What do you do with your junk mail?

Think about how much junk mail you get in a week, then think about how much you actually open and read, better yet think about how much you throw away or put through the shredder. Now think about the junk mail you look at more than once. This is means thinking about how your potential customer may respond to junk mail.

All the time you spent on high tech looking font and money you spent on fancy glossy paper could easily go from your business to the recycling bin.

How do you make your direct marketing efforts work for you is a widely asked question. It's important to make sure your advertising is not falling into the direct mail abyss.

1. Hone your mailing list as narrow as possible to the market you really want to target. A nearby subdivision with mostly working families are probably not as interested in a recently built retirement community in their area. But a new daycare or pediatrician's office may be of interest.

2. What is the first thing you see when you get junk mail? The headline? The first words that are suppose to catch the readers eyes are the headlines. Avoid being too vague. Think about what mail gets your attention. I got some mail the other day that talked about a new oil and lube shop but the letters were small and there was to much information on the postcard it was hard to read and I tossed it. Then I got a card that read FREE carwash in big and bold bright letters. I opened it and read what was involved.

3. A question that I want answered when I'm reading junk mail is "What are the benefits?" This should be clear and to the point. If it's a reduced price, a convenient location, or added bonus than that is what it should say.

Direct mail isn't rocket science but it does require a lot of forethought, planning, and innovation. For direct mail resources check out Mover Mail.