What DM Can Do

1.	DM is targeted advertising. Promotion wastage is minimum.
2.	Low Risk, Low Cost. Test to Bulk. Upfront commitment can be kept at a very low level before testing. Accurately measure market potential. Success and failure are more predictable.
3.	Encourage more aggressive market expansion, because decisions are based on well-organized tests.
4.	Excellent choice for launching New Products, or entering into New Markets.
5.	Establish the best combination of product and offer; and optimum pricing can be set to maximize profit.
6.	A reliable approach to build long-term quality customer relationships. Foster better understanding of consumer needs.
7.	Knowledge derived from the customer database provides excellent cross-selling, up-selling and referral marketing opportunities.
8.	Create a large number of customers within a very short period of time.
9.	Establish a qualified customer database as a high-value asset.

back to top ^

Don'ts of DM

1.	Do not run a Direct Mail campaign if you have NOT set its objectives, strategies and run through the P&L and Breakeven Analysis exercises.
2.	Do not commit to using the entire list before its effectiveness is proven in a properly managed test.
3.	Do not run tests in a casual manner. They must be thoroughly reviewed, scientifically designed and carefully implemented, from strategy formulation to final results. They are the foundation of your business success.
4.	Do not regard Direct Mail campaigns as a stand-alone media for your marketing programme, it will be most effective if considered in conjunction with other forms of advertising, such as telemarketing, web marketing, etc. Carefully integrate them to produce the best results for your business.
5.	Do not assume that creative works for Direct Mail packs can be similar to those applied in general advertising or mass media. They require special skill sets. For example, the product brochure in a Direct Mail pack is the most important (or the only) component for the potential customer to have a chance to sample your product before deciding to purchase it. Hence, details, features and, most of all, benefits must be clearly and fully presented and illustrated in the brochures, which tend to be rich and wordy — very different from the poster ads in mass advertising.
6.	Do not leave out "Action Getter" devices or incentives in your Direct Mail pack. They drive customers to respond (or order) more promptly and result in more orders (or higher responses). These devices are best used with a time-sensitive mechanism, such as count-down, to create a stronger sense of urgency for the customer to respond more quickly.
7.	Do not forget to set up procedures and systems in your team to capture as many behavioural characteristics of your prospects and customers as possible. These traits are essential for better understanding your customers and knowing how to anticipate and match their needs, in order to make your business more successful.
8.	Do not take the money and celebrate after each Direct Mail campaign. Remember to do a post-campaign analysis for each phase of your campaign, which will give you valuable insights for improving your next steps, both in the next campaign and in your overall marketing strategy.

back to top ^