Direct Mail with a Difference

When you think of direct mail you most likely start to imagine bulk mailings, long lists of data and large print runs.  Whilst this approach can work for companies who have a broad appeal, for those businesses that have a smaller target market there are other ways of making direct mail work for you.

Having a list of extremely targeted clients allows you to spend more of your budget on what is actually being sent to entice them to either pick up the phone and make a meeting with you, or get online and buy your product. Think outside the normal leaflet or brochure, think exciting and different, make yourself stand out from the crowd.

The DM file in B2B Marketing magazine, May 2010, illustrates a campaign which does exactly this. A company, Pensions First Analysts, who offer a solution to manage large defined benefit pensions scheme risks, wanted to gain qualified meetings with top staff in companies with schemes over £100million.  They sent a GPS device with a brochure about their service – where you are now and where you need to go next – All their data was checked to ensure they were sending to the right people and they targeted 3 individuals within each company, as research had shown that these three were required to make purchase decisions within the company. Of 100 companies mailed in the first wave, in batches of 24 at a time to allow prompt follow up by telephone, 60% of recipients agreed to a meeting.

Thinking differently and executing with care can really make the difference to your marketing.