Unaddressed Mail:
Direct mail is a fantastic marketing tool for building relationships with your
customers, generating leads and sales and driving your brand. It is a powerful
tool for any business and should be part of every marketing plan.
Unaddressed Mail is one of the most targeted, cost effective forms of advertising
and marketing to current and potential customers. It enables you to promote
your business, generate sales and build a database by delivering to private or
business delivery points in the localities you nominate.
Also known as door drop marketing, unaddressed advertising is effective in
terms of perception rates, target group specification and cost, thus forming a
communication link between supply and demand which is appropriate for
companies of all kinds and sizes.
The main advantage of unaddressed direct mailing over other forms of
advertising is that it is incredibly cost effective and very targeted. You can reach
a larger portion of your target market with your advertising budget than, say, if
you were to go with specialist magazines, radio or cinema. While potential
customers may read 3 newspapers a week, listen to 4 radio stations, watch 20 TV
channels etc, they only have 1 letterbox and therefore your message has a
stronger chance of being viewed and acted upon.
Some companies provide geo-marketing tools, giving you the option of
selecting your individual target group, thus enabling you to carry out a target
group-oriented distribution of your unaddressed direct advertising.
Key Questions to ask your provider of unaddressed Mail delivery
· Are you a member of the IDMA?
· Are your distribution staff directly employed by your company?
· What systems do you have in place to ensure delivery to the target area
in the correct timeframe?
· Can I track my delivery online?
· Can I choose distribution areas based on socio – demographic
information?
· What is your policy on delivering to houses which do not wish to receive
unsolicited mail?
Planning
- Decide who your target market is
- Decide what message you want to communicate
- Decide on a timescale for the campaign
- Decide what type of advertising medium you are going to send
through the letter box; brochures/ flyers, samples, questionnaires,
newsletters, catalogues, business directory etc.
-Choose a designer and printer
- Choose a delivery company
Executing
-Perhaps a specific phone number or website should be used for the
flyer to help assess how many calls the DM piece generates?
- Liaise with the distribution company to monitor the response
throughout the campaign
-The 3 most important aspects to have on the cover of your
material/leaflet which will attract clients:
1). Name of your company (Brand Awareness) & contact
details
2). Special offer/coupon (initial attraction for client/potential
client)
3). Keep the information clear & concise – Don’t
overcomplicate or clutter the leaflet with too much
information.
· Evaluating
-Evaluate how many queries have been generated from the DM
piece
-How many of these became customers?
- What benefit (s) did the campaign bring to your business?
- Was it financially viable? What was your return on investment?
IDMA March 2012 (updated May 2014)