5 Winning Strategies to Adopt for Direct Mail Campaigns
Direct mail marketing has emerged as one of the most effective strategies for raising awareness and generating new sales — even in the digital age.
However, not all direct mail campaigns are created equal, so it is imperative that you take a strategic approach to your mailings. Many strategies have been proven to work over the years, and you can use these tried-and-true approaches — then eventually shift your strategies as you learn more about your specific audiences.
Some of the key strategies that have proven effective in direct mail marketing over the years include the following:
1. The 40/40/20 Rule
One of the strategies that comes up often in the direct mail marketing world is known as the 40/40/20 rule. This rule provides a framework for how to approach a direct mail strategy.
According to the rule, each successful campaign consists of three different elements. The first is audience, which accounts for 40 percent of success; the second is the offer, another 40 percent of success; and the last 20 percent of success depends on creativity.
In other words, as creative as a campaign is, it will fall flat if it is sent to the wrong people or does not include a good offer. Moreover, sending the piece to the appropriate audience is just as important as making a good offer. At the same time, marketers cannot discount creativity, which often seals the deal.
The 40/40/20 rule is a great way for companies to judge whether they have spent enough time thinking critically about specific parts of their campaigns.
2. Personalization
Do not discount the value of personalized content in a direct mail campaign. Everyone wants to feel special, and personalization is the best way to build a direct connection with existing and potential customers.
People sometimes view direct mailings as junk mail, but that feeling often dissipates when they see that the piece has been personalized. In general, individuals enjoy seeing their name, so including it several times throughout the copy is a great way to keep them hooked until the end of the piece.
You can earn bonus points by personalizing beyond names. You can personalize according to geography, demographics, and more. You can also use demographic and psychographic data to personalize offers and deals. As mailings become more personalized, they generally become more successful.
3. Freebies
While including freebies in a direct mail marketing campaign often drives costs, it also increases potential response rates. Everyone loves getting something for free. Even customers who do not end up buying the product will be left with a favorable impression of the company and may end up making a purchase in the future.
Importantly, freebies do not always need to cost a lot of money. You can have success with creating free online content accessible by an enclosed QR code or password. This strategy generates a sense of exclusivity that can excite customers. Of course, including samples of the product or something useful is also a smart route for companies with larger budgets. Customers may get sold on the product through the sample or get a constant reminder of the brand as they use the freebie.
4. Precision timing
Marketers should generally avoid sending out pieces of direct mail without thinking critically about timing. In an ideal world, potential customers receive the mailing right when they are thinking about making a purchasing decision. Sometimes, this means sending out mailings in advance of a major holiday to encourage purchases or targeting customers close to their birthday.
It’s important to think critically about the best timing for your products. For example, a candy company would be smart to send out mailings in advance of Valentine’s Day. You should also think about the decision journey timeline involved with your products. People often need more time to decide about larger purchases. Knowing the timeline involved with specific products can help you time follow-up mailings.
5. Data analysis
An incredibly important strategy for direct mail marketers to embrace is analytics. Understanding the performance of different campaigns in relation to each other is necessary for creating more targeted campaigns in the future.
At the very least, you should keep close track of the response generated with different campaigns, including the number of people who seek out information and the number who eventually make a purchase. You can even test mailers against each other to figure out what really works the best.
While the analytical process can be slow, having objective data about the success of different mailers is the only way to make informed decisions moving forward. Collecting analytics can also help you make decisions on the fly. For example, if a particular campaign is blatantly failing compared to others, it can be abandoned early to save money.
