We hope that these tips give you more insight on setting up a successful direct mail promotion. Keep in mind that with proper planning, you can achieve astonishing results from a well executed direct mail campaign.
Why Direct Mail? With any advertising campaign, it is always beneficial to examine the options available for your promotion and determine which options best suit your specific needs. Many business owners find that direct mail, when used properly, is an excellent method to reach the intended target audience. The bottom line is always the same, direct mail works! The following are some points to consider when determining whether or not a direct mail campaign will meet your needs.
• In today's world, when technology is continuously advancing, there are many advertising options available. An intelligent business owner may consider direct mail, magazine advertising, email blasts, as well as television or radio ads. Of all of these options, direct mail is the only one which will always wind up in the hands of the intended audience. People install spam filters on their email programs, change the station when radio or television commercials come on, and flip past magazine ads. Direct mail works because everyone checks their mail every day, and must go through it at least once before throwing anything away. With the right direct mail piece, you will make personal and lasting contact with your target audience.
• ROI (Return on investment) –Did you know that the Direct Marketing Association reports that the average direct mail campaign generates an 8 to 1 return?
• Direct mail helps existing businesses to grow and expand, and new businesses to get started. It's a $40 billion a year industry because it gets the job done very effectively.
• Direct mail makes a lasting impression – a potential customer can save a direct mail piece for future reference or money saving opportunities such as coupons or discounts available for mentioning the mail piece. This is why it is critical to design a mail piece which is attractive, contains the relevant information at a glance, and gives the customer a reason to save the postcard, brochure, or catalog.
In order to maximize the benefit of your upcoming direct mail campaign, there are several points which should be taken into consideration. Many people make the mistake of sending out an ill considered or hastily designed direct mail piece at the last minute rather than planning an effective campaign. Please consider the following important tips when planning your next direct mail campaign to insure success rather than disappointment.
TIP #1: Follow Postage Regulations - Did you know that the way that you lay out your mail piece can save you money on postage? Our design department has created templates to insure that your direct mail piece is laid out in the best way to maximize your savings. A poorly designed mail piece can end up increasing the cost of your mailing if it does not meet postal regulations.
Know Your Target Market - Do you have a working knowledge of your target market, a general idea of who you want to reach, or just know that you would like to use direct mail for your next promotion? Market knowledge is a salient point to consider when planning your campaign. Important information to research should include the spending habits of your target market, how your target makes purchasing decisions, and who will be making the purchasing decision – you wouldn't want to send a mail piece to the book keeper when the head of purchasing will be the chief decision maker. You should also consider the timing of your mailing and how it will affect the purchasing decisions of your target market.
Be Consistent - Consistency is key to a successfully direct mail campaign. Monthly mailings are a proven way of doing this. It has been said that the average consumer will see an advertisement from a company 7 times before they will actually make the decision to purchase from the company. There are many reasons why this is the case, whether because they hesitate to try someone new, or simply because they are not ready to make a purchase yet. When you consider this fact, it becomes clear that waiting until business is slow to send out a mailing will not result in any where near the long term success that a regular direct mail campaign will provide.
Consider this example. Ralph owns a clothing store. He has noticed that business has been slow and plans a late spring promotion to help business pick up. As customers start to come in and clothing starts flying off the racks, Ralph loses sight of the need to continue to promote his business in order to keep customers coming in. As the summer months approach, Ralph notices that sales are starting to fall off again, but has nothing prepared to promote his business, as he has procrastinated the need for promotion in his rush to sell. Now, Ralph loses valuable time and sales in the summer months as he struggles to come up with the right promotion, and worries over what he will do to generate sales until his next promotion kicks in. Ralph is caught up in the endless cycle of frustration that many business owners find themselves in due to lack of planning and inconsistent promotions.
Plan in advance – a spectacular direct mail campaign does not occur overnight. It is wise to look at the calendar regularly and plan your mailings around relevant holidays, seasonal promotions, and times during the year when business may be slower than usual. Combined with consistency, a well planned direct mail campaign should generate a steady flow of business rather than a short rush which dissipates quickly and results in little or no lasting customers.
Use full color on BOTH sides - The success of your direct mail campaign rides on a strong first impression. A full color mail piece is more likely to be noticed than a black and white one. Pay attention the next time you check your mail and think about which pieces grab your attention and which pieces you would normally disregard. We print your direct mail postcard in full color on both sides for free. You can take advantage of this by making the back side as striking as the front. Consider these odds – when you flip a coin, you have a 50/50 chance of the heads side facing up when the coin lands. The same is true with a postcard. If you print your mail piece 4/1 (full color on the front, black and white on the back), there is a 50/50 chance that the black and white side will be face up when the customer receives their mail, wasting the striking first impression of brilliant full color. The back side of your postcard can contain more than just the postal and address information, and displaying this information in full color is key.
Get a good mailing list - You can have a beautifully designed mail piece, the best possible timing, and the perfect promotion, but if your list does not contain the right names, all your efforts are wasted. Targeted mailing lists are available for purchase, or you can compile a list of your existing customers, depending on the type of promotion that you are doing. It is also a good idea to keep a list of other leads and interested parties who may not have made a purchase yet, but have the potential to do so in the future. Keep in mind that the average consumer will see an advertisement from a company 7 times before the will actually make the decision to purchase from the company.
Make a strong offer - Spending a lot of money on a promotion is not what convinces your consumer to buy from you. Having the right message is what will ultimately convince the customer to make the purchase. Come up with a strong offer and emphasize it. You should make the offer clear and repeat it at a minimum of 3 times. Encourage the consumer to act now by putting a time limit on the offer.
Set Goals - Goal setting is vital to judging the success of your direct mail campaign. Write down your goals, and make sure that they are clear. Specific goals may include increasing sales by 20%, receiving 100 calls, selling 200 of the product/service you are promoting. You will also want to be sure that your goals are clear, achievable and trackable.
Make it easy for your consumer to buy - Make sure that your phone number, web site, mailing address and other relevant information are easy to locate on the mail piece. It is also a good idea to include a reply card or order form. If you are having an in-store promotion, you may also want to include directions to your place of business.
Use the “Magic Words” - “Please” and “Thank You” are the most well known magic words, but there are many magic words which have been proven to help acquire and preserve the customer's attention. Using the “Magic Words” help to make a good promotion great. Consider using some of the following words in your next direct mail promotion: Free, Discount, Two for One, Reduced Price, Bonus, Save, Limited Time Offer, Order Today, New & Improved, Guarantee, Free Shipping, and Sale .
Keep track of your results - Tracking your results will help you to determine the success of your campaign when comparing them with the goals you set. Furthermore, although your direct mail campaign may generate many great new leads and first time customers, keeping track of your results will assist you in closing sales with your new leads, as well as changing first time customers to long term customers. Using a specific coupon number or promotional code on your mail piece provides an efficient method of tracking results if you are doing consistent direct mail promotions. You never know when it will be advantageous to know where you acquired a particular customer, and it is also a good idea to keep track of which of your existing customers have received which promotions.
Know your competition - Look at other companies' promotional pieces and direct mail pieces and consider what elements are the most pleasing. Research your competitors' prices, promotions, and target market. If you receive mail pieces from your competition, save them so that they will be available for review when you are planning your next promotion. When reviewing these pieces, consider them from the perspective of a consumer and use your observations to assist you in creating your direct mail campaign.
Use Proper Grammar - Pay attention to grammar and spelling. Sending out a promotional piece which looks great at first glance, but has misspelled words and poor grammar in the copy creates an unfavorable impression with the customer. Be sure to proof read your mail piece for any of these types of errors. No matter how professional the design of your piece, grammatical and spelling mistakes create an unprofessional impression which may override a great first impression.
Try a personal approach. Create copy which demonstrates the potential benefits of the product or service that you are offering in such a way that the customer can see how they personally would benefit from a purchase. You will want to include a call for action (use phrases such as “Call Now”, “Buy by June 1 st ”, “Order Today”). Finally, don't overload your customer with information, as this can reduce the success of your mail piece. State your selling points in the headline and be concise in the body of your copy.
Consider the graphic design element - If you are not a graphic designer, we strongly recommend that you consider contracting design services. Our professional design department will assist you in creating a well designed mail piece that gets your message across, meets postal regulations, and creates a lasting impression with your target audience. You are spending valuable time and money on your direct mail campaign, but a poorly designed piece may be disregarded at the first impression. Be sure to use full color on BOTH sides of your piece, and use hi-resolution graphics. Although an image may appear beautifully when viewed on the internet, images which are intended to display on the internet appear as low quality, pixilated images when printed on a professional printing press. We are able to offer our graphic design customers a full library of stock photographs at www.ablestock.com .
Keep in touch with your existing customers. Direct mail is a great method of keeping in touch with your customers. Compile a list of your existing customers and leads. Consider doing regular mailings to lists of recently acquired leads, first time clients, customers who have not ordered recently, as well as customers who order on a regular basis. Your mail piece can be tailored to fit each type of customer or lead, and regular mailings to each of these categories can assist you in cementing and retaining solid relationships with your customers.
Stand out - Create a lasting impression by sending a mail piece that your customer will want to hang on to. We offer a number of products which do double duty by outlasting the life expectancy of a typical mail piece. Get more out of your dollar by sending a postcard calendar, or a post card which contains tips, maps, or charts which can be of lasting use to the recipient. You may also want to consider sending one of our Punch Out Postcards or Magna Mailers. Either of these products is an excellent choice if you have long term goals in mind. Punch out postcards contain your choice of a punch out business card or rotary index card, and Magna Mailers contain a magnet. The business cards, rotary index cards, and magnets contained in these specialty direct mail products offer a value which can surpass the life span of a typical mail piece by years.
Knowing what to Mail - Choose the right type and size of mail piece for your campaign or promotion. Consider the amount of data or products that you want to include when making the decision as to whether to print a postcard, double postcard, brochure, catalog, Magna Mailer, Punch Out Postcard, or envelope with inserts. Our friendly sales staff will be happy to assist you in selecting the full color printed product which best suits your needs.
Use Oversized Postcards - It is a proven fact that people pay more attention to larger direct mail pieces. Larger cards can help you cut through the clutter as well as allow you more room to include additional offers, information or products. We suggest using a 5.5" x 8.5" and 6" x 11" for these reasons. These cards also provide you with more flexibility to create a more sticking design.
Selecting The Right Priority - Consider what priority your mail piece should be sent. You will want to establish whether you should send your mailing First Class or Standard (Bulk) Mail to ensure that your mailing will reach its destination in time. The length of time that your postcards will take to arrive in your customers hands varies depending on the mailing priority that you select. The US Postal Service estimates First Class priority to take 3-5 business days, and Standard/Bulk Mail priority to take 7-14 business days in transit. However, since bulk mail is considered the lowest priority mail, it is possible that it may take longer for your mail piece to reach it’s destination, especially during the holiday season. The USPS does NOT guarantee these turnaround times. Your specific needs, budget, timeline, and the type of mail piece you are sending are all factors which should be considered when determining the direct mail priority in which your mailing should be sent. You should always send your 4"x 6" postcard via First Class Priority.
Always Mail 4" x 6" Postcards via First Class priority - Did you know that it is actually cheaper to send out 4" x 6" postcards via First Class priority then it is to send via Bulk/Standard priority. Sending this size postcard via First Class will actually save you time and money.
Choosing The Right Printer And Mail house- After your mail piece is designed, it still must be printed and mailed. Choosing the right printer and mail house if essential to the success of your campaign. We are able to offer start to finish service, from the conception and design of your mail piece all the way to the printing and direct mail process, thus saving you valuable time and money by avoiding the additional costs and delays of transporting your printed piece from the printer to the mail house. If you are considering doing the direct mail yourself, consider that there is a lot more to mailing your piece than just affixing postage on the card and dropping it in the mail. You will also need to buy, print and affix mailing labels, prepare paperwork, package your mail pieces for proper postal processing, and deliver your mail pieces to the post office. You will also need to have a bulk mail permit with the USPS if you are doing the mailing yourself. Even if you are planning to send your mailing First Class mail using stamps, the total cost involved beyond the postage, which includes labels, as well as the labor that you will put into the mailing, you may still find that it is more economical and efficient to use our direct mail services.
Following Up - Your direct mail campaign does not end when your mailing is delivered to the post office. After you have reviewed the list of any leads you have received, it is always a good idea to follow up with a personal phone call, email, or letter. If you are sending a letter or email, avoid long windedness. Provoke interest within the first few sentences to retain your readers' attention. If you are making a personal phone call, be sure to consult your notes regarding the promotion that the lead was obtained from, as well as any particular interests the customer may have mentioned when they originally contacted you. Be sure to update your list of leads after following up so that you will have an accurate list for your next direct mail promotion. Finally, if you have not already begun planning your next direct mail campaign, now is the time to start. Avoid the pitfall of getting too comfortable with the business that this mailing has generated, as delaying your next promotion will cause a loss of the momentum that you have created.
We hope that you find these tips useful. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need some feedback on how to make your direct mail campaign a success.
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