The direct approach.

Follow these steps for a successful direct-mail marketing campaign

Have you ever considered how to keep your direct mail effort out of the trash? Anyone who has a mailing address has experienced the feeling of being bombarded by what is commonly referred to as "junk mail."

But as a direct marketing professional, your direct mail can't be considered junk. According to DMG Direct, direct marketing is a $5- billion business in the United States. A large percentage of that is by utilizing direct mail - a one-to-one personal relationship between seller and buyer.

Marry Richardson, president of Services Marketing Specialists in Detroit, notes that some audiences are more receptive to high-tech methods of direct marketing, such as blast faxing or e-mail methods, but that direct mail through the postal service remains an effective way to market provided repetition is used.

"You need to develop a program of multiple pieces that are sent over a period of time, so (the audience) can recognize and remember your company or product," she explains.

First impressions mean everything with direct mail. If certain guidelines are followed, chances are you can benefit from a response rate of 5 percent or higher, considered above average in the industry.

Your direct mail piece should make it easy for customers to recognize your offer or "hook." Typical offers include a free demo CD-ROM, informational brochures or product/service coupons - in general, anything that will encourage your audience to take action.

It is your responsibility to determine what you want to accomplish with a direct mail piece, and then design an offer around that goal. The offer or at least the hint of an offer (i.e. "Look inside for your free gift") should be easy to find.

In direct mail, short snippets are the way to go. Long blocks of text lose your reader's interest. Think of direct mail copy as you would a newspaper or magazine headline - be brief. Include a teaser line on the envelope or cover that should be treated as your headline.

The body text of the direct mail piece should be brief, yet informative. The use of bullet points is highly recommended because it effectively summarizes the high points of a business or product. This is essentially effective copy which will relate your message, the positives of your product/service, in some cases pricing (particularly if you are offering a discount), a contact phone number and e-mail, business Website if available, and more. Important contact information should be bold or set apart from the rest of the copy.

Companies should also pay close attention to postal regulations, which are known by any reputable fulfillment house. Don Pentzien, vice president of sales at Technicom Group in Detroit, says it can be confusing to understand postal dimensions; companies should know the difference between first-class, standard rate and non-profit mailers.

"It's an ongoing educational process for us, so one of the things we do is try to let our (clients) know what the regulations are," he says. For example, direct mail pieces that are larger than 6 1/8 by 11 1/2 inches will be surcharged an additional rate that for a large mailing will become very expensive.

Direct mail will remain an effective marketing tool in today's age of e-commerce, and your piece is more likely to be successful if you have an attractive offer, effective copy and easy-to-follow graphics. And if that doesn't work, there's always the Internet.