Planning and executing a successful direct mail campaign.

When planned and executed effectively, successful Direct mail campaigns receive the highest ROI of 112% across all mediums, followed by SMS (102%), email (93%), paid search (88%). Despite this, I’m sure we’ve all received direct mail that we take one look at and throw in the paper recycling. So how do you avoid this? In this blog we will cover the best ways to ensure your direct mail campaign delivers results.

Audience.

It all begins with relevance. As with all marketing efforts, your audience is key. Who is this campaign talking to? If your direct mail isn’t providing the right content to the right audience, it will more than likely end up in the recycling bin. Segmenting your audience into personas is one sure-fire way to ensure your efforts reach the right audience, at the right time, with the right message.

Is direct mail relevant?

Yes we know direct mail delivers results, but is it right for your campaign? It isn’t going to be the best answer every time. This will be dependent on your audience and the type of campaign.

Types of direct mail.

Direct mail can be any piece of printed material, leaflets, flyers, booklets, catalogues etc. It’s worth considering the message you’re aiming to portray when choosing printed material. For example if your messaging is all about eco-conscious choices, you wouldn’t want to send out matt-laminated flyers that cannot be recycled.

Engaging content.

Arguably more important than types of direct mail is the content - could your content be presented in a more engaging way or do you want it to look like everything else received through the letterbox? Creative solutions can be simple but effective, for example the BMW direct mailer below.

Personalisation.

Personalisation is already proving to be the buzz word of 2024. With more customers fed up with seeing the same copy and pasted approach, tailored personalised content lands better with customers. Ensure you are personalising your direct mail in the same way you would personalise an email campaign.

Timing.

In this context we’re talking about timing in two ways. Firstly, are there specific times of year your potential customer is less likely to be at home, or be busier than usual? Are there campaigns you can run at certain times of the year that are more likely to land? For example money off coupons at Christmas, or offers for seeds in spring. Secondly, planning your campaign must take into consideration the time it would take to print and be delivered. Don’t get caught out by this.

Measuring success.

Measuring success can be difficult to track when it comes to direct mail. One way to measure actions taken from your direct mail is including a QR code that is unique to that piece of direct mail, this way you can track how many scans it receives. Another way could be including a unique url to visit, but this isn’t as user-friendly. If you’re running a promotional offer, using a unique promo code allows you to track how many times it was used.

Key Takeaways:

Narrow down your audience - which persona are you speaking to with this campaign?
Is direct mail the right choice for your campaign? Does your audience engage with direct mail or are your efforts better placed elsewhere to get results?
Choose the appropriate printed material for your campaign
Personalise to the highest degree
Plan your timing - Is your campaign seasonal? Which point of your customer engagement is best to reach out?
Make sure you have a way to measure your campaign success