Every industry has a set of principles that hold true despite years of change, innovation and disruption. Direct mail marketing is no different. Although there is an expanding array of channels, when it comes to the overall marketing mix, direct mail is still fundamental to marketing. It’s the flour to bread, the grapes to wine, and the apples to pie. It is the workhorse within direct mail marketing, and it absolutely should be the cornerstone of your marketing channel strategy. These four principles of direct mail set the foundation for any successful campaign:
1. Goals: Know what you want to sell or what your specific goal is. Before you begin any campaign, it’s important to know what you’re trying to accomplish. Are you acquiring new clients through selling a new product or service and targeting existing clients for retention? Your goal will determine who you send to, how you craft your message and will set your overall creative direction.
2. Target Audience: Knowing to whom you’re selling is the most important fundamental to get right. Luckily, there are many great sources to get that valuable data today. Focus on the demographics and/or behaviors that fit the type of customers you are trying to attract.
3. Design & Call To Action: Creative design is what gets the prospect to open the piece and pay attention. Focus on how the mail piece looks and a call-to-action to creates a sense of urgency to your goals.
4. Track & Analyze: One huge benefit of direct mail is that it is quantifiable. Its performance is easily tracked. By constantly testing new variables and finding new ways to tweak and improve your data, message, creative, etc. you are also improving your ability to provide better ROMI for you and your company. After all, you are not living to mail; you’re mailing to live. Use this fundamental to improve how you use direct mail as part of your overall marketing efforts.
These principles of direct mail remain relevant and stand the test of time because they work. What will change and is already changing is how they will be used across multiple channels. Today there is growing evidence that tying pairing direct mail to other channels, such as email or social media, can dramatically impact the effectiveness of those channels! It will be exciting to see how this continues to unfold in the future.
Specialty Mailing is a full service lettershop that can take care of your organization’s mailing needs. We offer the latest technology in laser printing, inkjet addressing, folding, inserting, data management, and many other aspects of direct mail. We also provide the personal service you expect. We can process projects of any size, and focus on providing the quickest turnaround possible to help you reach your customers in a timely manner. When you call, you will speak with a live person, not a recording. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Specialty Mailing is dedicated to saving you money while providing superior service. For your next mailing, please call us.
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