What it's used for
- Getting new customers in a defined area or market
- Bringing back past customers who haven't bought in a while
- Announcing an opening, a new service or a seasonal offer
- Following up after an inquiry, a quote or a visit
- Fundraising for charities and causes
How a program runs
Plan, mail, measure, adjust. Each mailing teaches you something about the list, the offer or the timing. The point of running it as a program is that the fourth mailing should be better than the first.
What it costs
Three costs repeat every time: printing, postage and, for addressed mail, the list. Postage runs from $0.255 to $0.82 a piece depending on the class and preparation. Printing varies with the piece. Design and planning are mostly upfront and get reused.
Where it fits
Mail is slow to launch and fixed once printed, but it lands at a real address and stays in the house. Digital is fast and easy to change. Most programs use both: mail to an area or list, then digital ads or email to the same people.
Questions
What is direct mail marketing?
Using mail as a planned, measured marketing channel with a target audience, schedule and tracking, rather than as one-off mailings.
Is direct mail marketing expensive?
Postage runs from about $0.26 to $0.82 a piece, plus printing. Whether that's expensive depends on what a customer is worth to you. Run your numbers in the ROI calculator.
How often should I mail?
Often enough that people remember you, with time to measure between drops. Many programs mail the same area or list several times rather than once.