5 Of The Best Direct Mailing Tactics For Small Business
One of the biggest differences between running a successful business and struggling to keep your business afloat is your marketing strategy. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs focus on daily marketing execution, like sending more advertising mail, optimizing a landing page, building a website, sending email, and so on, without assessing the effectiveness of these tactics so they can improve on them.
- Add value for your usersYour objective should be to keep your mail relevant for as long as possible and keep it away from the trash bin. Your mailers should contain more content than just your business info, such as a New Year’s resolution sheet, emergency numbers in your area, or some other content that will entice consumers to hold onto the mailer for a bit longer.
- Open with your value propositionKeep in mind that your consumers will likely be going through a huge pile of mail, sorting through them fast and discarding anything that doesn’t seem important. To address the short attention spans, put the most important and enticing piece of information at the beginning. If the consumer is courteous enough to look at your mailer, give him/her a reason to consider keeping it or going through it to find out more.
- Give it some bulkThe biggest challenge with direct mail is getting your envelope opened. Various surveys have revealed that envelopes with a lumpy item inside have nearly 100 per cent chance of being opened, as they pique the curiosity of the receiver. Depending on your business and industry, your next objective will be to identify something relevant, personal, and interesting to entice the receiver to engage with your piece. You could even include a promotional item.
- Include product samplesThere is no better way to add value to your marketing campaign than giving your consumer a product sample. As with the previous point, adding something to your paper mail increases its chances of being viewed by the receiver. A product sample allows the potential consumer to try out your product, and then use the information in the mail to order more if they like it.
- Make mailers creativeConsumers won’t feel special or motivated to consider your business if they consider your efforts as mere advertising. Rather than aiming to send as many mailers as possible, you should focus on sending quality direct mail. This includes finding creative ways to send your message so it doesn’t feel like something that has been mass-mailed. Customize the message, include promotional items or product samples, use alternative mediums rather than paper, use a stamp as opposed to metered mail, and seek to add value for your audience.
About: Seamus Barton
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Seamus Barton joined Troi Mailing Services in 2014 after graduating from York University with a degree in Professional Writing. As a team leader and print enthusiast, he champions the power that words play in driving impact. Seamus’ passion for engaging content motivates him to share direct mail solutions ideas that support each Client’s goals.
Please chat with Seamus about commercial printing, creative direct mail options, and eco-friendly paper strategies for optimal Smartmail Marketing success.
You can connect with Seamus on LinkedIn, or by calling Troi Mailing Services at 1-866-486-9350, or via email at seamus@troimail.com. Learn more about environmental sustainability and direct mail trends in his Two Sides North America article featured on Page 9 of The Page (Spring 2026) Newsletter.
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