Even though direct mail might seem less popular than it was in the past because of marketers using electronic media instead, it is still very different from the so-called “junk mail” of years gone by. These days, because of new production, format, and personalization options, direct mail has become a lot more relevant and interesting to those receiving it.
While direct mail is still considered to be one of the most effective ways to reach millions of people, to make sure that your effort is the huge success you want it to be, use the following 4 ways to optimize your direct mail campaigns:
#1: Don’t be put off by high costs
If you, like so many others, have used email and pay-per-click for marketing purposes, then it is very likely that you will think that the printing and postage costs for direct mail are expensive, and that you won’t recoup your investment. Well, according to the experts, you will. Those “in the know” say that you should forget about raw numbers of the past, and that it’s the final cost per order or per lead that is really important.
Also, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) states that the costs for direct mail are about the same as pay-per-click and print, not much more at all than email, and way less than telemarketing.
Take the following action if you’re not familiar with direct mail:
- Include a test in your next marketing campaign
- Use a production company, consultant, or agency to help you prepare a great test campaign
- Understand that your initial outlay will be expensive for your first campaign, and judge your success from the cost of rollout quantities
#2: Use your electronic marketing to make your direct mail more successful
If you already have a landing page for pay-per-click or email campaigns, then it might be a good idea to use them for your direct mail as well.
Most people have their own preferred method of responding to marketing campaigns, such as the web, email, phone, or mail, and if the channel that they prefer using isn’t offered, then the chances are good that many of them won’t see your message, or will simply ignore it. By adding your landing page URL, especially a personalized one, like www.beasleydirect.com/john.smith for instance, to your direct mail, you increase your chances of bringing in more business, at no extra cost whatsoever to you.
When used in headlines or displayed in large type on the outside of an envelope, personalized URLs are real attention-grabbers. Also, because of their uniqueness to the recipient, they are helpful in measuring results in your campaign as well.
#3: Direct mail has a “stage management” – use it to increase your impact
When a reader lands on a web page or receives an email, he or she usually gives it a quick once-over and then moves on. Direct mail, on the other hand, grabs the reader’s attention by providing several involvement options, which include the front and back of the envelope, as well as the combination of written and visual literature inside.
When a direct mail package is well designed, the reader gets to understand the presentation at any time, even if they only read the brochure or the letter.
