Have you heard that direct-mail marketing efforts are dead? If so, you aren’t alone – however, this isn’t true – at all. In fact, it’s estimated that 42.2 percent of all direct mail efforts are read or seen by the receiver – which is higher than other marketing efforts, such as email. If you are searching for a new, effective way to reach and engage your customers, you should consider all that direct mail marketing has to offer.

What is Direct Mail Marketing?

Direct mail marketing is when you send promotions or offers by mail to your existing customers and prospective customers. Some of the most common types of direct mail advertising include order forms and prepaid envelopes, sales letter brochures, postcards, and more. If you have a smaller business, you may opt to advertise in a direct-mail magazine or an insert with more companies to reduce costs.

It’s a Highly Targeted Marketing Method

One of the main advantages offered by direct-mail marketing is that it is extremely targeted. Your business can buy a mailing list of possible customers through a mailing list distributor. For example, if you own a vitamin store, you can order a list of individuals who have expressed interest in health products or vitamins in your market. Once you have the list, you can prepare the direct mailer with the hope that the customers who receive it will purchase your product or visit your store.

It’s a Highly Measurable Method of Marketing

You can easily measure your direct-mail advertising efforts. A small company can quickly and easily measure the results of a single or multiple campaigns. This is often accomplished by keying in the coupon that is used for the campaign. For example, if you have a small hardware store, you can place your ad in a direct mail coupon magazine and then add an expiration date to the coupon. If you are sending out an individual mail piece, you may write something like “Department 100” as part of the address. By doing this, you can keep track of the responses you receive for each of the mailings and calculate how profitable they are.

It’s an Individualized Method of Marketing

Direct marketing is something that is extremely individualized. You can use the available computer programs to let your small business address consumers by their name. As a result, the message in your sales letter is directed at a specific person – as if the owner is talking right to them. It’s estimated that 55 percent of people are more willing to read their mail if it has their name on it.

As you can see, direct mail marketing offers an array of benefits that other marketing methods can’t compete with. Just be sure that the mailers you create and distribute are high quality and meet the expectations of customers. By doing this, you can feel confident that your direct mail marketing efforts will be effective and successful and help you get more customers to your business.