THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF DIRECT MAIL MARKETING
Despite the phenomenal growth of digital media, many businesses still send out direct mail marketing on a daily basis. Direct mailing remains a powerful communication medium that can be used to reach many prospective customers. This marketing technique has a number of advantages including narrow targeting, personal appeal, flexibility, tangibility, and its cost effectiveness. Generally, direct mail marketing is a very effective tool for small- and medium-sized businesses.
Direct mail marketing may seem like it is pretty simple, but if you don’t use the right steps of action, your hard work may not give you the expected results. You want to make sure that your mail pieces are getting to the right audience and that they are actually being opened. With that being said, here are some do’s and don’ts for direct mail marketing:
THE DO’S
LEVERAGE EXISTING STUDIES
To be more effective in your marketing strategy, search the internet and other direct marketing resources for case studies that may relate to your marketing campaign. Through the studies, you can also capture the most critical insights that will help you develop your campaign and manage your expectations. However, do not forget to add your own insights into the campaign.
PROOF-READ DOCUMENTS
It may sound obvious and is something that you already do, but it is one of the most important steps in the direct mail process. If there are mistakes in your ad, it automatically makes you less credible. It is also important to make sentences that are easy to read and understand. Always have another set of eyes proof-read the document to catch possible mistakes.
PLAN AHEAD
Creating effective direct mail pieces takes time. Planning ahead is important because it will help you strategize the next course of action after implementing your first steps. It also allows you to multi-task to get more done after achieving your initial marketing goals.
TEST AND UPDATE CAMPAIGNS AS NEEDED
Routinely having an effective direct mail marketing campaign relies heavily on testing the campaign and determining the degree to which it worked. You can measure your success by conducting A/B tests between two different campaigns. If results don’t reach your goal, try writing different ad copy or changing the design layout.
THE DON’TS
UNATTRACTIVE HEADLINES
The headline title you place on your mail says everything about the campaign. It’s the first thing your customers will read and determines if they will read the rest. The headline is what captures their interest. Avoid putting up cliché or vague headlines that might be ignored by potential targeted audience.
CONFUSING CALL-TO-ACTIONS
The call to action is also an important part of the mailer because it tells the customer what to do after reading it. Make it easy for prospective individuals to figure out the intention of your campaign. Your customers should be able to easily understand the message behind the campaign and the actions you want executed.
UNRELATED MARKETING DESIGNS
One key aspect of direct mail is to have the design integrate with the rest of the campaign and the brand. Avoid using themes and designs that have no relevance at all to the product/service you are presenting. Make sure that the design, copy and graphics, all integrate to advance your campaign.
HYPED OR BLOATED CONTENT
If your direct mail campaign is extensive in scope in addition to content that is hard to believe, chances are that many prospects will quickly lose interest in your campaign. You want your customers to believe in your campaign, and they aren’t going to do that if they have to read through fluff content and exaggerations. Keep it simple and to the point.