Direct Mail: Working in the Cosmetic Industry

Direct Mail Cosmetics: The Right Approach

There are many different ways to advertise cosmetic products. Some of the most common forms of marketing are television commercials, magazine advertisements and on-site sales campaigns at shopping malls. Television is filled with commercials featuring runway models strutting around to techno beats. Female-oriented magazines are stuffed with glossy advertisements of half-nude women and scratch-and-sniff perfume samples. It is difficult to walk through a mall without being distracted by cosmetic representatives (usually wearing way too much makeup) asking you if you want to try a new brand of lipstick. This proposition is particularly bothersome if you already have lipstick on!

Direct Mail is a more neutral approach to selling cosmetic products than these other alternatives. Although delivering samples through the mail is typically thought of as an expensive approach to marketing a product, it may actually be more cost-efficient than a nationally-televised commercial with Tyra Banks or paying representatives ten dollars an hour to distribute your products.

Unlike scratch and sniff perfume samples, you can actually use Direct Mail cosmetic samples – sometimes more than once. That is why most people who receive cosmetic samples in the mail are not immediately inclined to throw them out. This is especially true of gender-neutral, utilitarian products such as toothpaste, dental floss or soap. Think about the number of times that you have tried to squeeze out the last droplet of toothpaste in the morning only to find that there is nothing there. During these types of situations, the customer actually benefits from having that free sample of your toothpaste available.

Direct Mail is also an excellent way to avoid the various ethical quandaries and subsequent backlashes that may arise from inappropriate television or magazine advertisements. Many people find free shampoo samples to be less abrasive than razor-thin models in bikinis. This is particularly true for the more conservative segments of the American population. It would be difficult to blame Direct Mail samples for promoting extreme dieting and promiscuity among teenagers.

Another appealing aspect of Direct Mail cosmetics is that the customer is free to open and examine the products on their own schedule. They will not have to postpone their holiday shopping at the mall or remove the makeup that they are already wearing in order to try your makeup out. If your product really is superior to the competition’s than the customer will inevitably make the switch.

Consider Direct Mail the next time you are trying to launch a new line of makeup or a different version of shower soap. Direct Mail samples are classy and viewpoint neutral. You will not have to worry about negative backlashes from overtly sexual advertising campaigns or annoying your consumers with unwarranted solicitations. Direct Mail samples are effective and, at the very least, they will not alienate customers from trying your products in the future. Awareness of your products will be increased within the marketplace and you will enjoy positive association with your brand name.