Actual-Facts Direct Advertising Articles | Marketing

By: Kathryn Ali

Even though there have been so many advancements in the technical world, a lot of businesses still depend on the utilization of older, traditional direct mail to advertise their business/service or product.

The method of direct mail which is also recognized as target advertising has been used just about as long as the beginning of the typewriter in 1867.

During the next 5 years, Montgomery Ward created the first mail-order catalogue so that people living in the country could buy their goods no matter how far away they lived.  In 1929, direct advertising became so very well-liked that the United States Postal Service ended up having to offer cheaper new bulk-rates for direct mail advertising because it was needed by so many businesses.

Most days, American home mailboxes are loaded with junk mail (otherwise known as direct advertising).  In just one year, almost 4 millions tons of direct advertising is mailed to houses in the USA.

This method of advertising is profitable or they would not spend the capital or time.  Studies have shown that the approx. return rate is 3 to 5% on direct marketing which is properly researched and targeted.

Main Direct-Mail Advertising Methods:

>>Catalogues: these are requested by the customer, or mailed out to people who have a history of buying related products.

>>Post Cards: have advertising on both sides of the card to let people know about special sales, grand opening events, or other information of importance.

>>Inserts:  single-page ad/announcement found in an assortment pack in your newspaper or even in the envelope of a bill.

>>Door Hangers:  businesses which are located closer to your home will use door hangers as a reminder that they are not far from you.

Other methods used to advertise are:

Internet Banner Ads

Bill Boards

Pay-Per-Click Ads

Pros & Cons of Direct Mail Advertising:

The greatest benefit of direct mail advertising is a business can test and monitor replies and sales from each campaign.  If you receive a lot of requests for information when a billboard was put up then what evidence is there?  But with direct mail advertising, you can include a coupon and then you can figure out the number of people who read and used the mailing.  This is also a known fact with catalogue sales.

Additional Benefits of Direct Mail Advertising Are:

>> Keep track of people who have bought related products in the past or responded   in other ways to the advertising.

>> To analyze a smaller number of people, to discover the best offer, the timing  and to locate the most accurate list of mailing addresses.

>> The opportunity to log the constructive replies for upcoming mailing.

Additional Disadvantages of Direct Mail Advertising Are:

>> To create the bulk brochures, packages, catalogues and mailings costs much more to
design, print and mail compared to other forms of advertising.

>> If the people who receive your direct mail advertising are not already customers then
quite often your mailings will end up in the garbage or recycling bin.

>> Some people who receive these bulk mailings are tired of this type of advertising  which looks like spam and they might boycott your business.      

But even with the negative in the above paragraph, direct mail advertising still receives a high amount of responses to make it worth its use. You do need to be careful and make as professional, first-rate and non-invasive/pushy as possible with the intention to create the highest response.

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