Chantal

What do insurance companies, garden supplies, office stationery, solar panels and window blinds have in common? Leaflets advertising them were all delivered to my home recently, on the same day, by my friendly postman.

There was a 16 page A5 leaflet advertising dozens of different insurance companies with their latest offers. If you advertise in this totally untargeted, unpersonalised leaflet, please stop wasting your money. No doubt the printers of this rubbish are charging you a fortune for it, on the promise that it gets delivered to hundreds of home for you. Here?s the thing ? the majority of people who receive it a) won?t be looking for insurance at the time so will bin it; b) object to this rubbish so bin it; c) go online to get really up to date insurance deals and just bin what you send. Save yourself money and paper by not doing this.

The catalogues for garden supplies and stationery came from companies from whom I have bought before. I bought a tree last autumn and this is the second catalogue they?ve sent since. I?ve not bought stationery from the other company for years and yet they keep sending me something, usually every month. Both pieces are going in the bin. Try asking your customers what they want and how often they want to hear from you, to avoid annoying them.

Solar panels? I don?t have £8000 to invest right now and my roof faces east-west, so we?d need lots of panels to earn the income they reckon I could earn ? which would cost even more to install! If you?re going to do direct mail, make sure it?s targeted.

As for the window blinds ? I actually called this company a year ago, to book an appointment, only to be told that they don?t have any representatives in my area! Why waste money and paper sending me a leaflet, then? Get your facts and figures right before you commit to investing in direct mail.

Direct mail can work very effectively, if you plan and research what you’re going to send, who to and how often.