Five Good Reasons to Do a Mass Mailing

In-house mailings are a great way to stay in touch with your customers -- and to contact prospective customers. Mass mailing, in small-business terms, ranges from sending out a dozen invitations to bulk-mailing several hundred coupons. It all adds up to repeating your company message and gaining top-of-mind familiarity. You can do your own mailings, or you can purchase mailing lists from outside brokers. Either way, small-business mass mailings can take several forms, some more creative than others.

1. Sales letters to generate sales. This is the traditional goal of a mass mailing. Unfortunately, it's a rare letter campaign that generates immediate sales all by itself. You'll need to follow up, so a good mailer should build some rapport, deliver a compelling reason to call later, and prepare the recipient for your follow-up. Sales letters are also a good way to follow up on prospects and leads developed at trade shows. Together with personalized sales contact, sales letters are a critical step in translating prospects into sales.

2. Informational flyers to expand awareness of your company and its products or services. Although flyers aren't likely to result in immediate orders, they should be suggestive reminders of who you are and what you offer. Flyers should be brief and to the point. They generally announce some type of positive change in your offerings or operations and create curiosity about what's new and different.

3. Special discount or other offer to build customer loyalty. Whether they take advantage of your offer or not, everybody appreciates a bargain. Special offers let customers know you don't take them for granted. This develops customer loyalty and draws customers closer to your business.

4. Educational newsletters to gain credibility in the marketplace and answer common questions. Because they require research, educational newsletters are the most time-consuming mailing tactic. At the time, they also offer the most value to your customers. Enhancing your credibility and authority in the marketplace is a very effective marketing tactic. If you're not comfortable producing an entire newsletter, type up a practical advice or tip sheet and have it printed. Don't hesitate to leverage your knowledge and position yourself as an expert in your business. Just make sure you're giving out sound advice.

5. Greeting cards to build good will. Do not pass up any opportunity to be courteous and thoughtful. Send holiday cards with personal notes to everyone in your company database. Anniversaries are also good opportunities to thank customers and prospects for their support.