Smart businesses today know they can’t rely on just a single marketing effort to reach their audience and generate leads.They understand the importance of leveraging current social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and others. They also know how important the content on their own websites is. But savvy marketers also know they should include direct mail as part of their marketing campaign.
However, direct mailings don’t just happen. They require careful planning and skilled execution. So how do your plan a direct mail project? Here’s a quick overview of what’s required.
Planning Your Direct Mail Project
Set Goals and Objectives: It’s critical to set expectations. What are you trying to accomplish? What are your goals? It’s not enough to say, “Increase sales.” You need specific, measurable goals. And you need to have a timeline and budget in mind before moving forward.
Define Your Prospect: Just who are you’re trying to reach? Are you hoping to talk to existing customers or new prospects? Who is your ideal client, anyway? What are their needs, wants, and likely questions. How will you address those? Here are some tips for helping to determine your ideal client’s persona.
Determine Your List: Do you have a way to reach your desired audience? Is your in-house list of clients adequate to meet your goals? Is it up to date? Are you looking for new names? How will you find the names (and addresses) of new prospects?
Create Your Campaign: What is your big message (i.e. What’s your value proposition)? What’s your offer to get people to respond? How will you describe what you have to offer and how do you want people to respond (who is going to write the copy)? How will you design your mailing piece to ensure that it gets noticed and read? Will your design ensure that you get the best possible postal rates?
Execution: How will you process the data (names and addresses) to make sure you’re meeting USPS requirements? Where will you get your pieces printed? Who is going to actually prepare the mail (make sure it’s addressed properly and prepared for the Post Office with all the required documentation)? How will you be sure you’ve got adequate postage to ensure your mail is deliverable (without over-paying)?
How To Get Started
That’s a lot of questions. But those are the essential steps you must work through if you want your direct mail campaign to be successful. TMR Direct can help with any or all of those steps—depending on what your organization needs. Click here to get started, and we’ll work with you to plan and execute a direct mailing that’s properly prepared to generate the best results.
