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Direct Mail Marketing
- Direct Mail is tangible, is measurable and is extremely, precisely targetable. It hangs around on a desk, a counter or fridge door. Email is easy to forget and lose. Mail is still unavoidable and, for many, a refreshing break from the pressures of the digital world.
- It can reach your target audience on a personal level that digital can’t. Since there is less and less mail, every piece is more exciting.
- Highly targetable, able to impact all five senses, can be personalized, is trackable and can readily be integrated to your digital campaign via a landing page…
“What’s there not to like?”
Plays well with digital
Direct mail is effective in the digital age.
It can be a game changer for a serious marketer.
Ideal for growing companies with limited budgets.
Google and Amazon rely on it to salvage sales funnel and shopping cart abandonments.
High value products and services often need an extra “high touch” nudge… Direct mail is tangible.
Retailers and vendors use it to re-kindle relationships with longtime customers and to re-activate dormant accounts.
” Would you be surprised to find out that direct mail has a higher ROI than Paid Search and Online Display Ads? “
Find out more by giving us a call today!
Particularly effective and preferred by certain industries
Direct mail allows you to engage with customers that might not see your digital marketing. It also allows you to double down on people that see others forms of marketing.
Take a look at your email box. Is your SPAM filter working overtime? Do important emails sometimes get lost in your SPAM folder?
Need to reach a small number of high value prospects? Direct mail delivers!
How about the digital-phobic segment of our population… Yes, the older generation that is proud of the fact that their fingers have never touched a keyboard…
We could mention statistics that put direct mail in a great light but numbers are specific to individual campaigns. That’s why planning and testing are so important.
The fact is that mail volume may be down but…
MAIL CONVERSION is UP!
Direct mail has become a specialized marketing channel that performs well for many marketers.
Local professional and trade services providers are regular users of direct mail.
These community businesses include restaurants, auto service shops and general interest retail stores – and – professional service provider such as walk-in clinics, general dentists, hair stylists, carpet-cleaning services, child-care services – just to name a few.
We can help sort out fact and fiction when planning your direct mail campaign… Call us!
Direct Mail not only complements but can help cut through the clutter & spam of email
Digital media is a fast and cost-effective method for communicating simple ideas and messages to large segments of the population.
But what if you need to be highly selective and need to educate and persuade your target audience to make the right decision…
Direct mail, allows you to take more time to expand on benefits and making an emotional connection with your prospect.
Yes, long sales letters still work well especially for sizable purchases and investments.
Neuromarketing research conducted by Temple University for the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General concluded the following facts about direct mail…
It has a more pronounced emotional effect on consumers.
If you want advertising with long-lasting impact and easy recollection, advertising that has more psychological influence, then direct mail is your preferred channel.
Google uses direct mail to sway hesitant prospects to make the investment in digital advertising. They know that an integrated multi-channel marketing campaign delivers the best of both worlds…
“Ask us how you can measure response and link your direct mail campaigns to your website.”
identify your target audience
Having a clearly defined target audience makes it much easier to determine where and how to market your business.
Look at your current customer base. What common characteristics and interests stand out? Which ones bring in more business?
Know your competitors. What products and/or services do they offer? Offering the same thing is not likely to help. What are they missing? You may find a niche that they are overlooking.
Spend some time understanding how and why your product or service benefits your customer. Then let us help you identify people who have the same needs…
Figure out who it is that you want to reach. Direct mail allows you to reach various combinations of demographics (age, location, gender, income level, marital/family status, occupation, ethnic background, etc.) and psychographics (personality, attitudes, values, interests/hobbies, lifestyles, behavior, etc.) of your target audiences.
We know and speak the language of lists, know how to create a marketing campaign to effectively reach these prospects.
Direct mail is ideal for testing the waters before committing to large campaigns. Then tailor the campaign to generate the amount of business that you want.
entice them by speaking to their needs
Copywriting is not about writing grammatically correct prose (what you learned in high school). Rather, it’s all about crafting compelling, meaningful, emotional, and actionable copy that resonates with your target audience… Easy?
Well it’s not rocket science, so give it a shot…
Here are a few of the must not break rules that can help you get started:
- The ability of your product/service to fulfill your customer’s needs is most important. If a sentence or paragraph doesn’t communicate something of value to the target audience (using their preferred words), delete it. Keep it simple and clear.
- Stress the YOU over the I or WE. A good rule to follow is 80% YOU and 20% or less WE.
- KISS means Keep It Simple… , you know the rest. If your 8 year old gets it then you probably are doing well.
- Cut, cut, cut as much copy as you can. Aim for deleting 30% of your initial draft. What you want is simple and actionable copy.
- Let your copy sit for a while. When you get back to it (next day is preferable), Focus on the flow. Do the first few lines grab your attention? Does it make you want to read more to understand the benefits? Do you have some time sensitive requirement that urges the reader to act? And do you have a call to action that makes it easy for the prospective buyer to make the purchase (or take the next step)?
“Need a second option or some help polishing the results?”
We can help…
test and refine your offer
Success with direct mail is all about discovering the best lists and most compelling offers and graphics.
In order to accomplish this, you must continually test variations in list, offer and design elements. Let us help!
A process down as A/B testing has always been a tool for achieving a better response rate.
Let us help you structure it right, quantitatively evaluate the data, and incorporate what we learn into changes to your mail piece. Get this part right, or leave money on the table.
Be sure to make changes one at a time and then track the response.
Eventually, you will find the set of campaign elements that resonate with your target audience. Use actual metrics and not opinions before incorporating any changes to your campaign.
The success of direct mail campaigns mainly depends on the mailing list (40%), the offer (30%), and the creative (good design, copy, imagery, and formatting)(20%).
rev04_ does not add up to 100%
Having a tracking method is extremely important. If you can’t measure the response, you can’t improve it.
QR codes, coupon codes, landing pages, and dedicated phone numbers are a few methods for measuring your results.
track the response and calculate your ROI
Every business has its reasons for investing in a direct mail marketing campaign. These may include: increasing outreach response rates, increasing sales for a certain product, securing more meetings, or increasing pipeline revenue.
In other words, you want to improve the performance of one or more parts of your sales/marketing process.
KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) are great for setting measurable goals. Having specifics quantitative (number) goals makes it much easier for all to understand what benchmarks you have to hit to be successful.
A 25% increase in sales meetings by next quarter is an example of a measurable goal.
The same applies to direct marketing. Response rate, conversion rate, closing rate, and customer retention rate are a few of the available metrics.
The purpose and goal of your overall marketing campaign will help identify what direct mail marketing guidelines are relevant to your specific campaign.
The Secrets of Direct Mail Success...
Direct mail marketing is not rocket science.
Gutenberg, in around 1440, gave direct mail a boost with the invention of the printing press. Printed pamphlets could be ordered from William Caxton at his printing press in Westminster Abbey in 1480.
The industry took off as 18th century gardeners in the American colonies could order seeds and supplies via catalogue before the Revolutionary War.
Aaron Montgomery Ward started his mail order business in 1872 and Richard Warren Sears soon followed in the 1880’s.
So yes, people have had a long time to fine tune direct mail and direct mail marketing.
Follow a few simple rules and you can soon launch your own direct mail campaign.
People thought that digital marketing would obsolete marketing using the postal service.
Direct mail marketing did not die. Instead, it was repurposed to become another marketing channel with unique advantages:
• Able to reach many unreachable target audiences
• Bypass the growing problem of overflowing email boxes and spam filters
• Provide a physical tangible experience that the virtual world cannot
If you’re frustrated by high value prospects remaining unreachable, hot prospects dropping out of your sales funnel just before their first purchase, or being unable to present the full story about the benefits of your product or service and why they should buy…
Consider adding a direct mail marketing channel to your marketing. It is the top channel for direct response. The emotional effect is what allows direct mail to be widely effective at closing a sale. People have a deeply ingrained need to give, receive, and handle tangible objects. Research shows that this physical interaction makes a more lasting mental impression and creates a more authentic relationship. It’s simply human nature.
Interestingly enough Millenials raised with iPhones and tablets like mail. A Gallup study shows that 36% of people under the age of 30 look forward to checking their physical mailbox daily. There are many other studies and statistics that show the positive human value of direct mail.
Direct mail will continue to provide savvy marketers and business owners with many opportunities to reach and establish a relationship with their high value target audiences.
Think you might benefit from this rediscovered marketing channel? Maybe do a test mailing?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on many factors. We know the “sweet spot” for different kinds of mailings… Drop us a line about what it is you would like to do and we’ll get back to you with some suggestions…
Depending on your mailing, you may be able to use our postal permit at no charge to you. Again, more information is needed to determine what is possible.
Yes. What can be mailed depends on many USPS rules and regulations. That’s why we suggest taking care of your printing needs for the direct mail campaign project.
You bet! and after helping our customers be successful for the past 29 years, we bring a lot of expertise to the table.
Keep in mind that marketing is both science and art. Direct mail marketing is no different. As we all know, every mailing is unique so generalized rules go only so far… Great for avoiding common mistakes but not so much for guaranteeing an exceptional response.
There are a few guidelines that serve as a framework for most mailings. We’ve assembled some useful trade tips and tricks you can use to to stay on the beaten path of successful direct mail campaigns.
Mailing List Guidelines
The “right” mailing list is important! You need to be sure your messages reach individuals who would be motivated to respond to your offer and take the action outlined in your “call-to-action.” And proper list selection is often used to help qualify the prospect for ability to pay or obtain financing.
Physical Collateral Design Guidelines
Overall design of the mail piece is important for grabbing the prospect’s attention and focusing the eyes on the relevant headlines. The physical printed carries your messages and tells your story leading to decision to buy (or take the next step).
Copy & Story Telling Guidelines
Copywriting is important for generating interest, educating and leading the prospect through the decision making process. Good copywriting includes emotional and call-to-action triggers.
Printing Guidelines
Printing is important for making sure that the physical collateral leads the prospect to your irresistible offer through the steps of attraction, connection, engagement, resonance and finally conversion. Quality, visuals that naturally turn on the prospect’s attention, components that facilitate interest and learning, components that evaporate resistance and provide a path of least resistance to the desired action. Value is about achieving your marketing goals at minimum cost.
Mailing Guidelines
Mailing is important for both effectiveness and cost. How and when to mail. Physical factors that impact mailing costs.
Do include us in the planning phase of your next marketing campaign.
REV05_ talk planning
We can show you how direct mail can be used to verify critical assumptions before launching your marketing campaign.
Never considered direct mail? Let’s talk about all the benefits of cross-channel marketing and how direct mail can energize your digital marketing efforts.
Think that you’re too small to use direct mail? Start-ups are finding direct mail marketing to be a very cost-effective way to start growing their business.
We can help you calculate the ROI for your direct mail marketing campaign.
Ready for Your Next Campaign?
Direct Mail Can Handle Much of the Heavy Lifting Leading to a Positive Decision.
Most people about to make a significant commitment of their time and/or money will pause to reflect on the merits of their decision to move forward with the purchase or commitment.
Direct mail makes it much easier for prospective big ticket item buyers, prospective donors, and prospective members to reinforce their choice by reviewing available materials and information. Direct mail adds a sensory dimension to your message. Emotions drive the decision but reasoning and logic can often reverse it.
Direct Mail is Unsurpassed for Helping Move the Process Forward.
Keep in mind that making a decision can be a journey of many emotional touch points and gentle nudges… And direct mail can be an essential component of the process.
It can do everything in the solicitation process, from covering every inch of ground to educating and asking the prospect to take the next step.
The needs of individual organizations vary greatly, that’s why there is a no one-size-fits-all solution.