The exponential growth of the digital sector has led many businesses to abandon what some have deemed to be outdated marketing tactics such as direct mail. But even though digital marketing efforts like social media marketing and email marketing can be extremely effective, direct mail can be equally if not more beneficial to your business when properly executed.
Direct Mail Statistics in the US
According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), direct mail recipients buy nearly 30% more than consumers who did not receive those marketing materials. The return on investment (ROI) of direct mail remains within one percentage point of the average social media marketing ROI. And while over 85% of direct mail actually gets opened and read, this is true for only around 25% of email blasts. This is not to say that social media and email marketing should be tossed to the wayside; however, depending on your industry and target market, direct mail may be able to play a significant role within your overall marketing strategy.
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Tips for a Successful Direct Mail Marketing Campaign
Ensuring your direct mail marketing campaign is a success is not always an easy task. Here are several steps you can take to help maximize your ROI.
Building a Targeted Mailing List
Start by compiling a list of your current and past customers. You may not want to include customers who have not purchased from you over an extended time period as their addresses could have changed. Be sure to include the names and not just the addresses, as personalized direct mail can increase response rates by over 100%. If you run a brick-and-mortar storefront, consider asking customers for their addresses upon checkout in exchange for a discount on their next purchase or another type of incentive. If your in-house list is not as large as you’d like it to be, you may want to purchase a targeted mailing list; but you should only do this after conducting comprehensive research to ensure you are not wasting your money, spamming people outside of your target market.
Creating the Campaign
Your direct mailing medium should correlate with your marketing objective. When promoting a specific product, service, or sale, a well-written and designed postcard may be enough to boost sales. But if you are trying to raise awareness about a product line or your brand as a whole, you might want to create a brochure or some other form of longform marketing material. Just be sure to include a clear call to action, enticing recipients to contact you or visit your storefront depending on your desired result.
Evaluation
After sending out your direct mail marketing campaign, track and analyze the results. This will enable you to learn from your successes and failures in order to make your next campaign even more effective.
