Direct mail may be old school, but it definitely holds a powerful place in your marketing mix. It offers your customers something tangible, an experience that no other channel can replicate.
Approximately 95% of recipients engage with direct mail, and direct mail is kept in a recipient’s home for an average of 17 days.
With overflowing email inboxes and dozens of buzzing text messages, direct mail grabs your customers’ attention. It has a one-of-a-kind charm to it; there is just something about getting a piece of mail that feels uniquely special.
When done right, a direct mail campaign can land directly in the hands of your target audience, capturing their attention, and staying top of mind.
In this blog, we will sort out the essential direct mail marketing dos and don’ts, to ensure that your campaign is a success.
Direct Mail Dos
1. Aim for Your Target
You want your direct mail marketing campaign to be a bullseye, and that’s where precise targeting comes in.
You can pinpoint the individuals most likely to want what you have by diving into their demographics (age, location, income, education) and psychographics (interests, values, lifestyle).
Your current customer database is a goldmine, so you need to lean into your first-party data to leverage insights on purchase history, website activity, and customer feedback for targeted campaigns.
Let data guide you and consider using a targeted mailing list that is based on certain attributes or purchasing behaviors to reach your customers. You can even layer attributes to find those with the most potential. For example, a high-end car dealership might target people with higher incomes and credit scores in their area.
Try these direct mail targeting best practices:
- Don’t treat your entire mailing list the same. You can segment your audience based on shared characteristics and personalize your message accordingly.
- You need to be geo-targeting if your business has a local presence, to ensure that your direct mail reaches the right people.
- Refining your target audience is a process. Test, learn, and be willing to switch things up when necessary. You can track the results of your direct mail campaigns and analyze which segments respond best.
2. Always Personalize
Did you know that direct mail campaigns that incorporate personalization strategies can improve client engagement by up to 70%?
Through personalization, your direct mail campaign turns into a dynamic and engaging marketing tool – and you’re more likely to find success in your outreach.
Use these personalization techniques create memorable direct mail pieces:
- Understand who your customers are. It’s more than just personalizing their name! You need to create your direct mail that considers their preferences and attributes.
- Place your audience into specific segments based on their commonalities. For example, new customers versus repeat ones.
- Include QR codes and personalized URLs (PURLs) that can direct your recipient to a customized landing page or a special discount.
3. Be Timely in Your Outreach
Your artfully created mailer, with the perfect personalized message, is completely ineffective if you don’t time it right.
Consider scenarios that may affect your target audience’s receptiveness, like recent life events and seasonal shopping behaviors.
For example, if you’re targeting new movers – understanding whether they are pre-move, just moved-in, or a few weeks settled is important to the effectiveness of your direct mail strategy. In fact, did you know that 72% of new movers reported purchasing items before moving in? New movers are also 5x more likely to become long-term customers if you can reach them before the competition.
If you’re a furniture company, you may want to reach out in the pre-move stage, to ensure that your brand gets in front of new movers early on in the move journey, when they are still researching and evaluating their purchase options. You also must consider the seasonality of your offers. Give recipients time to receive your offer and act – this is even more true for event announcements or limited-time deals.
For example, if you’re a retailer, running a back to school campaign featuring new products for fall and end of summer deals, you’ll want to deploy your campaign early enough so shoppers have time to plan their spending, or a trip to your location.
Direct Mail Marketing Don’ts
1. Fail to Target
Blasting your direct mail campaign to a generic, untargeted list is a surefire way to miss the mark on your ROI and quickly end up in the kitchen trash. When you ignore data and simply hope for the best you’re wasting time, money, and resources.
Not to mention, using an outdated or inaccurate mailing list is a recipe for disaster. You need to be sure that your list is up-to-date, and free of duplicates or incorrect addresses. Dirty data is costly and has the potential to damage your brand’s reputation. Direct mail as still got it! In fact, 84% of marketers believe direct mail delivers the best ROI among all marketing channels. Don’t let a lack of targeting be the reason why your direct mail campaign is a flop.
2. Lack of Personalization
Have you ever gotten a mailer with “to recipient” or “current resident” instead of your name? Nobody wants to feel like they’re just a number in a batch, they want to feel seen and special.
When you skip out on personalization, you miss the opportunity to truly capture your target audience’s attention.
Studies show that personalized direct mail can significantly boost response rates, with some reporting increases of up to 135% compared to non-personalized mail.
Let’s compare these two:
Scenario 1: A retailer sends a piece of mail that says “to current resident” with their spring line and a 20% off coupon.
Scenario 2: A retailer sends a personalized mailer that says “Hello, Name!” They include their spring line but personalize it around the customers’ previous purchasing habits. There is a coupon for 20% off and an insert with an update on their loyalty program points.
Scenario two embraces personalization, while scenario one ignores it completely. Which one would you pay more attention to?
3. A Tardy Mail Campaign
Timing is a huge part of the direct mail strategy. Being late to the game could result in missing out on sales, wasted resources, and a negative ROI.
If your offers are seasonal, make sure to send them in advance. If you send them too late, the products and services you offer may carry little-to-no weight for your recipients.
Even worse? You don’t want to risk disappointing your customers if expired coupons reach their mailboxes.
Conclusion
Direct mail is still extremely relevant, despite its historical reputation. It offers a one-of-a-kind marketing experience for your customers, by being both tangible and memorable.
You can transform your campaigns from mere mail pieces into an impactful experience by embracing the “dos” and avoiding the “don’ts.”
Are you ready to create direct mail that delights and delivers?
For more information and ideas for your direct mail strategy, contact Welcome Wagon!
Founded in 1928 to welcome new movers to their community, Welcome Wagon is committed to connecting with new homeowners through their mailboxes and online.
