How to Do Direct Mail Marketing

We often advise people on how to perfect their direct mail marketing campaign, but sometimes you need a little help getting started. For anyone about to delve into the direct mail world for the first time, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to begin.

Setting the groundwork: Planning your direct mail campaign

The best direct mail marketing campaigns are strategically thought out before any design takes place. Proper planning boosts the ROI on your mail marketing cost and ensures each piece reaches and resonates with your target audience (or existing customers).

1. Define Your Objectives

Clearly define what you want to achieve with your campaign before setting out. These goals serve as a checkpoint, so you can constantly refer back and consider whether your campaign is on track.

Common objectives for direct mailers:

• Increasing sales
• Generating leads
• Raising brand awareness
• Promoting a specific event or product
  

2. Identify Your Target Audience

Determine who your ideal customers are. This step is crucial for ensuring your message reaches the right people and has the desired impact. Knowing what your audience wants also makes stakeholders more likely to support your campaign.

Audience factors to consider:

• Demographics
• Location
• Interests
• Buyer behaviour
  

3. Create a Mailing List

Based on your target audience, compile (or purchase) a mailing list. Ensure the list is up-to-date and only includes individuals likely to be interested in your product or service.

 

 

Doing direct mail: Crafting your campaign

Once you have solid foundations, you’re ready to get creative. A successful direct mail campaign design is on-brand and clearly displays the value of the offer being advertised.

1. Design Your Mailer

Create a compelling and visually appealing design for your mail piece. This could be a brochure, postcard, catalogue, or letter. Ensure that your branding is consistent and the call-to-action (CTA) is clear.

2. Craft a Persuasive Message

Your content should be engaging, relevant and valuable to the recipient. Personalise the message as much as possible to increase engagement. Appealing direct mail offers are benefits-focused and speak to the reader’s pain points. Need help getting started? Check out this article on how to write direct mail copy.

3. Choose the Right Format

Select a format that suits your campaign goals and budget. Different pieces of mail resonate with different target markets, and some may be more on-brand for you.

Examples of direct mail formats:

• Postcards
• Letters
• Self-mailers
• Dimensional mailers
• Catalogues

If all these different types of direct mail seem overwhelming, feel free to get in touch for more personalised recommendations.

 

 

Execution: Sending out your mail

A key benefit of physical mail is its ability to catch the recipient’s eye. While your customer base receives hundreds of emails a week, a direct mail campaign has novelty on its side. Now you’ve designed and written your piece, and you know who wants to see it, you can get to sending out your direct mail marketing.

1. Test and Refine

Before rolling out a large campaign, a small test run can help to smooth out any problems. Use different designs or messages to see what works best. Analyse the results and make adjustments as needed.

2. Plan Your Distribution

Decide on the timing and frequency of your mailings. Timing may be crucial depending on your industry and the nature of your offer, so consider this carefully.

3. Execute Your Campaign

Print your materials and prepare them for mailing. You can use bulk mail options through postal services to save on costs. Combine direct mail with digital marketing efforts to create a multi-channel marketing campaign that’s irresistible to your targeted audience.

4. Track and Measure Results

Use tracking methods like trackable phone numbers, QR codes and personalised landing pages to measure your campaign’s response rate and effectiveness. Analyse the data to understand your campaign’s ROI and what can be improved for future campaigns.

5. Follow-Up

Depending on your campaign’s nature, a follow-up via email, phone call, or additional mailings might be effective in converting leads into customers.

 

 

The bigger picture: direct mail campaigns that work

Adding direct mail to your marketing strategy is a unique way to make it more cost-effective. While direct mail pieces work great alone, integrate them with your digital marketing campaigns for a multi-channel brand presence and improved conversion rate.

Leading people online is a great way to integrate direct and digital marketing and can be done easily with the help of QR codes and URLs.

For help making direct mail marketing work the first time, reach out to the Active Mail team today. Our professional marketers can offer advice where needed, or support you with a fully managed direct mail campaign. We can also help mitigate your direct mail costs and help you attain a better ROI.