Direct mail is well known for reaping results and high engagement for many companies, but what about smaller businesses? Many are put off my direct mail due to not having the available budgets to compete with big corporations. However, direct mail can be an effective way for small businesses to engage with their current and prospective customers, it just needs to be done the right way. Keep reading as we reveal our cost-effective direct mail solutions for small businesses. 

• The power of direct mail 

• Should small businesses use direct mail?

• Our top cost-effective direct mail solutions

• Direct mail for small businesses with DMS

The Power of Direct Mail

Direct mail has been a long-standing form of marketing that can have a great success rate for companies, across all industries. With such an emphasis on digital, it appears that direct mail acts to break through the noise of constant emails and social ads to reach the hands and eyes of the customer tangibly. 

With more people working from home, daily attention rates to direct mail have soared, increasing 29% during the weekend to just under 32.5 minutes and by 4% on weekdays to nearly 14.5 minutes. This is significantly higher than the time spent reading an email. It shows to be converting too, with 35% of consumers making a purchase, payment or donation in the past year as a result of receiving a piece of direct mail. 

Should Small Businesses Use Direct Mail? 

Direct mail is not just reserved for larger companies. The results and engagement can be replicated across all types and sizes of businesses, however, smaller businesses may need to tailor their approach to meet their needs and budgets. Remember, just one well-executed and highly targeted direct mail campaign can do wonders for a small business, the right solution just needs to be identified.

Cost-Effective Direct Mail Solutions

Many small businesses don’t have large budgets for large-scale and extravagant direct mail campaigns. However, small businesses can implement several cost-effective direct mail solutions to help save costs, make the most of their budgets and carry out a successful direct mail campaign. 

Have a Well Defined Target Audience

Setting clear objectives for the campaign will help small businesses to define who they want to target. This is important as a well-defined target audience ensures mailers are only sent to the intended recipients, ensuring resources are not wasted on sending to people the mailer doesn’t concern. For example, sending a ‘Here’s 10% off your first order’ direct mail campaign to someone who is a regular customer would be a waste of a mailer and not cost-effective.

Clean & Update Mailing Lists  

Similar to the above, making sure mailing lists are up to date and cleaned of any misspellings or old addresses is essential in ensuring as many mailers as possible make it to the correct recipient. Printing personalised mailers to only have them be undeliverable is a loss that can be easily avoided with proper data hygiene. 

Budget-Friendly Envelopes & Materials 

Small businesses may not be able to afford elaborate materials, paper, embossing or envelopes. However, that doesn’t mean that their direct mailers can’t stand out and be engaged with. There are many budget-friendly materials out there that can look amazing, especially when paired with a well-thought-out and eye-catching design. Using envelopes of a slightly different or larger size than usual or perhaps in a bright colour can grab the attention of a customer. In addition, using handwriting-style font seems to be an effective way of improving engagement. 

Utilise Offers

A small business may not have the most fancy of direct mailers, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be engaged with. Utilising a strong offer for your recipients can be an easy and cost-effective way to improve the success rate of your campaign. How about offering a free gift when they place an order, make a donation or sign up for your event? 

Keep it Short & Simple 

Keeping things short and simple is a good strategy when it comes to cost-effective direct mail for small businesses. Make a message clear with a strong call to action (CTA). Multiple pages and images can be more expensive to print, so keeping it to a minimum is a great way to save on mailers. 

Make Use of Bulk Mail Discounts 

Small businesses can make use of bulk mail discounts too! They are not just for bigger companies, but businesses will need to meet some minimum send volume requirements. 

We recommend speaking to a mailing house to see how they can help you save on postage. Even if you don’t qualify for bulk mail, they often get the very best rates when it comes to postage costs and will be able to find you the most cost-effective solution. 

Track & Analyse Results 

Tracking and analysing a campaign is a very effective way of optimising future campaigns. Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) like conversion rate, response rate and return on investment (ROI) can help small businesses tweak their direct mail campaigns and their success over time, ensuring long-term cost-effectiveness

Work with a Direct Mail Mailing House

Working with a mailing house that specialises in direct mail is a fantastic solution for small businesses. A mailing house is a specialist in their sector and will be able to help a business create effective campaigns in line with their budgets and expectations. Many will have experience working with smaller businesses and will be able to offer expert advice on how to save on all areas of the campaign, whether that be on materials, printing or postage. 

Direct Mail for Small Businesses with DMS

At DMS, we are committed to creating and delivering effective and high-quality direct mail campaigns for all types of businesses, big and small. We have a wide range of cost-effective solutions we can implement to ensure your budget is maximised to its fullest, ensuring it’s set up for success when it comes to actioning your campaign.

We are an experienced and passionate team with an array of knowledge and are always happy to answer any questions. Call us on 0117 934 1600 or click here to get a free quote.