Despite the fact that mailing lists as a form of direct marketing appeared relatively recently, they are gaining more and more popularity in the world. As an effective advertising medium, it is chosen by both small companies and large holdings.
Benefits of direct mail
Direct mailing, or address mailing, is one of the most popular and effective methods of promoting goods and services. It allows you to reach the target audience as much as possible at the lowest cost. With its help, you can present the company to potential clients, inform them of news, get feedback on the quality of service, congratulate you on the holidays, etc.
Other key benefits of direct mail include:
- high selectivity of contacts with the target audience;
- the ability to personalize advertising, which allows you to distinguish advertising from the general advertising stream;
- lack of time and space for mailing.
Compiling a database for mailing
The success of direct mailings largely depends on the correct hitting the target audience. It is the actual addresses of the target audience that make up the base for mailings. For consumer markets, the base usually consists of a circle of regular customers who have agreed to receive information from the seller. At the same time, it is not worth carrying out mass mailing (or sending spam to everyone). This can negatively affect the reputation of the company, as well as, in the event of customer complaints, lead to the imposition of a fine by the regulatory authorities. Moreover, fan mailing is less effective than smart targeted mailing.
In industrial markets, it is not always possible to create a circle of regular customers, sometimes the specificity of the goods sold is such that one company buys them once. The same is true for innovative products. Therefore, the database can include contacts of potential consumers - for example, construction or oil companies.
When selling any goods or services, it is important to send a letter to the person who makes decisions about the sale, when selling advertising - to the person responsible for marketing, etc. The addresses of these specialists can not always be found in open sources, and sending letters to a general mailbox can lead to this that the letter will never reach the addressee and will not be considered. Therefore, the stage of sending letters is often preceded by "cold calls" to clarify the contact details of the necessary specialists.
Server for mailing
Another point that must be taken into account in advance is where the mailing will be from. Mail servers have restrictions on the number of outgoing messages. So, for Gmail, the limit is 100 letters per day, for Mail.ru - 120 sent letters. Thus, free email services are not suitable for serious mailing. On corporate addresses, restrictions on the number of letters are set by the provider. With constant mailing, it is worth purchasing your own mail server.
How to make direct mailing more effective
To improve the efficiency of mailing, it is necessary to clearly define its purpose. This will allow not only to reach the target audience as much as possible, but also to save the advertising budget.
An important aspect of targeted advertising is its design, which will not only create a positive image of the company, but also attract the attention of the addressee.
Of course, the letter itself is also important. The first thing to pay attention to is the subject line. It should be intriguing, arousing the user's curiosity and the desire to open the letter. The topic should be concise and succinct, while containing flavor and emphasizing the uniqueness of the proposal.
The body of the letter is divided into several working parts. Initially, there is an appeal to the user. It is desirable that it be personal, since this inspires confidence in the recipient of the letter. The body of the letter itself should not be very blurry, overloaded with information. It should give clear answers to questions: who is applying, for what reason and what is offering. The sender's contacts complete the letter.
The letter should end with a link-transition to the page of the company's website. At the same time, intrigue should be preserved in the body in order to interest the user to go to the site.
