A direct mail campaign can be a very effective way of communicating with clients and prospective clients. But the emphasis here is on the word ‘can'. Why? Well, think of all the rubbish that comes through your own letterbox every morning. For myself, anything that doesn't look interesting, or from someone I know, goes straight in the dustbin unread.

Benefits
Executed effectively, a direct mail campaign can offer the same benefits as advertising. In addition, it can also offer:

• the chance to build a more one-to-one relationship with clients than is possible with advertising
   
• the ability to target your message more precisely than through broader advertising

The Target Database
To start with, you will obviously need a database containing the names and addresses of pet owners. Where you source this database depends entirely on whether you are using the campaign to market a service to your existing clients, or to generate new clients. If the former, you'll use your own practice database. If the latter, you'll need to source a new mailing list elsewhere. Perhaps the local pet store has one, or the dog training centre, or the kennels. Any of these may be prepared to sell you the use of their database, or run a joint promotion.

Whether you are using your own database, or one belonging to another organisation, make sure that the quality of data is good. If you are sending a letter to existing clients about the benefits of older pet clinics, then make sure that the software has correctly selected those clients with older pets, and that your data is up to date. If you are sourcing the database from elsewhere, you'll have to be confident that the seller has done likewise. The most attention-grabbing mailshot, with the strongest call to action will fail if it is sent to the wrong people.

Content - Make it stand out. 
Lets say that a client gets five other letters that morning. One is hand-written. That gets opened. 2 are in envelopes which bear the message "Gold Card Priority Application from RSVP Bank". They go in the bin immediately. The other two are in plain envelopes, with the address typed. They look like bills, so they go in the in-tray, often unopened for the time being.

For a mailshot to be successful, you must obviously get people to open the letter in the first place, and open it NOW! There are two ways to do this. Either hand-write and stamp the envelope, which is time-consuming, but does work. Or put something attention-grabbing on it. Veterinary practices have an advantage here, because pet owners in the UK largely treat their animals as one of the family, so any communication obviously from a practice is likely to have a greater inherent interest than yet another application for a new credit card! So, if you are writing to existing clients, it may be enough to put your practice logo on the envelope. You could go a step further and add the words: "Important Information from Wellpet Veterinary Clinic".

If your mailshot is to a broader audience, then you could try putting a strapline on the envelope that makes people curious. Novartis once sent one to all veterinary practices, bearing the message "Old Pets Are Not To Be Sniffed At". Lets face it, you are going to be curious, aren't you!

Content - Personalise it 
Mailshots are often impersonal: ‘Dear Sir/Madam', or: ‘Dear Pet Owner'. Remember that most people are not in too much doubt about their sex - they are either ‘Sir' or ‘Madam', but they're highly unlikely to be both. And ‘Dear Pet Owner' makes me feel like a number. Most practice computer systems allow you to create letters addressed to: "Dear Mrs Bloggs". You should even be able to go a step further and add their pet's name, using the same mail merge facility: ‘Dear Mrs Smith, We were looking through our records and noticed that Snowy has not been vaccinated...' Now your letter has a very strong relevance, and what's more, it seems like the practice has taken the time to remember Mrs Bloggs' pet. Even if she doesn't respond this time, she's impressed.

Content - Include a clear call to action
Make sure that your letter states clearly the reason for the contact, the benefits of responding, and the actions you want the reader to take (such as attending a clinic). Keep it simple.

Content - Avoid "scare tactics"
Scare tactics can be counter-productive. If you send a letter warning of: ‘dire problems if you do not take our advice', and that contradicts the clients' own experience, then they are likely to ignore it. Furthermore, the credibility of your information will be questioned in the future. So, only scare when there is a genuine and justifiable need to do so. Clients will probably respond better to a promotion highlighting benefits ("an opportunity for a free health examination where you can discuss any aspect of rabbit care in addition to vaccination").

Content - Make it interesting
If you send a reminder which only says: Rover is due for a check-up or a flea check, you're really only doing only half the job. I want to be told WHY it is important that Rover has his check up, and I want to be told in a way that interests me.

Did you know that there are over 3000 species of flea in the world? They all have one thing in common: each lays hundreds of eggs during its lifetime. That means that if just one or two land on "name of your cat", then within days you could have a household infestation numbering more than the population of China! Furthermore, once a household infestation takes hold, it is very difficult to eradicate, because these eggs develop into pupae that are impervious to insecticides.

Luckily there is a treatment for cats which prevents fleas from laying eggs, called Program Injectable. Just one simple jab and your house is protected against an infestation for a full six months. During that time, even if a flea does jump on your cat, it will be unable to lay viable eggs around your home.

To help our clients stay flea free this year, we are offering 25% off Program Injectable for all cats brought to us over the next 4 weeks. Just ring the practice for an appointment, and tell them you've received this letter.

This gives me something interesting to read (3000 species, I didn't know that). It explains the problem (the reason I should be doing something). It explains the solution (what the practice can do for me). And it contains a rudimentary measurement tool (tell us you've received this letter).

Summary
Mailshots are judged on the response rate they elicit, and it's amazing just how low the average is. Unless you are mailing your existing clients, 2% is considered OK; 5% is award-winning stuff! Bear the above points in mind, and you should be able to exceed a 5% response rate. But remember that marketing is not a 'one-off', and your success will probably improve with repeat mailings.