You are currently viewing Four Essential Tips For Adding Direct Mail To Your Marketing

Four Essential Tips For Adding Direct Mail To Your Marketing

It’s no denying that the marketing world is digital-dominated. But, that’s even more reason to do direct mail. In our latest blog post, I shared 10 Reasons Why You Should Do Direct Mail Marketing in 2021. If you’re looking for a reason to do direct mail, you’ll find it there.

Of course, direct mail isn’t without its challenges. If you’re starting a direct mail campaign (great idea, by the way), it’s good to know how to side-step common obstacles. 

For one, direct mail can be expensive. Budgeting and cost-effective strategies will help ensure you’re getting the best bang for your buck.

With the help of this article – and a direct mail servicer – you can capitalize on the benefits of adding direct mail to your marketing mix!

Here are some tips to help you add direct mail to your marketing: 

Clean Up Your Mailing List

Arguably the most important part of a direct mail campaign is the list

The best list is a house list. According to a DMA Response Rate Report, house lists get an average response rate of 9%, whereas prospect lists get an average response rate of 5%.

If you’re mailing with a house list, you will want to ensure that you have the right contact information and addresses. If you’re B2B, that means having the right contact person for the company and location.

A bought list will get you new prospects, but you will need to update every so often. We recommend at least once a year.

An easy way to burn through your marketing budget is by mailing to the wrong list or an old list, so make sure you have a clean and updated mailing list.

Target the Right People

Like any campaign, you want to be strategic about your audience. With direct mail, you can get as niche as you like.

You can target your prospect list by income, marital status, age, type of residence, and even length of residence. Just keep in mind that the more specific your list, the pricier it will likely be. The pay-off, however, is more relevant leads, which can mean better ROI. 

To identify your best demographics to target, take a look at your current customers. You can work with a direct mail list provider to help you process the data to give you more accurate insights and add demographic data for each contact.

Then, you can buy a list that fits your target audience. Voila, you have a targeted mailing list to get your campaign started. 

Segmenting your lists by your chosen demographics can further allow you to really target the right prospects. 

Cater Your Message 

A great way to ensure your direct mailing is as effective as possible is by catering your message to your audience. If you choose to segment your list, you can then alter your message to each grouping so that it resonates with them.

The more catered your message, the more likely it will grab a recipient’s attention, leading them to connect with your brand and potentially take action

You can customize your message by using different headlines, copy or imagery. Personalization also makes a major difference. You can personalize your mailing by including the first name or location of your recipient. However it works best for your brand and your target audience.

Include a Clear Offer & Call To Action 

The goal of your direct mail campaign is to engage your recipients and inspire them to take action. One way to do this is with a clear and interesting offer. Odds are you already have one in mind!

Whether you want more calls, website visits, or traffic to your physical location, make it clear in your message what you want your recipients to do.

You also want to make it easy for your prospects to take action. If you want people to call, your phone number should be one of the largest items on your postcard. Want more website visits? Include a QR code that links to your landing page so that people can scan it quickly with their smartphone. 

Be Consistent & Mail Multiple Times 

It is essential in marketing to be realistic about your expectations. Mailing a postcard once and then calling it quits is not likely to make much of an impact, and is an easy way to waste your time and your budget.

At South City Print, we recommend mailing to a targeted, decently-sized list at least three times within one year. Even if you’re mailing to your customer list. Ideally you would mail a campaign to the same list 1 time per month for a few months in a row.

By being consistent with your mailings, you’re increasing brand awareness, leading to more opportunity for people to take you up on your offer.

To make the most of your campaigns, your mailings should be accompanied by digital ads across Google and social media that match the design and message of your mailers. This is a cost-effective way to further build brand awareness and create more “touches” (i.e impressions). South City Print can streamline this process for you with our solution Direct Mail MAX.

If you’re adding direct mail to your marketing mix, there are a few ways to do it “right.”  Be strategic by cleaning up your mailing list, segment when necessary, cater your design, and most importantly – be consistent. Mail a minimum of three times to the same list, and take it a step further with coordinated online ads. As long as you follow these basic tips, you’re on the right track to successfully doing direct mail marketing! 

Leave a Reply