The more specific your list requirements, the higher the cost. But it may be worth it. A carefully targeted campaign reduces printing and postage costs and that savings is magnified over multiple mailings.

The Value of Direct Mail Based on research conducted by the U.S. Postal Service, the value of mail as opposed to other forms of communication is measurable. Value: Mail has a greater chance of delivering your message, because it is more likely to reach the intended recipient. Even mail that is addressed to "owner" or "manager," or another title without a specific name included will generally be routed to the right person. You can add even more value by sending your mail by expedited service. Value: Your mail message has a longer life. Businesspeople keep useful mail, viewing it as a resource of helpful information, and even creating a mail library.  Value: Mail is a resource for decision makers. When it comes to such decisions as purchases, selecting vendors, or finding training or professional events, business people reference their library of received mail. Value: Mail drives Web traffic, encourages responses, and build relationships. Used effectively, mail facilitates comfortable relationships by providing easy reply mechanisms such as postcards or postage-paid envelopes, and by motivating recipients to log onto the advertiser's Web site for more information. The bottom line is, businesspeople value useful mail. If the message is helpful it is often read and retained as a resource for decision making. The mailing can be highlighted, saved, and shared with others who need it.

Visit the U.S. Postal Service Web site, Direct Mail section that provides many helpful tips and tools.

Whether you maintain your own direct mail database or rent lists of names, it's important to have current addresses. Watch out for bargain lists whose principal source of contacts is the telephone book. A significant percentage of listings are outdated even before the phone book is published.

Because bulk mail doesn't get forwarded or returned to the sender, it's smart to clean up your database or list before mailing. The U.S. Postal Service maintains a National Change of Address (NCOA) service that it licenses to vendors.

When your list is NCOA processed, business or consumer addresses that have changed in the previous three and one-half years are updated before your mailing. It's generally cheaper and certainly better than doing "Change Service Requested" (formerly "Address Correction Requested"), which doesn't provide you updated addresses until after your mailing. Anytime you can increase the number of pieces delivered to your target market, you improve the response.

 Make the headline count. Your direct mail piece has about three seconds to hook recipients. The headline must trigger their "what's in it for me?" reflex. That's why pitches like: "Lose 10 lbs. in 2 Weeks!" motivate many people to read on. Notice it says nothing about the product and everything about what the recipient stands to gain.

When you're writing headlines, "benefits" are more enticing bait than "features." By the way, there's an important piece of direct mail real estate that often gets overlooked. It's the space on the envelope or the address side of a post card. There's room for a teaser, such as "Valuable Coupons Inside." Just make sure the placement of the phrase meets postal requirements.

In addition to a good headline, your solicitation can be enhanced with a good postscript. Many people who only scan letters will read down to the P.S.

 Be persistent. Many companies make the mistake of giving up on direct mail after one or two mailings. A rule of thumb in direct marketing is that you should mail to recipients, including your own customers, at least six times per year. Of course, you want to vary the content of your mailings, but give them a "family" look so that they're instantly recognizable as coming from your firm.