The Advantages and Challenges of Direct Mailing

Direct mail marketing is a method of advertising wherein advertisers mail out printed ads, sales letters or other solicitations to certain segments of consumers. To lower the cost of the mailing, the rates for bulk mail are used.

Direct mailing uses highly targeted mailing lists to maximize the potential response. Typically, this marketing strategy is used in various situations. Stores would utilize direct mail to introduce new products to their market or to send out free coupons. Charities commonly rely on direct mailing for fund raising or recruitment of volunteers. Business to business mailing is one way you can optimize your direct mail efforts. With direct mailing, anyone can present almost any sales pitch.

In creating a direct mailing campaign, business owners and marketers produce an ad or sales message that is designed to appeal to a sizeable number of prospective customers. The direct mail piece is then sent to this segment of people, depending on a particular demographic, who are most likely to respond to the message.

Direct mailing is appealing for marketers for several reasons. For one, this takes the sales message directly to the customers. People may walk away from the television during the commercials or may ignore a newspaper ad placement but they will surely open their mailbox and look at the mails. This provides direct mails a captive audience. Direct mailing campaigns deliver the marketer’s message directly in the hands of their prospects. Direct mail can do this at a time the recipient is likely to read it, together with the rest of the mail.

Marketers also have control over the campaign. They are able to direct the message they want to convey in any way they want and to any number of people, thanks to bulk mail rates.

Direct mailing is not without its challenges, though. In spite of its popularity over the passing years, direct mail has earned a rather unsavory moniker among certain recipients, calling these mail pieces as junk mails. Admittedly, some people are not too happy getting frequent ads in the mail. There are those who would not even look inside the envelopes or just threw away mails they suspect of carrying advertisements or sales letters. This situation proved to be a challenge to direct marketers.

To respond to the indifference of some market segments, direct mailing companies now employ a number of strategies to capture the interest of their prospects and make sure they open their envelopes.

Direct mail pieces started to look more personal, to the point that companies use specially-designed fonts to create the impression that the signatures attached are handwritten. Others companies work to take full advantage of their mailing lists and target only those who are most likely to respond to an offer. If you are in Arlington, getting the services of a direct mailing vendor wouldn’t be a problem. When you look for a good Arlington direct mailing service provider, make sure that you discuss the techniques they will use in order for you to gain a high response rate.

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