Small Business Marketing: 5 Questions to Ask When Sending Direct Mail

By David Crary  

You want to get new customers to grow your business. Many small businesses use direct mail campaigns to introduce yourself to a prospect. We are all bombarded with materials in our mailbox every day. With the ever increasing postal costs and the growth of online business we need to make these direct mail campaigns cost effective.  By reviewing the following questions before you launch your campaign, we believe you will have a higher success rate.

1. Who is my target audience? Do I want to get new customers with this mailing? Am I after homeowners in new developments? Is it to grow my commercial landscaping business? To get the best results, be sure you're sending to a targeted list of people. When I started my landscape irrigation business decades ago, I selected a very small territory and send them a postcard. That way, I was able to maximize my efficiency. The Twin Cities metro area is large, and had I sent postcards to folks in Maple Grove and Woodbury, I would have gotten more customers, but the distance I would have had to travel would eat into my profits.
    
2. What should my offer look like? Do I want to mail a postcard and get them to go to the website or call me for more information? Compelling pictures can tell a story along with testimonials so a lot of space is not mandatory. Postcard postage is less expensive than brochures. Maybe I can go in a value-pack with other merchants? This is very cost effective but response is lower.
   
   Test different offers. A unique package will get opened but it can also be expensive. However, if you are going after large commercial customers this might be a great option. Get to know a printer who you trust that can give you great ideas for what works and is cost effective. The USPS offers a “door-to-door” mailing option which may be of value. They put your promotion in every mailbox on a postal person’s route. It isn’t personalized but postage is lower than traditional mailings. This may be of great value for new developments where homeowners are beginning to install irrigation equipment.
    
3. What are the key components to include? You may not have the expertise to pull this mailing together so hire a professional with experience that can help. They will bring in the professional photos/graphics as well as know the cost effective ideas that will be very valuable. The expert will include a strong “call to action” so that the prospect knows what to do with this mailing. You may only have one chance to hook the prospect so give it your best effort. This expert will also help you control costs.
    
4. What is my best offer? Always include an offer so that you get better response. It may be a free estimate, 10% off services for 30 days, first month free, etc. Today’s consumer is all about getting the best deal. They need a reason to try your services and a compelling offer may be the best way to get them to call you. Be sure to test different offers so you know which one is best.
    
5. Was the campaign successful? How many new customers did you bring in from the campaign? How much money did they spend with you over six months? Did it cost you less to send the mailing than what profits you brought in from these new customers? If the answer is “yes”, than your campaign was successful. Keep expanding and testing new ideas. Use field service software to understand your metrics.

A friend of mine has worked her entire career in direct marketing. She has many stories about successes and failures. For some reason the failures are what I remember. She explained that one time the printer failed to include the customer’s street address on the mailing. It was mailed to “John Smith Green Bay, WI 54301”. What would you guess the deliverability was on those 200,000 pieces of mail? 0%? 25% 90%? Remarkably, the delivery rate was 75%. This was because every piece had a bar code and this bar code put it in sequence with other mailings at the printer. The good news is the printer picked up the tab for that mailing as it was clearly a very big blunder. Use an expert that can help you with the details as there are a lot of details that need to get worked out when using direct mail.

We would love to hear your successes or failures. Please post a comment below!

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