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Direct Marketing

Written by: Robin Smyth

Article Overview: When you don’t have enough money for a large-scale advertising campaign, sometimes the best way to go is with direct marketing. Here, for just a reasonable cost, you can reach your potential customers in a much more upfront way that could have huge benefits for your business. It can also be a good way to test a market in a small way before you spend away your budget on an advertising campaign that might backfire.

Direct Marketing

When you don’t have enough money for a large-scale advertising campaign, sometimes the best way to go is with direct marketing. Here, for just a reasonable cost, you can reach your potential customers in a much more upfront way that could have huge benefits for your business. It can also be a good way to test a market in a small way before you spend away your budget on an advertising campaign that might backfire.

This type of marketing campaign allows small business owners to target a specific market, with a specific message. You can keep the campaign limited to your company’s capabilities, ensuring you will not be overwhelmed by either a strong response or none at all. And, best of all, you can keep your costs low, and get your results fast.

In order to make the most of your campaign, there are a number of tips that I’d like to suggest. First of all, while they may seem cute and fun to you, postcards are not the way to go if you’re trying to give off a professional image. Time after time, studies have shown that people are far more likely to consider mail – in an envelope, that is – as serious and something that much more needs their attention. And, which one of us hasn’t enjoyed opening a piece of mail from an unknown sender every now and then?

If your direct marketing campaign is going to be efficient, you also need to impose deadlines for your recipients. Don’t just say something like, “Please respond as soon as possible.” People need to know that whatever you’re offering them is of a limited time nature, and that they need to respond now. Otherwise, your letter is most likely to be stored away in some office cabinet, if it is kept at all.

If your competitors have implemented any campaigns of a similar nature, try to find out what they were offering, and then beat it. If they sent out a $10 discount for a new pair of shoes, yours should be $15. You may not like having to dictate your own actions according to others, but that is the name of the game. Sending out anything less than a $10 coupon would be irrelevant and waste both your time and energy.

You also want to make sure that your mail is personalized. Include pictures of yourself, fellow staff, or even current customers in order to establish a connection with the mail recipient. Sign your letter with blue ink so that it looks like it came directly from your hands to theirs. You can also use different stamps in order to attract attention. One fellow entrepreneur told me how he used 39 one cent stamps instead of one 39 cent stamp in order to make his envelope stand out. I don’t know if everyone should go that far, but you get the picture.

Finally, don’t forget to track your direct marketing and analyze the results so you can learn what needs to change for next time.

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