Direct mail is not just a flyer or creative gimic, its a wonderful opportunity to open a dialogue with your potential or existing customer. This close interaction allows your business to deliver not only a possible sales or informational message, but your brands personality and what you stand for and how you want to be perceived.

Your own data base can be one of your most powerful tools, one that your business should be constantly developing. Within the Channel Islands and especially Jersey, mailings can be expertly targeted through traditional post, email and inserts.

Breakthrough in direct mail personalization

The latest in printing advances now allows you to personalise direct mail to each prospect or customer. By doing this, you can dramatically improve response rates and drive more new customers through your door. This technology is called variable digital printing.

Professional printers who do Digital printing can vary components of your marketing piece, but still print it all in one single print run. The technology gives you significant customization and personalization. You can vary names, graphics, special offers and advertising messages from one piece to the next—all in the same print job. This makes your message more targeted, personal and relevant to each recipient. This method has been demonstrated to grab readers’ attention better than static, impersonal mailers.

Four must-haves for effective direct mail

For direct mail to work most effectively, it requires four components:

Consistency—You need to reach out and touch your audience many different ways at many different times. If you’re going to commit to direct mail, schedule mailings to drop on at least a quarterly basis.

Creative—It’s no secret that everyone gets a lot of mail they don’t want and a lot of pieces they’ll never look at. To get the most out of your mailers, use full-color, dynamic, visually appealing design. The more creative, the better. Be sure not to cut corners when it comes to printing, either. A terrific, high-impact direct-mail concept can be ruined by a cheap, cost-cutting print run.

Actionable—The greater the sense of urgency in your direct-mail piece, the better your return will likely be. Whether it’s a seasonal promotion, introductory offer or special for a type of procedure, you want the prospect to call or go online today to schedule an appointment.

Meaningful—This is where variable digital printing really comes into play. In addition to a marketing message that matters to your recipient, including their name and images that will speak to them greatly increases the likelihood that they’ll pay attention—and take action.

What’s in a name?

It’s one thing to make it to a prospect’s mailbox. It’s something else entirely to engage the recipient.

The most successful marketing in today’s climate are the techniques and methods that do the best job of engaging audiences.

The name of each person, their family name (Smith Family) or the name of each family member can be included on each mailer. The name can appear prominently on both sides of a postcard mailer to best capture the reader’s attention. This sends a message very different from the nonpersonalized mailers consumers receive every day.

Customized demographics

This printing technology gives you greater power to target your audience with images that will most appeal to them. This is where the information in your dental database can really target the recipient.

Today, you can personalize images, offers and content, all in one print run. You can customize images of a family for your audience in that demographic, or use images of seniors for your older population. By this method, they will get the sense that you are speaking directly to them. Customized images can be very powerful.