Whether we like it or not, direct mail marketing is expensive. Nonetheless, a successful campaign can easily and quickly offset these costs and make your business skyrocket. Even today, a lot of companies benefit from the power of direct mail marketing. Implemented correctly, it can actually render amazing returns. Proper planning is fundamental, and an efficient campaign can go a very long way to crafting an amazing (ROI) return on investment.
Direct mail marketing is very much alive
If you’re an experienced marketer with several years of experience in the field, then you probably know how to use direct mail. However, the key to making direct mail useful today is to treat it like a tool. It has to handle a single task, rather than run expensive, large-scale campaigns. Unless you’re a sophisticated marketer with a sizable budget, you won’t be able to be efficient. Building brand awareness these days is tough if you only want to use direct mail. The best thing that you can do is have extremely precise and accurate tracking metrics in order to quantify marketing return on investment.
Newbie marketers that are not familiar with the marketing environment should focus more on digital marketing, including search engine marketing, mobile marketing, and even email marketing. In case you’re already familiar with digital marketing and are searching for solutions to improve marketing results, it might be best to use direct mail. Believe it or not, nowadays everyone is bombarded by all kinds of digital campaigns. This means that if you pay close attention, a mail piece that’s well-crafted can stand out more than a digital campaign.
Now that you’ve decided that direct mail marketing is what your business needs, it might be best to adhere to these 5 steps before getting started.
- Clean lists are highly recommended – a list is one of the most important factors of a direct mail campaign. Old contacts and incorrect addresses may lead to investment losses. It is fundamental that your name and addresses are crystal-clear.
- Project conversion metrics – the most targeted your list is, the most cash you can spend. Another important factor is to know the cost involved per unit to make sure you have a sizable conversion rate. This will help you estimate what impact your campaign will have on your ROI (return on investment).
- Crystal-clear offer – perform a thorough review on your creative to be sure that the receiver knows exactly what you want them to do. If you perform a scan on your mail piece, and your audience doesn’t react and can’t figure out a call-to-action within 3 seconds then you are compelled to revise your creative.
- Measure results – It’s a good idea to measure results following a campaign because this will help you see how close you are to the original projections, as well as if you managed to attain a positive return on your initial investment. In time, this approach will also help you become a more efficient evaluator, and in the end, a better marketer.
Adding value
Another fundamental rule in direct marketing is to craft valuable mails. For your mail to get opened by potential customers, it has to entice. If your direct mail marketing campaign doesn’t include rebates, sales or bonuses, you don’t stand a chance to succeed. The key to success is to give your people a reason to buy. It is fundamental to make your offer seem unique; it’s equally important to ensure it’s big enough and capable of providing value without going over budget. A time-limited offer helps maximize your return on investment. This compels prospects to redeem coupons, thus helping you measure the success of your campaign.
A beautiful design that makes an impression and stands out works to strengthen your messages. This aspect is fundamental in direct mail marketing because it almost guarantees success. It is important to adhere to a basic design, however, this doesn’t mean you should pause your creativity. In the event that you don’t have the inclination of the software to craft stunning designs that look professional, the best thing that you can do is to hire a graphic designer. Nothing beats a beautiful, compelling design even in direct mail marketing.
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See also: How to Benefit from Social Media Management with Effective Email Marketing
