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How to Use Direct Mail
Direct Mail has a number of unique attributes that make it the marketing medium of choice for many commercial finance consultants.  This is especially true for those operating from a more rural setting and without the opportunities and availability of networking. For brokers and intermediaries, direct mail...

•   generates an immediate and measurable response
•   can pay for itself rapidly
•   can be tested and then rolled out quickly
•   speaks directly to a prospect's problems and concerns
•   is personal
•   can be used by those on a tight budget

Direct Mail, Offers, Telephone Follow Up
Offers are a critical part of direct mail.  In fact, providing the targets of your direct mail campaign with an enticing offer will easily account for 50% or more of the success of your direct mail campaign.  The other 50% will be the result of telephone follow up.  What we are saying here is that direct mail is a powerful, lead generating tool.  Just make sure it includes an enticing offer and always follow up your mailings with a telephone call to the prospect.  With postage rates at 44 cents, it can easily cost $50 to get a single "good" lead. Make sure you follow up. With this approach, direct mail can be very cost effective and literally the medium of choice for your marketing efforts.  

Format Dynamics
For direct mail to be an effective lead generating medium, it first must be opened.  This is the important job of the envelope.  So the rule here is, if possible, avoid using a standard #10 envelope for your mailings.  A recommendation is to use a 6x9 envelope with your sales letter simply folded in half.  Design a quality stuffer that includes an offer and your well on your way to having a successful mail package.

Never use labels for your mailing if at all possible.  If you want to increase your viewing (open) rate, the way to do it is to hand address each envelope. An alternative is to use a "handwriting" font style when printing your envelopes.  Also, never use a postage meter for direct mail for lead generation.  Always use a stamp and preferably a "commemorative stamp" of some kind.  Good choices are stamps that feature famous people or those that deal with historical events such as World War II.

Direct Mail and Your Website
One of the most unique formats we have seen used in highly successful direct mail programs is the use of an "invitation".  With this campaign, you simply use a small white card and envelope similar to what you would receive for a wedding or a party invitation.  The envelope is hand addressed to the business owner and mailed using a commemorative stamp.  There is NO SALES LETTER.  The inside simply contains a card that says, "A special invitation for ___________________.  Visit: www.______.com.
Handwrite in the business owner's name where the line is.  Have a special landing page on your website www.website.com/invitation.htm.  On this special page, you will have your sales message and your FREE offer of a booklet or report.

The advantages of this campaign are many.  First, 100% of your envelopes will be opened.  No one, and I mean no one, will throw away what appears to be a wedding or party invitation.  Second, the curiosity of receiving such a unique mailing will simply be too great.  The vast majority, probably well over 90%, will visit your website to explore what your "invitation" is all about.  Third, when making your follow up telephone contact, no one will say..."I don't remember getting your mail."  You will easily be able to begin a conversation with the business owner discussing his/her ability to download your FREE booklet or white paper and whether your services might be required for their company now or in the future.

The bottom line here is that direct mail should always be used to "support" some other medium.  Use direct mail to...

•   soften prospects for your cold calling
•   invite business owners to a workshop on factoring
•   drive business owners to your website for a FREE booklet
•   invite the recipient to an event where they can meet you  

Measuring Your Mail Campaign's Success
If properly formatted and rolled out, success rates of direct mail are relatively easy for you to gauge.  In virtually all cases, you will use direct mail as a "response" medium.  this means you expect a response and this is usually through your website where the recipient will go to request your FREE offer.  One of the first measures of the success of your mail will be, therefore, the number of business owners that visit your site and download your report or booklet.

The second measure will be more difficult to obtain.  This will be through your cold call follow up and will be gauged by those that readily admit to receiving your mail, remember it, and have an opinion as to whether it was or was not of interest to them and their business.  Do not depend simply on your mailings.  For direct mail to be effective in today's environment, it must be followed up with a prospecting cold call.