Mailing lists can be purchases from a number of sources.  There are companies that do nothing but buy and sell information, but this service can become expensive.  You can also use lists from your local postal service.  However, these are based solely on the recipient’s address so you cannot target the delivery very well.

List purchasing is always an option but building your own lists may be a stronger plan.  Start with your current customers.  Do you want to send direct mail advertising to your most frequent customers, the ones with the strongest purchasing history or to new prospects?  If you have a long list you may want to segment it and create a plan for each group.  Perhaps a return visit coupon for customers you haven’t seen a while or a flyer with a map for new residents.

Message
Once you narrow down your audience, you can craft the message you want to deliver with your advertising.  Direct mail can be very effective but it needs to present a strong, clear and timely message.

Craft a clear and concise message.  Your audience will only spare your flyer a few precious moments so make them count.  Don’t fill pages with tiny text.  The reader will toss it in the recycling bin before a paragraph is read.

Your message should have some kind of call to action, a reason for the recipient to do something.  Whether it is a coupon to get them into your business or a website to hit, give them something to “do” with your message and make it feel urgent.  Season promotions and limited offers create that sense of urgency.

Don’t forget to include your contact information on the flyer or postcard.  Be certain the address, phone number, email address and web address are all correct and accurate.  Triple check this feature!

Frequency
The next stage in your campaign planning is to determine the delivery frequency of your direct mail flyers.  When it comes to direct mail advertising, once is never enough.  You need to repeat you contact with the audience a few times before your message will take root.  Determine how often you will send direct mail to a list member and how frequently you will resend.

Timing
It’s important to choose your delivery timing as well as the frequency.  The weeks prior to the Christmas holiday are packed with mail and your message may be slow to arrive or simply get lost in the clutter of the mailbox.  Mother’s Day has a similar effect on the mail.  Unless you are having a holiday-themed event, these portions of the year should be avoided.

You also need to time you message to the life and seasons of the recipient.  For instance, a postcard highlighting teeth whitening is a great idea for April and May, just prior to the most popular season for proms, graduation and weddings.  Back-to-school specials should be publicized in late July to early August.

Talk to a reputable direct mail company like Mudlick Mail today, to plan out your next campaign.  You will see the effort you invest reflected in your success.

Mistake #1 – Ignoring the Importance of Mailing Lists
Sure, your copy is important. So is your design. Do you know what’s more important, though? Your mailing list. One of the best possible mailing lists you can get is right at your fingertips – your own current customers and prospects. If you decide to rent a list, though, make sure you’re working with a good direct mail company from the outset. You can’t even begin to write and design marketing flyers or postcards for your campaign until after you’ve selected and identified the right lists.

Mistake #2 – Ignoring the Importance of Testing
There is no science when it comes to direct mail advertising, and if you’re planning to do a big campaign, testing it is essential. You can’t know whether a postcard or a flyer will actually work until you test it, and you can’t predict the results of your test based on your past experience. Every target market is different, as is every ad campaign, and testing it is the only way to know if you’re getting the return you actually should be.

Mistake #3 – Ignoring the Importance of an Offer
So you have an amazing business, right? You’ve listed out the benefits of using your services, right? Did you remember to include an offer to get customers through the door? Before you even start designing your direct mail advertising campaign, decide what you’re trying to offer. Offer a free consultation session. Consider a free analysis. A product sample might even be right for you. Whatever you have to offer, make sure you do it clearly if you want a solid response rate.

As you search for the right method of advertising, direct mail may seem like a good option, but that’s only going to hold true if you avoid the most common mistakes.

The approach that works best for me is what I call the 60-30-10 rule.  I spend 60 percent of my time on staff issues, 30 percent on sales and 10 percent on profits. Here’s a look at why I’ve chosen those particular allocations and why they work:

People: I spend the majority of my time on this area because I truly believe it’s the most important ingredient in the success of my shops.  Think about a professional sports team. If a football team has the best players, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be Super Bowl bound, but it certainly gives them an advantage. So, that’s why I dedicate time to interviewing – I want to be sure I land the best players. Of course, any coach who wants to see his or her players win will give them a great game plan and that’s where training comes in. I’ve spent a great deal of time developing a training manual to guide my employees in the practices that I know are most effective. I also test them to see how well they are retaining the knowledge in my guides and evaluate employee performance regularly to identify potential issues.  I know some shop owners who would prefer to leave the hiring, training and evaluating of employees to somebody else. But to me, that’s like an NFL coach skipping draft day.

Sales: I view sales as a function of customer service. If you walk into a business and the manager doesn’t even look at you, you’ll take your business elsewhere. I would never let that happen in my shops. We open doors for customers. We greet everyone who walks through the door. And we always say yes. If a customer calls about an oil change and all our bays are full, we find a way to fit that customer in.  I spend a lot of time researching better ways to serve customers because I know I’ll see that effort reflected in my sales.

Profits: Many shop owners spend all of their time on profits, painfully analyzing costs and cutting minor expenses in the hopes of boosting the bottom line. Don’t worry about saving money, worry about pushing sales.  I do profit and loss statements every month and they serve as my report card, indicating which areas of the business are thriving and which need attention. This type of approach allows me to focus on the big picture without getting bogged down on specific line items. Instead of pouring over financial reports for hours, I am able to use that time to look for top-notch employees or craft new strategies to better serve customers.

Greg Sands is the CEO and founder of Mudlick Mail in Acworth, GA. The company provides demographically targeted, direct mail programs for automotive service and repair shops nationally. An 18-year veteran of the automotive industry, Greg also owns and operates more than 25 repair shops in four states. Follow Mudlick Mail on Facebook: /www.facebook.com/mudlickmail or Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/mudlickmail

Source:  http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Use-Your-Time-Wisely/blog/6042193/31710.html

Consider Adding a Sticky Note: Adding a sticky note to your direct mail is the perfect way to personalize your direct mail. It helps customers realize that your message is important, and it may drive them toward your offer as a whole. You can even use them as a redeemable coupon if they bring them back to your shop. Just write your target’s first name and a quick message, and people will instantly pay attention.

Personalize Your Services: If you can find a way to provide an additional service to potential customers, do it. Direct mail advertising is the perfect place to do just that. For example, perhaps you could target new families in your location. Inside, don’t just tell them about your services. Show them how to reach you with a map right from their new home. It’s a great way to connect with a target audience – new families – and still provide them with an advertisement about your services as well as a helpful map of how to find you.

Consider Humor: It may sound a bit cheesy, but throwing a funny cartoon on your next advertising flyer or direct mail postcard can get a prospect’s attention, particularly if you insert their name right into the cartoon. You may even have people who treat your postcard as a keepsake instead of an advertisement.

Personalizing your marketing can take a bit longer, but it’s certainly worth it if it increases your overall return.

A recent study by the US Postal Service suggested that 64% of both residential and business consumers actually value the mail they get in the mailbox every day. Business owners, though, thought that just 36% of that same target group actually valued that mail. See the disconnect? There are people out there who want your auto repair shop direct mail, so turning away now would be nothing short of tragic. If you’re looking to increase that response rate, though, there are a few things you can do.

1. Find a way to instantly create interest and value. If you can’t do that right out of the gate, you’re not going to get them, even if you have a tiny little postcard. One great way to do just that is build a headline that attracts attention and make sure you demonstrate what you’re offering is actually a bargain. Imagine, for instance, that you’re giving away a free tire rotation with every oil change. Unless your potential customers actually feel like that’s valuable, you’re not going to get the phone call to book that appointment. Give them something valuable to work with, and make sure you let them know how valuable it is with a carefully crafted headline.
2. Look to the rest of your marketing strategy for ideas. If you want to figure out how to increase the response rate on your auto direct mail, consider looking to your site or your email offers. Which ones help you get more potential clients through the door? If you can translate those to your next marketing flyers or postcards, you could have a winning combination.
3. Consider changing the size of your mailers. Most garages and repair shops simply use the number 10 standard size business envelope in their direct mail advertising. That certainly doesn’t mean you have to, though. Today, you can go with an oversized postcard, a 9 x 12 envelope, or something completely different. Catch their attention from the moment they see your auto direct mail, and you’ll be surprised at the response you receive.

Direct mail is actually a really good place to include testimonials of past patients, but using them poorly is only going to hurt a potential patient’s overall opinion of you. Before you include a testimonial in your next round of marketing flyers, you may want to make certain you incorporate these tips.

Use Authentic Testimonials: These days, it seems few things are actually real, and with so many research tools available, patients have the ability to decide which testimonials in your marketing flyers are fake and which ones are real. If they discover false customer endorsements, they’re far less likely to trust you for their dental care. It’s a quick way to crash your credibility, so stick to the real thing.

Use Customers Who Reach Your Demographic: We like to relate to people who are like us, so if your direct mail company has you targeting patients in a certain demographic, make certain your testimonials fit within that demographic. For example, imagine you’re marketing dental implants to patients who have previously had dentures. Using testimonials from patients in their twenties probably isn’t going to reach the senior citizen audience you had in mind.

Include Identifying Information: If a patient has given you permission to use his or her testimonial, make sure you have a release on file so you can use the associated name, age, or location with that testimonial. If people can’t relate, when it comes to dental direct mail, they’ll simply throw it away. You could even add a smiling picture that helps show off those teeth you fixed.

More Information is Better: While you may be trying to collect several shorter testimonials so you can save a bit of space, the reality is that you actually may need more than a one liner to convince potential patients when it comes to dental direct mail. Make sure each testimonial fully explains the benefits of your services, and don’t hesitate to let the important parts stand out with a bit of bold font. You could even turn one into a case study online so if people want to read more, they can visit your website to learn a bit more about that individual case.

Remember, it’s okay to ask your patients for testimonials. You never know how they’re going to respond until you’ve actually asked, and if you’ve done your job well, the chances are good they’re going to respond positively to your request. You may even get a positive boost in business when they tell all of their friends their testimonial will be included in your next direct mail marketing campaign.