For small businesses planning their first direct mail marketing campaign, I’ve detailed an important point for every business to consider when launching their first mailing.  I write this because far too often we will get requests for a highly targeted list, but the mail quantity is so small (or their direct marketing budget is so small), there response rate will simply not provide enough intelligence to draw any valid conclusions.

Many first time mailers see the direct mail advertising medium as a possible lead generation program for their sales reps.  This is a true and accurate assumption.  It’s also one which, if done properly, can provide measure and predictable response.  However, for some businesses, a properly orchestrated direct mail marketing campai...

Target Marketing

Many businesses mailing for the time neglect to make a strong and relevant offer.  They invest heavily in the creative design, print, mail and mailing list only to conclude that direct marketing doesn’t work for them.  Outside of targeted mailing list, the campaign strategy likely lacked an offer strong enough to generate measurable response.

Whether it be a postal direct mail or email campaign, your message must be interesting enough to catch the eye of your audience.  Without these key ingredients, you’re likely to conclude that direct marketing doesn’t work.

Real Life Example

Here’s a p...

Know your customer
The absolute best way to understand your best prospects is to understand your current best customers.  You as a business owner can describe in detail what your customer looks like based on his or her attributes and need for your product or service.  But the key here is to be able to describe your customer in terms that are relevant to a mailing list broker.  If a mailing list broker is unable to build a criteria set that describes your best customer, then no matter how well you’ll be able to describe this person, you won’t be able to find more just like it.  As an example, let’s say you’re in the business of selling high-end office furniture.  You may ...

If there’s one question nagging on every business owner it’s, “How do I find more buyers?”  For most business owners, marketing professionals, and sales representatives, the answer is elusive, if not down right difficult.

For many, it’s easy to find more shoppers, but how do you find more buyers?  Add a free hot dog and some chips and you’ll get walk-in traffic on any weekend.  Offer a webinar with a value added proposition, you’ll get people signing up left and right.  But the buyers are really who you want to attract.  The buyers are those everyone can’t seem to find enough of.  The buyers are those who make the business stay in the black.  How do you find more buyers?  The answer is, in looking at your own database...

The Small Business Association reports that 4 out of 5 businesses go out of business within the first 2 years.  During a recession, the mortality rate of a new business is even greater.  The primary deficiency among smaller, newer businesses is that owners simply lack the experience and planning skills necessary to stay solvent.  For many, the only business management experience they possess is their own within those pain first 2 years.  But marketing lessons can be learned from others mistakes.  If you pay attention to the right competition, you’ll grab market share of those businesses wearing blinders.

Take inventory of the competition within your market
Start by making a list of your competition.  Include all the businesses that provide a ...

If you’re planning on using direct mail marketing as a way to promote your business or organization, creating your own mailing list is easier than you might expect.  The internet has made creating your own mailing list easier than ever before.  Plus, the ability to target your ideal audience has become increasingly easy.  What was once a chore to understand the database compilation, available selects (filters), and undating schedule is now available online 24/7.  There is simply more information available at your fingertips.

Define your market territory
This process is fairly easy.  The goal here is to maximize your exposure by synchronizing your direct mail campaign with the other advertising mediums such that all are focused on the sa...

Mail better, not less

Fear of economic turmoil can kill the momentum of any growing business.  The mental distraction alone can be paralyzing to upper management decision making.  Many find themselves tossed between cutting marketing budgets, anticipating the worse is yet to come, and staring at the competition that’s muddling in the same insecurity.

The fact is that businesses must evaluate their previously set goals, and adjust their marketing strategies to meet or exceed these goals.  Those businesses which put their head in the sand and wait out the cyclical nature of the economy will likely miss the opportunity to dramatically increase market share.  Integrated direct mail advertising should be used not only ...

As I’ve been asking around about the future holds for direct mail service providers and have been getting the general consensus that business is good.  This week a slump in retail sales and the USPS considering shorting their delivery days to 5 per week, it’s no wonder many are concerned.  But in conversations I’ve had this week, I mostly hear about the ice, snow, and blistering cold.  I do hear that acquisition mail (those campaigns to cold prospects) are down, but listening to the voice of mail service providers throughout the country, business is maintaining and businesses are continuing their direct mail campaigns.

I’ve been also polling the data providers.  With this group I’ve been hearing a mixed bag of response.  For some, thos...

Dun & Bradstreet, better known as D&B, is the premier business database compiler of choice for BB Direct.  Though there are several business to business database compilers, D&B uses strict guidelines for which business enterprise is ultimately added to the database.  This is important to remember when you are considering a direct mail marketing campaign to businesses.  So many businesses today come and go before they become profitable.  So many others are really just, “Doing Business As”, businesses of another company.  And still, so many businesses relocate and become difficult to track the age and size of the business enterprise.

One of the unique characteristics of the Dun and Bradstreet business database is that every business record has...

So what’s all the fuss about the New Move Update with the United States Post Office?  Well, BB Direct offers a simple explaination to help clear matters up.

Since November 23rd, 2008, the Postal Service have revised the Move Update standards in an effort to reduce the mail that ends up forwarded or returns when the mailing address provided had previously been changed.  The gist of the staying compliant is that you now must be sure to update your mailing address within 95 days of your mailing.  This includes all Standard Mail (letters, flats, parcels and Not Flat-Machinables), as well as automated-rate and presort-rate First-Class Mail.

The autorized methods for Updating your mail to stay compliant are:

~  NCOA Link processing
~  FASTforwar...