For years now, direct mail – those flyers, letters, postcards and packages that advertisers send to prospects and customers through the mail – has taken a beating because of its intrusiveness and often irrelevant messages.

But marketers need to stop bashing direct mail and realize that it’s still a valuable tool for small businesses for two reasons, writes marketing expert and Report on Small Business columnist Ryan Caligiuri in his latest column.

For one, it allows them to very specifically target a prospect directly, and, for another, it provides a high return on investment because direct-mail campaigns are relatively inexpensive, he says.

You can read the entire column here.

Have more questions about direct mail marketing? Mr. Caligiuri was online to take your questions on this or any other marketing topics.

Mobile users can click here.