Future Business Ideas

One of the most efficient ways to reach your customers is through direct mail.  As email becomes more and more popular, prospects are beginning to see the value of a company that takes the time to send real letters.  At first, creating a direct mail campaign may seem daunting, but with a little persistence and research, you will be successful in no time. 

The first step of creating a direct mail campaign is building or buying a list, which is a document packed with names and addresses of valuable, targeted prospects.  You can build a list yourself from collected data of past customers, or you can buy a list, which is much faster though more expensive.  To save money, lists can be rented instead of purchased, which means you have access to the addresses for a one-time use, and then you need to give the list back to the company you rented it from.  Finding a company that sells lists is easy, and you can find a list-selling business in the yellow pages or online. 

Next, you need to decide what kind of format you want your message to be.  Format options include a regular letter, postcard, flyer, or brochure.  The more pages your mail consists of, and the more complex it is, the more expensive your campaign will cost.  Postcards are better as follow-up mail, or to announce new products or services.  If you are introducing yourself to customers, you will probably want something bigger like a brochure, although a letter will do just fine (and it can sometimes be better).  

Designing your mailpiece can be difficult, because you need to find a medium between class and simplicity.  You need to catch prospects' attention, but not overwhelm them with flashiness.  As long as people can read your message easily, you should be fine.  Do not be afraid to ask professional designers for advice on how to design your mailer, or even pay them to design it for you. 

Now is the most important step of the process, writing the content.  This should take the most time even though it technically is not that much work.  You need to word everything perfectly so you do not lose a single, eligible prospect (you will lose a large percentage just from your mails being thrown out).  Depending on how you print your mail, you may be able to personalize it to an extent, such as having your prospects' first names in the salutation.  The most important piece of the content is the offer, or call-to-action, which gives the reader a reason to buy from you now.  You need to make sure your call-to-action is powerful, and that you clearly explain how the reader should respond to the ad (like through the phone or a website).  

After you have written your ad, you have to print it.  Ads can be printed directly from your computer, but you should go to an office supply store and ask about what paper and ink would be best for your mailing.  For simple letters and flyers, print one page and then duplicate it at a copy shop.  

There is still one more step to go, and that is the physical mailing of the letters.  Of course, to send mail, you have to apply postage.  The best kind of postage to use is stamps, not only because they are the most popular form, but because they are more personal and therefore will increase your response rate.  An alternative is the postage meter, which is faster but less personal.  After you have applied postage, just send off the mail and you have officially launched your direct mail campaign.  

While that is all you need to do to start your campaign, it does not end there.  You must monitor who responds to your ad and focus on turning them into loyal, returning customers.  As time goes on, you may generate enough customers to build your own direct mail list, which would deliver a response rate higher than any purchased list could achieve.