Some Direct Mail Ideas - Part 1

To have an effective direct mail program for your business, you do not need to go out and spend thousands of dollars with the big ad agencies. You could put together a good direct mail program yourself. There's a couple of simple steps to follow:

Step 1: Have a mailing list!

Well, duh, if you're going to mail out you've gate have someone to mail them out to! Simply look at your own customer list as a start. Don't have one, then start one. You don't have to be a pain to get people's names and address. Remember the way Radio Shack used to be? You could hardly get out of the store unless you gave them you name and address. Sometimes an easy way to gather names is to have a contest. Put a box out and everyone that enters their name and address has a chance to win something. When the contest is over, don't throw them names away! Save them and enter them into your mailing list. If you're a service business, you most-likely collect people's names when you fill out the service ticket.

If you don't have one and don't have the time to collect names, check around about renting or buying one. With some of the companies that sell lists, you can get very detailed. You could ask for a list of all people in a zip code that are left handed. That's just an exaggeration, but you get the point. You can buy one time use and multiple use lists as well. Of course, the multiple use list will cost more.

Step 2: Get a Gimmick!

A gimmick? Yes, a gimmick, something that you're going to offer the people you're sending out to. It could be a sale or a discount coupon. But remember, anyone can have a sale, make it as one-to-one as you can.

Check back for more in Part 2

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