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Direct Mail Advice

Tips For A Successful Direct Mail Campaign

It has often been said that the success of a direct mail campaign can be broken down into three primary components:

1. The mailing list or target audience.

2. The offer or incentive for the customer to buy the product.

3. The creative package or communication message conveyed in the overall package.

Experts in the field of direct mail have gone further to say that 40% of a campaign's effectiveness is driven by the mailing list, 40% by the offer, and 20% from the creative package.

While this might be true from a big picture point of view, the following is a brief overview of 9 key strategic factors to consider when initiating a direct mail campaign.

1. List. Knowing the customer or decision maker for your product/service is instrumental in developing a successful direct mail campaign. Whether your mailing list is created based on demographics such as "gender" or "zip code," or behavioral attributes such as "likes to swim," it is critical to understand your intended buyer/customer and select a mailing list within an appropriate and useful target audience.

2. Offer. Every direct communication should include an offer or incentive for the customer to buy your product/service. It might be a premium such as a camera, or a discounted price. It also could be something intangible such as saving time. Either way, the more intrinsically valuable your offer is, the more likely that your audience will respond in a positive manner.
A general rule of thumb is that money tends to produce the best results. A word of caution -- a lucrative offer such as 50% off might generate a wonderful response rate; however, it also can be an expensive proposition. So, be careful that you do not give away too much.

3. Creative Package (Message and Copy). What is your product? What are its benefits? Why does your audience need it? Where does the reader sign up, and by when? These are examples of the critical messages that need to be clear, concise, and even repeated several times in your communications. If your readers are confused, they will not buy.

4. Creative Package (Format and Graphics). Using different type styles such as bold, underline and ALL CAPITAL letters can be used to draw your reader's eye to key messages. Interesting formats, colors, and visuals will keep the reader interested. However, over-use will lessen the impact. Consider highlighting your offer, call to action, and response date, while using headlines as an opportunity to state benefit messages throughout your communication piece.

5. Call to Action. The bottom line with any direct mail piece is to get your reader to take action. Do you want your prospects to visit your website or do you want them to call for more information? Either way, it is important that you are very clear as to the action you want them to take and by when. Do not be shy about repeating it.

6. Outer Envelope. Consumers tend to be cynical with regard to direct marketing. It is often viewed as "junk mail" and something they do not need. Therefore, it is critical that the outer envelope give your reader a compelling reason to open the envelope and read the entire message.
If the outer envelope cannot convey importance, the mail will undoubtedly be thrown away unopened. Compelling reasons to get a reader "inside the envelope" can include an offer and/or benefit message. On the other hand, if you are mailing to active/current customers, your logo may be enough to get them to open the envelope.

7. Multiple Mailings. We recommend that any direct mail campaign include 3 mailings to the same person approximately 1-4 weeks apart. A general rule of advertising is that people do not really see and/or internally comprehend a marketing message the first time around. In fact it takes up to 10 repetitions. Using this rule of thumb, it might take your target market 2-3 "viewings" to open, comprehend and internalize your message enough to buy your product/service. Subscription mailings and grand opening announcements lend themselves to multiple mailings. However, a promotion for a 2-day sale probably does not warrant using this approach.

8. Creating Tracking Measures. Establishing accurate measurement tools such as promotion codes and/or coupons cannot be overlooked when designing your direct mail campaign. Without them, you cannot truly determine if, and to what extent, your efforts were successful. For example, if you are selling newsletter subscriptions, ask your customer to mention the coupon or read a promotion code when they sign up. Keep track each time a customer mentions or reads the code so that you can be sure they were responding to your letter, versus signing up on their own.

9. Setting a Budget. When setting a budget, consider the following types of expenses you will typically incur: Mailing list (this could be free if you are using your own customer file), paper, printing, postage, cost of the offer, letter shop expenses such as merge/purge and mail sort, and advertising agency fees. Also, be sure to understand the difference between your "fixed costs" (i.e. postage) and "variable costs" (i.e. printing). This will help you make better decisions about running another direct mail campaign in the future.

In conclusion, direct mail can be a very important element of your marketing mix. When used correctly it allows for high target market selectivity, personalization, testing, and most importantly, it enables you to measure results. So, take the time to consider the details of a successful campaign -- you will be glad you did.