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5 Ways to Improve Your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign

Marketing

Is your direct mail marketing campaign not as strong as you hoped? Failing to proofread and follow up are two ways you could be killing your business. Did you know that the median household return on investment for direct mail marketing is 29%? Or that for every $167 direct mail marketers spend in the U.S., they sell $2095 in goods and service? If you’re not reaching those numbers, you’ll want to keep reading. Here’s a compiled list of methods to improve your campaign and boost traffic.

 

  1. Pre-Plan

Deciding what your goals are and how you’re going to achieve them are the essential first step. Your first goal is simple: determine a format. Here are a few examples:

  • Postcards – If you’re working with a lower budget, postcards are an affordable option and tend to be effective. This is a great tool to use, as an immediate call-to-action, to get prospects onto your website.
  • Letters – The industry standard letters are known to have the highest response rate. They include sales letters that are directly addressed to the individual prospect. Personalization is key.
  • Self-mailers – This method is similar to postcards in its affordability. Self-mailers can be sent without wrapping or any other protection.
  • Catalogs – Coming from a long history in the direct mail world, catalogs are the strongest (albeit, least affordable) option. They compile large quantities of products and offers for single customer browsing. There’s enough space to provide all buying information at their fingertips.

 

  1. Target the Ideal Customer

Your best results will come from sending your offers to a specific, niche audience. Here’s how.

Analyze Market Research

Review your initial goal and remind yourself what kind of customer you’re looking for. Then, dive into market research. Quantitative data consists of ratings and rankings. You’ll want to organize your findings for later reference. Alternatively, you’ll want to search for patterns and themes in qualitative data. Once you’re finished, compare your findings to the goals you wanted or expected. You’ll learn methodologies that work best for your particular industry and implement them into your direct mail marketing campaign.

 

  1. Pick a Better Mailing List Type

The mailing list type you choose is vital to the success of your campaign. Using your market research findings, you can find your most valuable prospects and pinpoint the best mailing type for them. There are three specific types you should consider:

  • Specialty List: identifies the target audience
  • Custom Mailing List: allows selection of customer criteria
  • Cloned List: allows you to find new customers similar to your best customers

 

  1. Be Different

Use your direct mail opportunity to show how you and your products are different (and better) from the competition. Be creative. Consider the color and design of your envelopes and match them with the offering. Understanding the psychology of color will help you better understand your creative potential in marketing. For example, black represents sophistication and is seen in almost all high-end campaigns.

 

  1. AIDA

Being one of the best-known marketing models, AIDA will ensure you make a profit. It stands for attention, interest, desire, and action. For direct mail marketing, you’ll need a quick message that grabs the prospect’s attention, tells them why they need it and provides a call-to-action for them to proceed.

 

Are You Ready For Your Next Big Direct Mail Marketing Campaign?

Study this list and be sure to implement it in your next campaign. Contact us if you have any further questions or concerns about our ideas. If you own a small business, we have a specific guide just for you.

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