Direct mail is now a widely used everyday marketing tool, but all too often businesses aren’t sure exactly when they should be using it, or how to achieve the best results. This article identifies some of the most common and proven occasions when direct mail is the best tool for the job.Use direct mail to gain new customers

New business development and customer acquisition all mean the same thing – gaining new customers for your business. And direct mail has an important role to play. Working from a profile based on your existing customers you can use direct mail to target more of the same type of customer. Or you can use direct mail to reach new types of customers in new areas, or sell new products or services.Use direct mail to sell more to existing customers

If you take into account the acquisition cost of gaining a new customer, it may be that you only start to turn a profit when the customer repeat orders for a second or third time. Therefore you can use direct mailings to contact existing customers and sell them product replenishments, upsell to newer or larger purchases, try new products and services, or gain repeat purchases.Use direct mail to keep existing customers for longer

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How CFH DocMail Can Help You

With the price of mailing a letter consistently climbing, it is getting more and more expensive to send out direct mailing campaign materials for your business or organization.  Postage costs keep climbing and that even includes the bulk postage rate.  If you used to use direct mail as a method of spreading the word about your business or organization related functions, you could find yourself facing a dilemma.  How do you get the word out when direct mailing is costing you an arm and a leg in both postage and material?

There is a new way to get your message out. It is called CFH DocMail.  This form of direct mailing saves you time and money as you no longer have to spend money on material to print your letters let alone personnel to fold and envelope the letters.  Instead you have the option of using this new postage service and saving some money.  CFH DocMail is an online mail management system that is administered by a company outside your own.  You simply send them the letter or flyer that you want to use for your direct mail campaign, and who you need the information sent to, and they will take care of all of the work for one lump sum that will keep your costs down and cost you one bulk postage rate.  CFH DocMail allows the direct mail user to upload all of their information onto their secure server.  They will process your direct mailing package and provide you with a proof for approval before sending the direct mailing out on your behalf.

So far, users of the CFH DocMail postage service have been able to save up to 60 pence per letter, as a single sheet black print letter and envelope only costs you 25 pence using this service.  Considering that each piece of direct mail costs 85 pence to put together and send out, this is definitely a way to cut down on your company’s postage cost.  CFH DocMail allows new customers to test out their bulk postage package and if you find that your costs are climbing way too high to continue using direct mailing as a marketing tool, you may wish to try out CFH DocMail before discontinuing your direct mail campaigns all together.

Maybe you have thought about direct mail. Maybe you have wondered whether it could work for you. Maybe you have done it, but it never really paid off. Possibly you thought there was so much to learn that you didnâ??t know where to start. Whatever your particular â??storyâ?? is you are reading this. And yes, there are a million and one ways to do something wrong â?? but there are only a handful of ways to get it right. In this article, I will show you what has brought success to hundreds of mortgage brokers and how direct mail marketing can work for you.

My goal in this article is to help you get started by helping you figure out WHO you should be mailing to and WHAT product to promote to them. In fact â?? I will be writing a series of articles taking you all the way from the research to the tracking of the results and your return on investment. There will be practical exercises for you to do in between the next issues, so roll up your sleeves and get ready to start cooking â?? or start rolling in the dough.

Iâ??ve literally dealt with the marketing of thousands of mortgage brokers and one thing is certainâ?¦ Once you guys start doing really well financially you want to branch out on your own and start your own company. However, most brokers havenâ??t taken Marketing 101, so they tend to fail. Not because they arenâ??t good brokers, but because they arenâ??t good marketers. In fact, it is not only a trend I see in the Mortgage Industry, but many other industries as well. To tell you the truth, with all that I know about marketing Iâ??m confident that I could make ANY business successful. Sounds pretty cocky but hands down, I could do it. Because I know marketing.

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A direct mail marketing company is a business that promotes products and services by sending catalogs and information in physical form via post or a delivery service, direct to target customers. This method attracts huge response as the marketing message is directly communicated to prospects, with no intervening media.

USA’s direct mail marketing business dates back to 1872 enjoys a huge customer pool and steady upward trend nowadays. Imagine getting exclusive offers not available in shopping malls or local stores directly in your hand. We at Catalog Solutions have been doing direct mal marketing since 1980 and considered as one of the best known direct mail marketing company in USA. Targeting the right customers only, we have succeeded in bringing in thousands of requests and orders from our catalogs every month. The well known catalogs which can effectively get your products in to customer’s hands are:

Here’s a GREAT way for you to save time, save money, and increase your sales leads. Let me tell you a quick little story…
I have a client for whom I run a lead generation direct mail campaign. I’ve been trying to persuade him to move some of the campaign online in order to cut down costs and increase conversions. He’s been a pretty hard sell, but I’ve finally managed to convince him.
So, what was it that got him to step out of the Stone Age and into the 21st Century? It was simply a matter of running the numbers. Let’s take a look at some of the hidden costs of his direct mail campaign that he hasn’t been considering:
Additional Hidden Postage Fees
With the recent postage hikes, the additional cost of mailing is an obvious factor. But my client didn’t consider how his campaign was fully impacted by the rate increases. Now that shaped-based postage is in effect, his overall campaign cost is more expensive because he’s using the less expensive padded envelope. His campaign is already in need of an overhaul to maximize the savings that are available to him. So now is a great time to make the changes I suggested.
Man Hours
My client never realized how much time his employees are spending on packing and printing and shipping. He considers payroll as a human resources expense and never allocated a payroll line item in figuring out his direct mail ROI. When we actually sat down and looked at it, he was amazed at how many payroll dollars this direct mail project is eating up.
Storage Space
My client has tons of space dedicated to housing his cases of padded envelopes (which, by the way, take up a lot of room), video tapes (I told you he was in the Stone Age), audio CDs and the rest of the items for his campaign. Yet, when he hired a new administrative assistant, he couldn’t find anywhere to put her desk. (And, just between you and me, he did get in trouble once with the fire marshall for having boxes stacked too high near the ceiling.)
Opportunity Costs
A lot of time and money goes into his direct mail campaign – time and money that could be spent elsewhere.
So he agreed to move the campaign on line. I suggested we start small and test it out for a few months. Here are the steps I followed that you can easily recreate with your own campaigns:
1. Redesigned the ad that had been running in a specialized magazine. Instead of telling prospects to call a phone number to request a direct mail package, I sent them to a special landing page.
2. Created a landing page to be used only for this ad. The page mimicked the look and feel of the magazine ad and focused strictly on the lead generation device. Check out my free report on maximizing lead generation for more details on how this works.
3. Broke the direct mail package into several smaller steps. The original physical product contains a welcome letter, a brochure, an audio CD, a videotape, a checklist and several miscellaneous printed pieces. All that material can be overwhelming to a brand new prospect. I decided to deliver each piece individually, over time.
4. Digitized each piece. The printed materials were turned into PDF files, the audio was turned into an MP3 file and the video was turned into a flash movie.
5. Opened an autoresponder account. My client decided to use the same autoresponder service that I use in my own business because it’s easy to use and extremely cost effective.
6. Created the autoresponder messages. Individual email messages were created to automatically deliver the pieces over time. This was much less overwhelming than having a huge package loaded with tons of materials land with a thud on the doorstep. And, because the email messages are very warm and personal, the prospect feels like he is really getting to know the company.
So, how did it all work out? Well, we’re still midway through our six-month testing period, but my client is already foaming at the mouth to move the rest of the campaign online. He’s noticed a huge increase in the conversion rate of the online prospects versus the direct mail prospects. His current direct mail process involves mailing out the lead generation package, then following up with the prospect by phone a few days later. Usually, that phone conversation goes something like this:
Company Rep: Hi, this is Jane Doe from XYZ Corporation. I’m calling to see if you received our super duper lead generation package.
Prospect: Yeah, I got it the other day, but I haven’t had time to look through it all yet.
Company Rep: Well, I’m sure that after you’ve reviewed it all, you’ll agree that we offer the best widgets on the market. So please give us a call as soon as you’re ready to make a purchase.
Prospect: OK, sure. Goodbye.
Not very productive, is it? With the new online system, I was able to totally revamp that process. Now, a company representative contacts the prospect personally only after all the individual messages and pieces have been delivered. By this time, the prospect has been receiving several personalized email messages and he’s already warmed up to the company. Plus, because the pieces were gradually delivered over time, the prospect has had time to review them all. The follow up phone calls are warm and friendly and the conversion rate has increased dramatically.

Direct marketing mailing campaigns work much better if the company has a good standing in the community and in the area in which they are sending the mailings.

Direct mail marketing has been shown to be effective in reaching customers. This method is so effective that it’s been around for centuries. Direct mail is a powerful tool but it’s only true, though, if your direct mail marketing plan is a good one. By keeping the following tips in mind, you can ensure that your direct mail marketing plan will result in success rather than just piles of letters in customer trash bins.

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Whether you are trying to reach a decision maker in a corporation or a specific type of consumer, direct mail is one of the most powerful ways to market to your target audience. A direct mail campaign offers many compelling benefits including cost effectiveness, measurability, and targeting.

Direct mail can be a postcard, a sales letter, a printed newsletter, catalog, or any other form of marketing that you send through the mail. Anyone in business can benefit from direct mail marketing (DMM). However there are a few key factors that you must keep in mind to succeed:

1) Target Your Audience. Your DMM should be targeted toward a specific audience for the maximum impact. Having information about your recipients and make sure they will be interested in your offer. You can mail your campaign to your entire database of customers or a targeted subset of them. If you want to attract new customers, you will need to purchase a list of names. Find a mailing list company that specializes in providing targeted names and addresses. It’s not very expensive and you’ll be astounded at how specific you can get (ex: occupation, revenue, education level, marital status, zip code, etc..

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Advertisements are everywhere. The different types, sizes and shapes of ads fill everybodyâ??s lives with marketing copies and selling techniques. You are not safe from such tactics if you just stay at your home. For sure, you will be reached by direct mailing postcards. Direct MailThe name for this tool has evolved from the formal direct mail, to advertising mail and junk mail for people who feel that theyâ??ve had enough. This tool, however you call it, is the delivery of the ad using different tools like direct mailing postcards, catalogs, brochures and the likes, through postal mail.The FormatAdvertisers should learn to experiment on the different formats that they could use for direct mailing purposes. People have been so used to the idea that there are even some companies and other non-profit organizations which help people if they want to opt out for any direct mail campaigns.You can trust the right printing company to do the trick for you. To do this, you must prioritize quality over cheap printing. The following formats can help you get the word out about you. So make sure to utilize everything that applies to your business and, of course, your budget.1.    Catalogs. You can excite probable clients to shop from their own homes through multi-pager catalogs. You can include order forms on this tool just to make sure that people will be more tempted to fill those out because of the convenience of the setup.2.    Greeting cards. Making your clients feel that you remember them on the special days of their lives and every holiday on the calendar is a big plus points for you. 3.    Envelope mailers. You can include in the package all your marketing materials. You just have to make sure that the envelope is an advertisement in itself. It contains your company name, logo and address. Direct Mail PostcardsWhen it comes to this process, postcards still top off the list. You can do a lot of things with such. You can experiment with the sizes. You can customize the shape. And of course, you can go a lot of ways in terms of the design. Whatever tool you use, the success of this project lies on your mailing list. If you donâ??t have one, the right printing company can provide you with such need. But it is also important to keep a database of the people who have availed from you. They are important to your business especially if you find ways to retain them. Direct mailing can help you with the goal to retain these people. By making them feel valuable to your business, they may in return reciprocate that by availing your products and services over and over again.Direct mailing postcards will be effective to let people know about your gimmicks without being so obvious. The idea here is to match the design with a tag line that will captivate your target market. You donâ??t have to force people to buy in order to sell. In fact, you have to be subtle yet convincing in order for your marketing tool to succeed.