I had a customer come in today with a "brochure" mailer sent by one of his collegue's in the same industry. He asked me how he could do the same thing. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to send, but was curious as to HOW MUCH it would cost to mail something about his business to every resident of Kinston.
This is a pretty common question, but usually not to this magnitude. But either way, the first question about HOW MUCH should really be the last question. Don't let costs determine WHO or HOW MANY are included in your direct mail campaign.
The first question that needs to be answered is WHO. Who is your target customer? And the answer can't be everyone. The best way to know who you should be targeting is to look at your current customer list. What's stopping you from targeting more prospects just like your best customers?
The great thing about direct mail is the ability to target efforts. For example, if you are focusing on consumers , you can visit a site like InfoUSA. You can find endless possibilities to create a mailing list. You can define an area around your business of a .5 mile radius or 10 miles. You can actually look at a map and "draw" a perimeter with your mouse. Drill even further and narrow your list down, for example, to only Males, Ages 25-49, Household Income > $25,000, Married, Homeowners. If that's your target customer, why mail to anyone else?
To do a direct mail campaign correctly, there are many, many more questions to answer. But it all starts with WHO, not HOW MUCH.
Advantage Printing is a commercial print and marketing service provider serving small to mid-sized businesses, nonprofits and churches.
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