7 Tips to Better Direct Mail
By: Chris Barr
Even if you have outstanding flyer or postcard designs for yoursmall business advertising, you need to ensure that your direct mailplan is as efficient and effective as possible. The greatest ad in theworld means nothing without the right distribution methods andtechniques. Follow these 7 tips to better direct mail to make sure youare getting the very best out of your advertising.
Tip One
Know your delivery area thoroughly.You can facilitate this by drawing up a plan of your neighborhood orutilizing a street level map of your local area. Make sure you coverthis entire area within your distribution plan so that you can avoidmissing out any vital streets or areas that you could deliver to. Youcan target by Zip Code or by carrier routes (smaller sections of yourZip Codes).
Tip Two
Know the "average" customer in each area (apartment, home owner, business?).Within any delivery area there can be several different residency typesto consider. In some streets you may be delivering flyers to singlefamily homes whereas in others it may be flats, apartments, studios,student accommodations or other shared tenancies and more. Find outwhat type of residency you are delivering to first so that you canprepare enough flyers for each household.
Tip Three
Include some variation in your distribution (flyers, postcards, etc).Direct mail is the one sole distribution method that is widely acceptedas the most economic and effective technique for advertising. However,that doesn't mean you should ignore all other methods. Make sure youinclude additional distribution methods in your advertising strategy ontop of a solid direct mail plan.
Tip Four
Use high quality full-color printing services. Don't compromise on printing quality before your flyers have even been produced. A successful direct mail flyer printingcampaign stems from high quality flyer design and color printing.Cutting corners to save money on flyer printing can result in a massiveloss in profits later on.
Tip Five
Use a professional flyer designer.Just as you should ensure high quality printing services are used foryour advertising campaign, you should also ensure that a high qualitydesign is also used. This means employing the services of aprofessional design company or freelancer in order to produce highquality and effective flyer designs.
Tip Six
Always have flyers "ready to go"and engage in your direct mail distribution on a very regular basis.Many potential customers may accidentally lose, damage or lend theirflyers to other people. This means they will need new ones or they mayend up going elsewhere. Make sure that residents in your areas all haveaccess to one of your flyers so they can contact you when they needyour services or products.
Tip Seven
Order your flyers from an experienced printing and mailing company. Whenordering from flyer printing companies, you should ensure to takeadvantage of their bulk discount offers. These offers can not only saveyou money on your orders but also ensure that your supply of flyersdoes snot run out at an inopportune time. Their experience iwth directmail can be a lifesaver and help you obtain the highest delivery rateto your targeted areas.