The Downlow on Direct Mail: Three things you should do, and two things you should never do.

Posted by Anya Sleezer << back to blog

Last Updated on August 2, 2022

Chances are you’re reading this right now on a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Also, you probably got here by following a link on one of your social media accounts, or from our newsletter list. First, thanks for following us! Second, this proves once again we live in an online world. But “digital first” doesn’t mean “digital only.” Not when you’ve got one of the biggest arrows in your advertising quiver: Direct mail.

“Direct mail?” you may be thinking. Yep, direct mail is still the way to go.

Direct mail has been around since the dawn of modern advertising. While the world has gone online, direct mail has continued to shine, making an impact through consumer’s mailboxes. Direct mail remains effective, but there is a caveat: It has to be good. Of course, this is the same caveat that applies to all advertising. So how do you create good direct mail that gets the job done?

Here are three things you should do:

1. Strategy

It always starts with strategy. Whatever your short- and long-term goals, there are some components every direct mail strategy should incorporate: Goals, List, Segmentation, Target Audience, and a clear Call To Action. You can even dial it down further.

Hyperlocal targeting and list matching: Fancy marketing speak for “send mailers to customers you are also emailing and showing banner ads to as part of a larger campaign strategy.” For our client Fox Cleaners, we “warmed the mailbox” by running banner ads matching the mailer offer using a segmented customer list. Hitting customers at multiple touchpoints with the same message/offer generates a stronger response than just on just one medium.
Define success and set a budget: Producing a direct mail campaign is like building a deck — you have to know how much you want (or have) to spend. Here’s an even better way to think about it: How much is a customer worth to you? If you spend $5 per mailer, and only 1 out of 100 mailers is redeemed, you’ve spent $500 for one customer. Sound like a waste? Not if that customer spends $5,000 over the lifetime of their relationship with you.

2. Design

Think of all the direct mail pieces you throw away every single day; don’t design your mailer like that. Apple said it best: “Think Different.” Design your mailer to stand out, like a package, box, tube, gift, sample, or even a 3D or interactive piece. Pro Tip: Handwritten notes often get noticed. But different should be purposeful. Here’s some inspiration to get your brain storming.

Source

3. Send & Monitor

Dialing in a good direct mail campaign doesn’t happen overnight. We’re good at it because we’ve been doing it for years, and we still review results and tweak campaigns as we go. What’s working? What’s not? Is it a major shift? Or do you just need to update the call to action? We’re big fans of A/B split testing, only making small shifts during the campaign, and seeing what performs best.

Okay now that you know what to do, here are two things you should never do:

Quit too quickly: You don’t stop running a marathon when the finish line is in sight. Of course, producing direct mail has no finish line, it’s constantly changing, so giving up too early makes even less sense. If you don’t see huge, immediate returns after one or two postcards, trust me: you still moved the needle. More people know about your brand than they did before. That’s a win. When your prospects are ready to make a purchase, you’ll be on their mind. We personally recommend a minimum of three to six mailers (that you tweak along the way) to gauge whether direct mail is right for you.
Contact too infrequently: Marketing isn’t like dating; you can’t over communicate (as long as your budget allows or your customer hasn’t unsubscribed). Maybe somebody isn’t in the market for your product or service, but they are in six months, six weeks or even six days. Or maybe they’re researching options, but aren’t ready to pull the trigger. This is especially true with pricier purchases. Wouldn’t you hate it if your competitor chose your customer (when you know you would’ve done a better job) just because they stayed top of mind? Stinks, right?

Direct mail continues to stand the test of time, and when you put these methods into practice, your brand will too.

Want to release a dynamite direct mail campaign? Or incorporate direct mail into your overall campaign? Level up with Levo!

Anya Sleezer

Anya Sleezer is the owner of Levo, a full–service marketing agency, focused on helping companies from all industries who are concerned with their marketing results, traffic, branding, advertising, or websites.

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