Many businesses have abandoned direct mail in recent years in favor of digital marketing strategies like email campaigns and social media ads, but sending attractive mail pieces to qualified and interested prospects is still a highly effective way to generate inquiries and orders. Direct mail offers an excellent return on investment, and your competitors won’t be able to copy you if you find a winning strategy. Here are six tips that could take your next direct mail campaign to the next level.
Table of Contents
1. Choose the Right Materials
Your direct mail piece is far more likely to be opened and read if it is attractive and eye-catching. If your mailer is not designed by a company with extensive direct mail experience it is likely to wind up in a recycling bin. Your piece should have vibrant colors and interesting graphics, and you should avoid large blocks of text.
2. Avoid Gimmicks
Direct mail pieces that appear to be checks or credit cards are usually opened, but they don’t produce very many sales. If you rely on tricks or deception to attract the reader’s attention, your campaign probably won’t be very successful. Instead, you should craft an engaging and compelling message that addresses a problem or an area of need.
3. Get Personal
Your direct mail campaign will be a lot more successful if you identify your target audience and send each piece to a specific individual. Mailers that are addressed to “current resident” or “purchasing manager” are rarely opened. You may have to buy a mailing list to get the names you need, but it will be a worthwhile expense.
4. Solve a Problem
Personalization is the key to a successful direct mail campaign. You cannot create a unique sales message for each recipient, but you can make sure that all of your recipients are dealing with the same issues. You could also personalize your message by sending it to recipients based on their previous purchases.
5. Ask for the Order
Your direct mail piece will generate far more orders if it includes a clear call to action. Your call to action should let the recipient know exactly what you want them to do, and it should be visually distinctive. Use bold fonts and bright colors to make your call to action really stand out.
6. Track Your Results
You will find it much easier to track the success of your direct mail campaign if your mailers feature a unique phone number, discount cod, or URL. Including this information will allow you to use analytics tools to analyze response data and hone your message.
Generating Leads and Sales
Direct mail has always been a great way to generate leads and sales, and it can still be extremely effective in the information age. If you craft a message that provides a solution to a persistent problem and then send it to prospects who have that problem, your direct mail campaign could produce far better results than more generic forms of marketing. If you have a product or service with unique features or benefits, a direct mail campaign could be the perfect way to let your potential customers know about it.