In today’s society, marketing is imperative to any successful company. A prospective business is always trying to find innovative ways to get the word out on their services. While it might seem like digital methods of advertising may be ideal, don’t discount other methods yet.
That is because direct mail can still be a viable way of reaching potential customers in rapid time. Not only will you be able to save on some hefty costs, but you could have a successful campaign overall. Plus, the quicker you roll out your campaign, the better your chances of getting more consumers will be.
Here’s how to conduct the campaign in seven key steps:
1. Direct Mail Uses
First and foremost, it is important to recognize the advantages of using a direct mail marketing campaign, as opposed to other advertisements. With this sort of advertising, you are able to test an applicable market in rapid time under a reasonable cost. This is incredibly useful since you do not want to overspend in a short time frame.
Moreover, a direct mail campaign allows you to directly target who you want to reach out to specifically. Nowadays, reaching a large number of individuals may prove to be counterintuitive in the short term. Figuring out who you need to reach out to is much more productive, and direct mail allows your company to do that.
2. Mailing List
In order to reach specific individuals, you’ll first have to determine who needs targeting. As a result, a direct mail campaign often hinges on the effectiveness of a mailing list. When going about this initial step, ensure that you outline who exactly you will be mailing. For example, it might be a specific demographic of younger individuals.
Labels will also be required once your list is ready to go. So, acquire the labels you need and put them on the mail that has to go out. You don’t want to purchase more than you need, but ensure you get enough just in case. A good listing supplier should be able to provide you with a variety of labelling formats as well.
3. The Mailing Piece
As for the mailing piece itself, you generally have some legroom here to invest your creativity into. You don’t just want to mail out an arbitrary brochure, as this can be far too wide in reaching an applicable audience. The goal here, as it pertains to the actual mailing piece, is to spur engagement.
Graphics are a huge asset to any sort of mailing piece. When it comes to messaging, be sure to get creative, and don’t be afraid to have some fun while you are at it! Witty and clever phrases go a long way, much more than robotic tones do in phrasing. With the right balance, your piece will be as cohesive as possible.
4. Batch Numbers
One of the most important parts of keeping track of your campaign’s efficacy is the batch number. Since you will be using direct pieces of mail, you need to ensure you have some sort of tracking system. As a result, coding your response vehicle will be incredibly important once analysis begins.
Individual responses from consumers are valuable, and they could potentially come in the hundreds or thousands. For simplicity’s sake, use a month and year numeric figure, which can easily identify when the mail was sent out. Keep things easy to read, so that you can investigate your responses easier.
5. Testing the Campaign
Now that you are ready to start the campaign, you’ll want to conduct a mini direct campaign first. Instead of launching your campaign fully, a smaller sample size can help inform future decisions. Use about ten percent of your mail here when you are ready to go.
A huge benefit of conducting a test campaign is to give you some insight into your response rate. Should this not work out the way you intended, review the results. That way, your actual campaign can be much more efficient.
6. Running The Campaign
Now for the big event: you will have to conduct your actual direct mail campaign! Before you do so, however, make sure your mailing list is accurate. By doing this, you won’t lose out on any potential consumers!
7. Final Review
Direct mail campaigns should always be reviewed and analyzed once they have finished. Take a look at what worked, and what can be improved upon. Your next campaign should minimize these errors, so you can move on with the successful aspects instead.
Marketing can be so multifaceted, to the point of being overbearing on a company. With direct mail, you gain an inside look into how your marketing will work for the long term. The rapport you develop with consumers will also be strengthened too!
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