While leafing through my local Pennysaver last night, I came across a glossy postcard wedged between the pages. It was for a local dentist. The card included a picture of the dentist and his family (See? I’m family man. Trust me with your teeth.), some bullet points about the services they offer and a small map with noted landmarks. Overall, it was nicely done, and caught my attention.

Compare that direct-mail piece with the shabby one I blogged about last week. The marketing piece for Wal-Mart’s grand opening, something I was on the lookout for, didn’t impress me. It was a one-page flier with little information. While I understand Wal-Mart likely doesn’t have to work as hard to attract customers as the dentist does, it was a poor effort nonetheless.

When thinking about direct-mail campaigns, there is more to consider than just the cost. You really only have a few seconds to entice these customers with your flier, coupon or postcard, so what you do in those few moments need to count.

For some tips on creating an effective direct-mail campaign, check out this article from the ISS archives. You can also get tips from fellow storage operators on the Self-Storage Talk forum. ISS columnist and Expo speaker Brad North recently posted a thread about the topic. Brad will also tackle the subject in the upcoming January issue.

If a direct-mail campaign is on your radar for 2010, take the time to do it right. You really only have seconds to grab your target customer's attention. Would you rather you marketing piece end up on the fridge—or in the trash?