A direct mail campaign can be a great personalized marketing strategy. And while 51% of marketing budgets in 2018 are going to be spent on mobile ads, here’s why direct mail marketing still works and how to do it effectively.
Why Direct Mail?
On average, direct mail gets thirty-seven times the response of email marketing. Because email is inherently transient and so much easier to send than traditional mail, it doesn’t feel all that special or important. Direct mailers have the opposite feeling. When asked, 54% of customers say they prefer direct mail, and close to 80% of people say that when direct mail comes they open it right away. There’s a much greater chance that your target consumers will open and read your direct mail letter than the email that heads right to their spam box. In fact, almost 40% of buyers were motivated to buy something by a direct mail campaign in the last three months.
How to Do Direct Mail Right
Make it Personal
Your customers and potential customers are individuals, and they want to be treated as unique just like anyone else does. Of course you’re going to rely on big data to get some overall pictures of your ideal customer, but you also want to do everything you can to make it personal. If you narrow your demographics a bit and target smaller segments with personalized offers, your chances of getting a good response are much higher. It’s not necessary to completely rewrite every mailer for each person: just have a way to tweak them.
Get Your Timing Right
As you leverage the strengths of big data to bring you accurate pictures of your potential customers, use it to find out where they are in the buying process. This lets you connect with them in the right way at the right time, customizing offers for their needs and amplifying important touch points that will reach them.
Have a Way to Measure Success
Before you start your direct mail campaign, you need to have a clear picture of where you’re going. What will success look like for you? Make sure that your direct mailings are built out in a way that makes it easy to track metrics like cost per mailing, total budget, response rates, conversion rates, audience size, average revenue generated for each buyer, and total profit. This will help you tweak your campaign to make it even more successful the next time.
Integrate Your Campaigns
Don’t forget that when it comes to direct mail, it usually takes four touches to get a response, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Use the information to tweak and plan from the beginning by sending out waves of offers integrated with other channels of communication, such as media advertising, social media posts, or emails.
Direct mail marketing is an effective way to reach consumers. Make sure you’re taking advantage of the power of direct mailings, and find on-demand printing and the right help for planning your marketing needs.
