How to use direct mail
Checklist
- Decide what your objectives are: for example, making direct sales, maintaining customer relationships or generating new enquiries.
- Identify your target audience, typically similar to your existing customers.
- Establish your budget; consider how much each response will be worth to you, and the likely response rate.
- Plan the timing of the mailshot; avoid holiday periods, and ensure that mailings that are linked to a specific event arrive in good time.
- Build your own mailing list and keep it up to date; keep records of enquiries, existing customers and ask existing contacts for new leads.
- Consider renting a mailing list; clearly specify your target audience, how many names you want and whether you intend to re-use the list. Ensure that the list has been cleaned to remove any names that have 'opted-out' of receiving mailings.
- Ensure that your use and storage of personal data complies with the Data Protection Act.
- Prepare a letter with a clear, attention-grabbing message selling the benefits of your offer; prepare any enclosures (eg brochures).
- Design the mailshot to be attractive; personalise the letter and envelope where used as far as possible, and avoid the appearance of junk mail or spam.
- Encourage responses: make responding easy (eg with a pre-printed reply card if posting) and consider offering an incentive to reply promptly.
- Use test mailings to establish likely response rates, and to compare the effectiveness of different mailshots or mailing lists.
- Decide how you will handle the response and make any necessary preparations: for example, train employees how to deal with enquiries and ensure you have adequate stocks.
- Send out the mailing; consider using a specialist mailing house to handle large mailings.
- Analyse the response; record which contacts have been mailed and their response. Update your mailing list for any mail 'returned to sender' or e-mail bouncebacks.
Cardinal rules
Do:
- be clear what your objectives are and who you are targeting
- use an up-to-date and accurate mailing list
- prepare an attractive, personalised mailing
- encourage responses
Don't:
- commit to a large mailshot without adequate testing
- overestimate likely response rates
- send a mailshot before ensuring that you can handle the response
Contact
- Direct Marketing Association, 020 7291 3300
- Royal Mail, 08457 950 950
- Information Commissioner's Office, 0303 123 1113
