What is Direct Mail Marketing and Why Should I Use It to Promote My Small Business

 Most small business owners have heard of direct mail marketing, but may not really know what it is. And there's good reason to consider direct mail to promote your small business.

It's versatile, effective and affordable. It allows you to give prospects one-to-one direct attention, and it allows you more control over growth than nearly any other type of promotion.

Direct mail marketing is one of several types of direct response copywriting. I suppose it's somewhat confusing, but most tend to think of the two terms as interchangeable. There is however, a subtle difference.

Direct mail marketing can be defined as one-to-one communication sent by mail directly to potential clients with the goal of specific action by the recipient. Direct response copywriting is basically the same thing, but isn't limited to snail mail delivery.

Most of them are self-explanatory, but you may not have heard of "lumpy" mail. Lumpy mail is simply direct mail with the addition of something related to your message in the envelope besides just a letter. It could be as simple as a stubby pencil, a sample-sized bar of soap, or even a child's toy. It might cost a bit more, but it often leads to a surprisingly big increase in response rates.

And perhaps you haven't heard of bulletin board letters. Technically, they're not a form of direct response, since they're not sent directly to a particular recipient, but rather are posted on a community bulletin board where anyone in the local area can find them.

Community bulletin board letters can be nearly as effective as a direct mail letter, but have the added advantages of lower costs and reaching a larger audience. They're most often hand-delivered, stapled to bulletin boards in towns, in storefront windows, or anywhere else you feel they'd be seen.

Direct Mail is Affordable

Whatever the mode of delivery, dollar for dollar, direct response copywriting is one of the most cost-effective ways to promote your small business. On average, a direct mail letter costs less than $1 per recipient. That's including paper, envelopes, printing and postage stamps.

A direct postcard can cost even less because it costs less to mail--total cost is around 70 cents. However, higher paper costs could even out the cost difference.