If you’re planning on sending a direct mail campaign to your customers or prospects in 2020, take a look at our direct mail marketing best practices first.
Put the following advice into practice to help you make the most of your next campaign.
Direct Mail Marketing Best Practice Tip No.1
What works on you?
If you’re looking for ways to improve your direct mail marketing, the first thing we’d recommend is to get yourself added to as many mailing lists as you can.
That’s because, one of the biggest indicators of how a campaign performs is how you, as a direct mail marketer, reacts to the post that comes through your own door.
Get into the habit of going through those items that land on your doormat and set aside anything that catches your eye. What has caught your attention?
Save these examples and create an inspiration board in the office to share with colleagues.
Direct Mail Marketing Best Practice Tip No.2
Colour, copy n’ content
The final design of your direct mail campaign is very important.
The positioning of text, the right amount of text, the colour palette used, the layout. Everything contributes to the overall effectiveness of your DM campaign.
Mail marketing allows you to share more information than most other channels. However we wouldn’t recommend including too many big blocks of text. Break it up with on brand artwork.
In addition to copy and creative, colour should never be overlooked as we explain in our direct mail top tips article.
Focus on the key selling points you want your readers to remember. You might not nail it the first time round but be sure to continually trial different things.
See if you can identify that winning combination.
Direct Mail Marketing Best Practice Tip No.3
Mix it up
Be fully aware of timings and other activity surrounding your next direct mail marketing campaign.
It’s important to follow up on a mailer soon after it’s anticipated land date. Do it while the mailer is still front of mind.
Don’t forget to embrace the full marketing mix too. Are there any other channels you could be utilising to make the most out of your direct mail campaign?
Here are just a few examples of integrated marketing activities you might want to explore.
- Use a mailer to drive traffic to a custom web page. It’s a great way to measure the impact of a mailer by adding a trackable URL.
- Use social media to ‘boost’ related content to an audience with interests matching those of your mailings audience e.g. location, interests, demographics.
- If you have marketing consent from your audience, send out an email to follow up on the piece of direct mail. It can act as a reminder to ‘get in touch’ or ‘buy now’.
Direct Mail Marketing Best Practice Tip No.4
Perfectly personal
Remember, one size doesn’t fit all.
The same rule applies to your marketing efforts. The more you can identify with your target audience, the better.
Create some customer profiles to truly understand customer wants and needs.
When you have this insight, be sure to use it. Your direct mail campaign should offer real personalisation. Start with the recipient’s name. It will instantly peek their interest and encourage an open if it’s within an envelope.
But a name is just the beginning. Here are just a few suggestions to make the most of personalisation in your next direct mail campaign.
- If you’re speaking to an existing customer and know the exact product or service they’ve previously bought from you, make suggestions that relate nicely to their known purchase history.
- If you have physical shops, tell your customer or prospect where their nearest store is and provide opening hours too. You could go one step further and give them directions.
- If your mailing is B2B, provide content specifically relating to a customer’s sector. Add value by giving industry insight or a tailored offer, exclusive to them.
Direct Mail Marketing Best Practice Tip No.5
More is more
Unlike a Tweet or Facebook post, a direct mail campaign presents a real opportunity to share a good portion of information with your customers.
Flyers, brochures, even postcards are all direct mail formats that land in the home and are kept in the home for weeks potentially.
27% of mail stays in the home for over 4 weeks!*
A customer will handle your direct mail marketing, so make sure the content is worth their time.
Include:
- Testimonials
- Exclusive offers
- Benefits your brand can provides its customers
- Quality, value, convenience etc.
*Source: JICMAIL, Kantar, TNS 2017.
Direct Mail Marketing Best Practice Tip No.6
Call…To…Action!
A strong call to action is essential in any direct mail marketing campaign.
The ultimate goal is to convince a customer or prospect that they should do business with you or continue to do business with you.
Your CTA should be the driving force behind your entire marketing message. It should be compelling enough that the reader wants to take you up on it.
Don’t be afraid to repeat your call to action throughout. It’ll make your campaign more memorable and the ‘do it now’ message stick.
Direct Mail Marketing Best Practice Tip No.7
Delight in data (or let us do it for you!)
A vital step in any direct mail campaign, is ensuring your database is fully up-to-date and accurate.
Don’t waste time and money by mailing an outdated, potentially uninterested list.
Did you know, we offer free data health checks?
Here’s what you need to know.
Direct Mail Marketing Best Practice Tip No.8
Enviable envelopes
Time and time again, we see direct mail campaign posted in plain white envelopes.
It’s not a problem but you can make your campaign a whole lot more enticing by printing a message on the envelope or simply by using a coloured envelope.
Give your recipients a reason to want to open your mail.
Talk to the experts in Direct Mail marketing.
Direct mail is our core business but we specialise in all areas of marketing fulfilment. Our approach is simple yet intelligent.
We’re a single source supplier. Why use multiple suppliers when you can use just one for your next direct mail campaign?
We’ll design it, cleanse it, print it, enclose it and post it.
Contact us today to see how we can help.
