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These days it’s very easy and highly cost-effective to do your own or outsource a direct mail campaign, using a word-processing program in conjunction with the list of names and addresses on a spreadsheet program. Prices include printed material, list and fulfillment. Acid test of the viability is to assume 0.5% response (ie 5 per thousand) multiplied by the average contribution (sales minus cost of goods or service sold) that you would expect per new customer. If the answer is less than the cost of the campaign you have a good justification to proceed.

The creative development for direct mail has a relatively long lead time; sometimes as long as twelve weeks. Direct mail is very hard to calculate for any effective marketing tracking measures because they are often received with too much information and end up as trash which is often seen as a nuisance. This is a relatively expensive process, but can be a quite effective method in building online customer relationships.

If a printed campaign is found cost effective, then a professional printer can provide examples and the cost effectiveness for your selected medium. The common way to learn what should work and what should not, is to observe what similar companies are doing and niche out thier angle. Then focus on the segment in which your competition has not ventured. The epicenter of a print campaign ultimately is to generate fresh clientèle through illustrating information in a way that appeals to the selected reader. The initial area of any campaign is to gain the attention of the selected viewer or observer, captivate their interest with a desire to know more about your product or information, and offer them to take action to contact your Customer Service Department to benefit from what you&re offering. Aesthetically pleasing materials are pleasing pieces of art, but they don’t always focus attention towards the business, so make sure that your art is not distracting. If you work with a designer be sure to control any fanciful tendencies and keep to the point. Too much spent on a brochure can give the impression that your business is extravagant. Restrict expenditure to keep material fit for purpose, unless you&re targeting a market that expects to pay top prices.

When producing leaflets and brochures think about the way that they are to be distributed. If it needs an envelope is there one to fit? If the material is required as an insert is it acceptable to the publication? Is it to be available from a rack? Do you want people to retain the material, so would credit-card size be more appropriate?

Inserts, in the form of leaflets, brochures, or other material, are provided by the advertiser to the publication, to be sent out with the magazine or newspaper. You have to produce the materials to be used as inserts which incurs printing costs, and then pay the publication a charge for insertion, usually between $25 and $100 per thousand. There is a big effect from economies of scale. Charges vary according to weight of insert, how many inserts per publication, volume, the narrowness of the circulation profile, and how the publication is itself distributed. Response rates from inserts are almost always lower than direct mail, but inserts are a very flexible and cheap method of distributing an advertisement. Bound-in inserts cost extra, require longer lead-times, and are favored by some because they dont fall out and consequently are seen by the entire readership, which is two or three times greater than the circulation.

For advertising considered as public information a variety of poster sites are free to the advertiser, so it makes sense to use these freely, supported by some record system so you keep them up-to-date and utilized. Other sites vary according to nature and cost, from large roadside hoardings to buses, taxis and sports grounds. Anywhere that people pass or gather in large numbers is a potential poster site, and as with printed media, audience profile information is available. New sites are being discovered and exploited all the time, such as supermarket buggies and floors, table napkins, and even public conveniences, and the media extends now into continuous video at post offices and gas stations. There are Ralphs in California that has commercial loops running on small plasma displays in their checkout lines.

Publishing your own information material is potentially very effective, and costs can be reduced by incorporating relevant supporting advertising from other organizations wishing to be associated with your services and to target your audience. Guidelines for Newsletters follow later. Alternatively you can advertise in a relevant guide book produced by another organization. However, be careful to ascertain accurate details of circulation and profile if considering small or unproven publications.

The advantage of personal contact is that you actually get to talk to your potential customers, which dramatically increases the chances of getting your message across. But there is a limit to how many people you can target and access using these methods. Costs of preparation and organization can be big, and are rarely transparent at the outset so beware. Events of this nature do nevertheless offer good possibilities for follow-up PR activity, which can contribute greatly to building a customer-friendly image.

Personal referral is unsurpassed as an advertising tool. It costs nothing and is the most believable of all. This is therefore a positive reason for sustaining excellent customer service and relations. If your customers are thrilled by the service you give theyll tell their friends.