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In a report from Balihoo, a provider of local marketing automation technology and services, direct mail is listed as one of the top marketing trends for 2010. The reason cited is the negative affect of no-call lists, e-mail spam rules, and untargeted broad media on a marketer’s ability to reach audiences. Direct mail is a way to reach your audience in a targeted manner.

The report also makes the prediction that better targeting and new, advanced tools to personalize messaging and track results will lead to surge in direct mail. The full article can be found here.

Direct mail has evolved a great deal from the days of traditional postcards. There are now direct mail products available that can have encoded magnetic strips and link right to a business’s point of sale system. These pieces are easy to track and secure. Many people view direct mail as a fading marketing medium, but fail to consider all of the advantages direct mail has to offer.

One of the biggest advantages for direct mail is the ability to target and personalize your message. Broad media, such as tv, are not as easily targeted nor can you personalize a message specifically to a single recipient.

Direct mail is an affective medium in terms of redemption and costs and should not be overlooked when planning 2010 marketing.

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According to the USPS, 40 million Americans change their address annually which can create obstacles for reaching your recipients during any mailing. USPS’s NCOALink software, which can be purchased, leased or developed by a licensee, gives access to NCOALink data. From this data, a licensee can obtain information on current, standardized, delivery point coded addresses for their recipients. The NCOALink Product contains about 18 months worth of permanent address changes.

Using NCOALink can help reduce the amount of undeliverable mail your company has to deal with after each mailing. Getting many returned mail pieces and re-mailing can be a frustrating and expensive part of any mailing and using this software can help to ease those frustrations.

Print and mail services providers should include the option to use the NCOA software as part of their services. Many print and mail providers will not only change the address before mailing, but will provide a report so that your company can update your records as well. The option to utilize this software is a benefit that is often overlooked in the decision making process of whether to outsource print and mail, but it is a simple additional service that can ease many frustrations.

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In a recent article, a university Instructor of Marketing compares email and direct mail marketing. The full article can be found here. He makes a great point that when deciding between e-mail and direct mail marketing, you need to consider the relationship you business has with the recipients. Do they have any previous knowledge of your company? If they do not know either you or your company, it has been shown that your e-mail will likely never make it to the recipient. Direct mail is a good medium through which you can introduce yourself and extend an invitation to provide more information on your website or an offer to bring the recipients to your location.

The relationship with the recipients seems to be an often overlooked aspect of direct marketing. Some companies assume that since their message is great and the media is affective, the recipient will pay attention to their marketing campaign. Sometimes a great message and the right media are not enough. You have to consider the history of your relationship with the recipients or the lack of history too.

There are many aspects that go into a direct marketing campaign, and the relationship with the recipient is one that should not be overlooked.

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Many companies send out holiday cards to thank their customers and send holiday greetings, but what about a “Welcome to 2010” direct mail piece instead or along with your holiday mailing? One way to get your customer’s attention in the New Year is with a happy New Year message and a gift card toward their next purchase.

People will take notice of a piece that has a gift card offer. A common offer that I see is $10 off a purchase of $25 or more. Everyone expects to get mail during the holiday season, so it is a good strategy to send a mailing at the tail end of this time. People are still more likely to be looking for holiday mailings, but not so overwhelmed by the amount of mail they are receiving.

Welcoming your customers into 2010 is a great way to increase your brand awareness and image. If you mail out a high quality 4/4 plastic card mailer, for instance, your customers will notice the high quality piece and associate high quality with your brand. The holiday season is the busiest time for direct mail, so take advantage of this opportunity to increase your sales and brand awareness.

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