Time for a little direct mail marketing

So this year I’m looking to double my business, and my plan to do that is to double or triple my marketing efforts. In the two decades or so that I’ve been in branding what I’ve discovered is that the more you market a thing, even when it’s downright awful, the more money it makes. So I’m going full throttle in my direct mail efforts.

For starters, I’ve been offering a free CD on my website for over a year now, so I already have some direct mail marketing in place. I’m extending it thought, and I’m starting simple. That’s the best way I know how to test my ROI and get some weight and understanding to what I do without a) majorly regretting it or b) breaking the bank. The first drop will be a newsletter (a paper one) that I’m sending out to my database of contacts. I have about 300 of them with mailing addresses. The second one will be to the group of local entrepreneurs in my county. They’ll get a postcard. I’ll be sending about 1,000 of those. Basically wishing them a happy new year and offering them a good resource to help them with their branding for the new year.

I’m excited. Last year’s efforts to get offline a bit more and host some live events proved very fruitful, so I want to tether online and offline even more this year. After all, I actually like people, and I too, enjoy getting mail in my mailbox that’s not a bill or a catalog. I have two offices, one in New York City, and the other in New Jersey. I’m starting on the Jersey side (the offices are only about 8 miles apart) since that community is near where I live, and is a bit easier to manage considering the population of the area. Once I have enough understanding and results to move on I’ll expand to the New York side of my business.

I’ve successfully helped a lot of clients and employers with direct mail marketing in the past, so I’m no stranger to the process. I imagine some things have changed over the years, but the basics will be the same… it nurtures my old skool self. My campaigns will likely be a series of letters, postcards and freebies such as CDs and DVDs. Here’s what to consider (universal truths, so to speak) if you’re considering the same:

1) Have a very targeted and qualified list

2) Have an offer

3) Have enough information for a decision

4) Have a direct way to respond to that decision

5) Have a way to record the results

Sounds a lot like doing things online right? The words are different, the impact is different, but the behavior is similar. Except you are making that engagement a bit more personal (hopefully) and tangible (definitely). Have you had any experience in Direct Mail campaigns? What’s worked best for you?