A direct mail campaign is within the reach of any business, however small. At the simplest level, all you need is a printer, some postage and a little hard work. Crafting a truly productive direct mail campaign, however, requires more care and attention.

Of course, as with anything, you can start from scratch and learn the hard way through trial and error, or you can follow these four basic rules to get a running start. It’s mostly common sense and practicality:

1. Postcards and cheaper and have more impact.
First, you can save up to 4.5p on sending mail less than 15g through the Royal Mail if you already have MailSort. On top of this, a postcard stands a better chance of catching your customer’s eye than a letter does. Accessing the information on a wll designed postcard is much easier than the text in a letter, which has to be opened to reveal the contents.

Your postcards should be professional looking and cleanly designed. They need to get the interest of the person quickly deliver a simple message. Some people will even keep well-designed postcards just for their looks. Avoid the mistake of cramming too much copy onto a small space. A word about quality of materials; postcards have to stand up to a battering in the mail, so use the heaviest card stock your budget will allow.

2. Establish a brand image.
Repetition is an essential element of a direct mail campaign, it’s vital that your mailings promote your company’s identity. Ensure your logo and strap lines are used consistently, and use the same fonts whatever the format of the mailing. Harmonise the look and feel of your mail shots with other company documents. Many organisations fall into the trap of changing their company identity to fit particular sales campaigns and specific needs. This can confuse the customers over time.

3. Spread your mailshots over the year.
Take time to plan the timings of your mailing campaigns. Try to avoid the holiday seasons if you can. If you are running several mailing campaigns, make sure they are staggered or at least don’t send the same companies more than one mailshit at any one time. It can make it look as though your company does not know what they are doing. If you can’t avoid the clash, send the mailings in one package.

4. Use a postage meter.
There are many benefits to using a postage meter. You can do away with the trouble of buying and affixing stamps, plus you can buy the correct postage for each piece of mail, rather than over-stamping because that’s all you have to hand.  Saving like that soon adds up.