Las Vegas Color Graphics

Direct mail is one of the most effective advertising media available for those who have been taught how to use it well. If you don’t yet know as much as you’d like, this list of types of direct mail should help you decide what is best for your business.

This list is by no means exhaustive. All the same, most businesses start out with one of the following, when they begin to use direct mail (or want to expand what they do).

Sales Letters

Sales letters are a common method of direct mail.  These can be used for many purposes, such as lead generation, customer retention, announcements of new services or specials, holiday greetings and a great many other things.

Ultimately, letters are especially useful for providing a personal touch to your business for your clientele.  Many clients will prefer a business that treats them like a person rather than a number.  Letters can provide this personal touch at a level that other forms of direct mail sometimes don’t.

Business Post Cards

Post cards for your business are just like the ones that people send each other when they’re on vacation.  The primary difference between business post cards and personal post cards is that your business graphics are on the display side, rather than the typical “Wish you were here” graphics that appear on the vacation post cards.

These are particularly useful for holiday greetings and announcements of holiday specials.  They can also be used in lieu of thank you letters, as appointment reminders, and for many other purposes.

The production cost of post cards is often less expensive than letters. That makes business post cards very useful when your direct mailing budget is a little tight for your mailing list.

Circulars

Circulars are similar to letters except that they’re distributed to a closed group of people.  In the case of most businesses, this usually means that they are distributed to people they have already done business with, or those who have joined their mailing list.

Circulars are especially useful for providing “insider” discounts and information.  Showing your clients they are part of a special group is great for customer retention. This is especially true if group membership comes with benefits. Circulars are a great way to provide both status and benefits.

Fold-over Brochures

Fold-over brochures can provide a general idea of what your business is and does.  These are great if you’re trying to expand your mailing list and build your clientele.  While post cards are the cheapest way to reach new potential clients, they don’t always provide all the information a prospective client wants.

Fold-over brochures can provide the basic information that a prospective client might want.  Providing a basic overview of your products and services–perhaps including a coupon–can go a long way towards converting prospects into leads, and leads into sales.