus to stay in front of your customer has to come from you.

If your shoulders are still inclined to shrug after having read this far, I want you to think of that fast talking salesman employed by your competitor and his or her persistent efforts to identify and then steal away your customers. That should bring about the inclination to act.

Wishing you the best of luck.

About the Addressers

Addressers is a full service Direct Marketing company that can manage your direct marketing from design, printing, list rental, merge-purge, to mailing and fulfillment needs. We have overseen Direct Marketing efforts for a wide variety of business environments. We are proud to be part of our clients' success as a long-term partner, and will continue to support their marketing efforts to meet the ever-changing marketing, database, and fulfillment requirements that are a reality in today's fast-paced marketplace. Our employees have extensive backgrounds in mailing, database management and fulfillment and work diligently with our clients to achieve the desired results. Addressers is known for a high level of customer satisfaction by providing top quality customer services. Many of Addressers employees have been with the company for many years, and their dedication is shown in high quality works they produce.

Choosing Addressers is right for your business:

• Our knowledge and experience in the direct marketing and fulfillment areas will benefit you whether you're a start up or an established company.
• We are committed to providing long-term support as your company grows.
• Our dedicated employees provide great customer service.
• We are a one-stop solution for all of your direct marketing needs.
• Our state of the art computer software and equipment will lower your costs by providing the best posible postal rate and efficient processing.