Recently, we provided you with tips to improve your direct mail marketing campaign for the holidays. Now that the holiday season is coming to a close, it is time to start thinking about what direct mail marketing strategies your business can use in 2014 and beyond. There are many tried and true ways to use direct mail in your marketing strategy, from the 40/40/20 rules to the high performance of postcards. With these six direct mail marketing strategies, you can develop a direct mail marketing campaign that works.
1. Use the 40/40/20 Rule
The key to a successful direct mail marketing campaign is following the 40/40/20 rule. This rule defines the three elements of your campaign, which are 40% audience, 40% offer, and 20% creative. This means that 40% of the success of your campaign depends on finding the right audience, 40% depends on providing a great offer, and 20% depends on the creativity and quality of your mailers in terms of graphics, copy, format, etc.
2. Try 3D Direct Mailers
One way to spruce up your direct mail marketing campaign is to utilize 3-dimensional mailers rather than more traditional mediums. Research shows that 3D mailers are only 50% more expensive per lead than standard mailers, but they perform 250% better. This means that using 3D mailers is an excellent, cost-effective way to increase the ROI of your direct mail marketing campaign. Common 3D formats include boxes or tubes that have teasers on the outside.
3. Take Advantage of Postcards
Another mailing format that outperforms other mediums is postcards. According to the DMA, postcards lead to a response rate of 42%, followed by catalogs at 36%, flyers at 35.5%, large letter envelopes at 35.2%, and letter envelopes by 34%. These statistics show that postcards have a significantly greater impact than other mediums on your audience. Invest in postcards to further increase the ROI of your direct mail marketing campaign.
4. Invest in Better Envelopes
In addition to postcards and 3D mailers, another investment that you should make in your direct mail marketing campaign is better envelopes. While envelopes are largely functional, holding content inside of them, they do not do anything to increase the likelihood that your mailers will be read. Consider creating envelopes that contain a marketing message themselves that encourages customers to open them.
5. Provide Freebies & Discounts
Another important component to increasing conversion rates with your direct mail marketing campaign is providing incentives. Incentives encourage customers to not only read your direct mailers, but to follow through with the CTA by calling your business, visiting your physical location, etc. Your direct mailers should always include an incentive such as a discount on products or services, promotional items, freebies, samples, first-time customer deals, or loyalty cards. By adding an incentive, you are sure to see an increase in ROI.
6. Create Personalized Materials
Finally, another great strategy for improving your direct mail marketing campaign is to create personalized materials. While an impersonal direct mailer is more likely to be thrown away, adding a personal touch will increase the performance of your direct mail marketing campaign and make customers more likely to respond.
