Tracy Johannsen

With so many forms of marketing your business readily available to you, it’s easy to dismiss the more conventional methods, such as direct mail. There are a few things that you can do to lower the cost of the campaign and maximize your return. Above all, your direct mail piece should inspire your audience and call them to action.

• Lower your cost: Try the United States Postal Service Every Day Direct Mail® program. You don’t have to know the names or addresses of the people you mail to — simply identify the neighborhoods and get a great rate as low as 14.5¢ per piece.
• Make it useful: What are you offering the reader and how can it benefit them? Don’t just send out a campaign offering a special on rental equipment, educate them they need to rent what you have available.
• Make it timely: Don’t waste your money sending out a campaign that has no immediacy. Give the reader a reason to act now. Deadline dates or limited time offers work well, but the best is to offer a “first come, first served” deal.
• Be unique: Not only should your offer set you apart from your competition, but consider your design as well. Will your direct mail piece get noticed among the rest of the reader’s mail?

Using this combination of tactics should greatly increase your response rate. Don’t forget to track the business gained from the campaign so you know it worked.

For more information on marketing your business, visit Marketing Minutes, the American Rental Association's (ARA) online member marketing resource.