A generation ago direct mail was virtually the exclusive property of one company: Reader's Digest.

Today it is a global industry generating more than £7 billion a year and it is widely predicted that it will account for as much as 75% of all marketing activity by the year 2000.

Direct mail has one major advantage over traditional advertising - its high level of targeting ability.

Using this tool a firm can define the target audience from a wide range of criteria and make a personalised approach with material relevant to the target's interests and needs.

In recent years the relaxation of restrictions across many of the professions has made possible the marketing of professional services by direct mail.

Some firms, particularly those at the larger end of the scale, have mounted impressive mailshotting campaigns, but the majority of small and medium-sized firms either reject the idea as being irrelevant to their situation or, after one hesitant attempt with a poor database and the wrong material, brand it a waste of time and money.

Consequently this highly effect ive marketing tool, a proven method of attracting new clients and retaining and developing existing ones, has failed to reach its full potential in the legal sector.Direct mail should be used as part of an overall strategy rather than a one-off project if it is to be successful.

Rather than operating in isolation, direct mail should work in conjunction with other measures such as PR and advertising.

For example, the opening of a new office could be publicised by a mailshot to companies in the area and backed up by press releases to the local press, while the development of a new service for a specialist sector could be announced by advertisements in the relevant trade media, timed to coincide with a mailing to relevant individuals and organisations.The foundation-stone of any mailshot is an accurate and up-to-date database.

The most effective databases are those that are built in-house, so, if it is at all possible, try to find the time for someone within the practice to achieve this.

Assuming that you have a reasonable computer system with some spare memory, a perfectly adequate and straightforward software package can be purchased for less than £200 and the information you require is available from a wide range of directories.

However, the construction of your own database is time-consuming and needs to be properly managed if the finished product is to be accurate and workable.

You will need to appoint someone with authority to act as project manager to ensure a uniform approach to the task and to stop other members of the firm trying to help out by adding penny-packets of information in their own style and format.

The project manager's other major responsibility is to make sure that you comply fully with the Data Protection Act.For some practices, lack of time or staff resources will rule out this 'self-build' option.

If this is the case, an acceptable second choice is to acquire a list of prospects from a list broker.

Lists can either be rented for single use or purchased outright (at around £100 per thousand names as a rough guide).

If you do decide to buy a list, it is well worth investing time to 'clean' it in-house.

The quality of purchased lists is usually reasonable but even the most stringently compiled ones will start to go out of date as soon as they are finished.

Promotions, relocations, death and sloppy data inputting all take their toll on accuracy and need to be remedied before use.Remember that the personalised nature of the approach is one of the great strengths of direct mail, so addressing your mailers to 'The Company Secretary' or 'The Managing Director' is to throw away a major advantage.

Properly spelled names are absolutely essential.The quality of material that you use in a mailshot - from the colour of the envelope to the standard of the paper and the look of the typeface - establishes an immediate picture of your firm in the mind of the prospective client.

Many firms make the mistake of assuming that any direct marketing needs expensive glossy brochures and professional copy-writing.

While this might be necessary if you are after business from large companies, it can actually be counter-productive if you are mailing individuals or small organisations, who, if not actually intimidated by such an approach, will certainly start wondering about the size of your fees.Because of the sheer volume of direct mail passing across everyone's desks today, it is essential that your mail has immediate impact.

The first major test is to ensure that the envelope is opened.

The envelope should be large enou gh to hold the material comfortably without having to resort to Origami, should be of reasonable quality material and should be white.

Other colours have a novelty value but run the risk of presenting an unprofessional image.

Addresses should be laser printed and spelled correctly.Once you have crossed the hurdle of getting the envelope opened, you have no more than two or three seconds to attract the prospect's attention before your letter is consigned to the waste-paper bin.

Having gone to the trouble of targeting this individual, it is a waste not to devote time to thinking of some imaginative way of gaining and retaining his or her interest.

The classic mailshot informing the potential client that there is a firm of solicitors in the area, which provides the sorts of services that solicitors usually do, is unlikely to produce much excitement.

To be effective, direct mail must address a specific need or interest experienced by the recipient.

Has your practice gained a lot of experience in sorting out the legal problems of a particular group? If so then write to other members of that group and inform them of your specialist expertise and point out how you could be of assistance to them.

Have you developed a new product; a new service, an office to look after a previously neglected area, a seminar on changes in legislation? Any of these, if relevant to the target group, can provide the core for an effective mailshot campaign.Remember that an old sales adage recommends stressing benefits rather than features.

Benefits address the 'what's in it for me?' feeling amongst your audience, while features are there simply to boost your own ego.

The fact that your firm is opening an office is a feature that makes you feel good because you are a member of a successful practice.

However, it will have little impact on potential clients unless you point out the benefits inherent in putting a high level of expertise and service on their doorsteps.Because you have very limited time to get your message across before the waste bin beckons, it is essential to communicate speedily and succinctly.

Attention to detail and covering all the ground are not necessary here.

Write as if you were talking to the prospect face to face, using plain, simple English and avoiding technical jargon as much as possible.

Try to ensure that your letter flows so that the reader's attention is gently drawn to each succeeding paragraph.

Keep your message as short as the prospect's likely attention span.

Of late there has been a growth in popularity of the client newsletter as a subject for direct mail exercises.

These publications can provide a way of cross-selling new services to existing clients and increasing their loyalty as well as providing a medium for bringing in new business.

Some newsletters are highly commendable; topical, lively and easy to read, but all too often they are dull and irrelevant.

Newsletters should conform to the rules posited for any other type of mailshot material.

They should communicate effectively, they should be personalised and, most importantly, they should be directly relevant to their audience.

Again try to envisage yourself receiving the newsletter.

If it was not about you, would you honestly bother to read it?Getting an attractive message across to potential clients is only half the picture and is useless unless you provide an effective mechanism for allowing them to respond to you.

Make sure that it is as easy as possible to reply at the time when their interest has been stimulated.

A freepost address is cheap and almost essential when mailing individuals and small companies where interest may tail off during the hunt for a postage stamp.

With larger companies it is perhaps less important as most mail will go through the franking machine anyway.

Use a tear-off slip or detachable card, which can easily be put back in the post and do not test the recipient's staying power by insisting on too much information at this stage.

Ideally set up a direct telephone link to a designated individual at your office, who will handle any incoming calls from the mailshot.

This will preclude any hesitant respondents being frightened off by an over-protective secretary or receptionist.Once received, responses must be followed up quickly and professionally while the interest 'window' is still open.

Again, some sort of machinery should be established to monitor the follow-up to a response.

Requested information should be sent out promptly, telephone calls returned and visits arranged.

All this is best 'project-managed' by one individual to avoid mistakes and delays.Finally, as with any marketing tool, do not expect substantial results overnight.

Response rates may start off low at somewhere between 2% and 5%, even with selective targeting.

However, direct mail, particularly in the professional services sector, is noted for its cumulative effect and, given persistence, the value of direct mail campaigning will become apparent as your marketing plan unfolds.