Direct mail marketing is not effective for every industry and every product/service. It can however be a very effective lead generation tool if it is implemented correctly. The general consensus is that highly targeted direct mail utilised in conjunction with a high lifetime per-customer-acquisition value is the best base for a direct marketing campaign.

Start with a Clear Purpose

As with all of your marketing efforts you will need to co-ordinate the desired result with providing an offering that is useful to your audience. Do your research and with each step ask the question 'Am I filling a need?' It is also best to try fill one (or maximum three) needs per mail item. A clear offering is as key to memory retention as the look and feel of your mailer.

Sending a narrowly defined set of mailers to 500 people will have a higher conversion rate than sending unsolicited mailers to 5000 people. If your company has a wide range of service offers the main precept still stands. Rather send 12 low-technology letters targeted to 12 different market segment mailing lists than send one mailer with 12 different 'propositions' to one large mailing list.

Getting Direct Mail Opened

Once you have selected your target list and your message you will need to make decisions about the visual impact of your mailer. There are many direct mail envelopes available today:

• Bubble Bags (For mailers containing samples or CD's for example)

• Metallic and Foil Bags (Both for visual impact such as silver/gold envelopes and for moisture resistance)

• Coloured Envelopes of various shapes

• Translucent envelopes of partially translucent bags

Whatever your final choice of medium you need to choose colours and textures that entice while being in keeping with the general tone of your campaign. Shop around for direct mail envelope stockists/manufacturers and talk to a representative. Branding and labelling your envelopes direct at the manufacturer can save you time and headaches.

Balance a great look for your mailer with a message about the value of the envelope. People rarely open direct mail based solely on good graphics. Indicate that there is something of personal value to your potential client with a great teaser message.

Selling your Service/Business without Breaking Trust

Make sure that your follow through with clear and beneficial information in the mailer itself. A clever teaser message followed by an unrelated offering will break the targeted individual's trust and most likely result in subsequent direct mailers being discarded. If you promise value - provide it. Supporting facts, samples, free trials, discounts and customer testimonials need to be genuine efforts to connect with your audience.

If your message is clear and your offering is of value you will have the mail recipient's attention. Provide clear information on what next steps they can take. 'Phone our hotline', 'fill in the attached form' or 'go to our website for more information' are all generally good 'next' steps.