Direct mail is a cost-effective way to make sales and generate leads. But its also an excellent way to keep your brand name in front of customers, and to nurture leads until they become customers.

At my direct mail lead generation firm, our definition of a qualified lead is someone who meets four criteria:

Authority: They have the authority to buy
Readiness: They are ready to buy now
Budget: They have the budget to buy
Need: They need your product or service

Anyone who meets some of these criteria but not all is simply a lead that needs to be cultivated. This process is called lead development, lead nurturing and lead cultivation.

One way to discover if your prospect meets these criteria is to ask some qualifying questions on your business reply card or website landing page. That way, you know how much time, energy and money to spend on each inquiry.

But what should you mail to businesses that are not ready to buy right away, businesses that you want to cultivate? Here are some ideas for mailings that you can use throughout the year.

* White paper discussing industry trends or problems
* Technical bulletin
* Customer satisfaction survey
* Case study
* Product catalog
* Invitation to attend a trade show or customer event
* Media clipping (article written about your firm)
* Article reprint (written by your firm on a topic of interest to your customers)
* Announcement (new product or service, or change to existing)
* Newsletter (make sure it is customer-focussed)
* Annual report and quarterly reports
* Christmas card