As a small-business owner, you need to acquire new customers but may not have the resources to find them. With a little assistance, you can find quality leads yourself using direct mail marketing.

Here are some basic direct marketing tips and strategies to simplify the process of finding and generating leads and converting them into new customers.

What is direct mail?

Direct mail is the most cost-effective method of reaching prime prospects or the best marketing leads for your business. Direct mail marketing is the only marketing method that can make that claim. What sets direct mail apart? It is accountable — down to the last penny. This is particularly important for small businesses.

The steps to direct mail marketing:

1. Build a Customer Profile
2. Pick a Mailing List Category
3. Build a Direct Mailing List
4. Create a Successful Direct Mail Piece

Direct Mail Generates Results — New Customers

You are asking your lead to respond by taking advantage of your offer. With direct mail marketing, you can test what works, what doesn't, what is cost-effective and what isn't. Unlike other kinds of advertising, including email marketing, a single direct mail offering may provide steady results for several weeks, not just a day or two. Targeted direct mailing lists frequently generate a higher percentage of returns for the advertising dollars invested. That's why so many small businesses are capitalizing on the value of direct mail as the most cost-effective advertising medium.

Direct Mail Marketing — Reaching Your Best Leads

The old formula for direct marketing success was mass marketing: "Mail to as many people as you can; someone has to be interested." However, paper and postage costs are always increasing, and with so much mail ending up in the trash, businesses have changed their way of thinking. Why waste money mailing to everyone when not everyone is a good lead or a potential customer? You need to target the one lead who will buy. That is the difference between mass marketing and target marketing.

Targeted mailing lists pinpoint your best leads. You direct your message to a selective group that is more likely to be receptive to your message and interested in your product or service. There is less waste and a higher percentage of prospects responding to your mailing.

Direct Mail Marketing — Knowing Your Target Customers

Knowing about your best customers is a key factor in targeted direct marketing. Knowing the customers' basic demographics, such as males 18 to 34 or females with children, is a start. However, a more complete understanding of your customers' shopping and purchasing behavior in other categories; their attitudes toward trends, products, marketing and media; or their lifestyle habits can help you become even more effective in both your lead selection and the messages you'll use in communicating with the leads. 

• Step One - Build a Customer Profile