COURTESY OF CREATE-A-CARD INC.: 79% of respondents said they prefer to receive creative direct mail because it's more convenient than email as a delivery method.

Here are a few tips to help you launch a successful direct marketing campaign:

1) Narrow your focus. Marketing experts says it takes at least three pieces of mail per month for your customers to really notice your direct mail efforts. That may sound overwhelming, but the price tag and energy of sending 5,000 fliers to 5,000 different customers or 5 fliers to 1,000 customers over five weeks is exactly the same. If you narrow your focus, you can increase your effectiveness without any extra effort.

2) Provide incentives. Include coupons, free samples, or special deals to spur your target audience to respond to your offer. It doesn’t have to be a major budget buster; you could also offer something based in time rather than money. For example, if you own a small community bank, consider a free consultation with a financial professional. Or if you own a high-end clothing store, offer the VIP treatment — as in a special shopping experience.

3) Don’t go it alone. Shared mailers (catalogues or coupon-filled envelopes compiled by third-party companies, featuring advertisements from multiple businesses) are another effective way to get your company’s message into consumers’ mailboxes. Co-op mailers can also provide you with data by area code to help you better market your product or service.

4 Keep goals realistic. Measuring success against average response rates or other direct mail statistics is not always the best practice. Set goals that make sense for your specific business, keeping in mind your product and your price point. For example, you could track the traffic to your website to see if there was a significant spike in the weeks after your mailer went out. The bottom line: stay focused and realistic to ensure that direct mail marketing is working for you.

Source: CREATE-A-CARD INC. CEO Arthur Messina