Direct mail campaigns can be expensive, especially if they “fail”. So, how can you improve the pull of your direct marketing campaign?

In John M. Adams’ article “Using Direct Mail to Drive Store Traffic”, he says start with the mailing list. He makes a good point. You want to make sure to target the right potential customers, so a more specific list is better. Suppose you are a restaurant, consider mailing to a 3 mile radius around your location. You can further narrow your mailing according to Household Income and filters such as Food and Wine Enthusiasts. It’s crucial to work with a direct mail company that understands your needs and how to reach your target market. Some easy steps to follow are: know the zip codes you want to target, check the currency of your list, and seed the list to make sure your mailer is getting out.

Another part of improving the pull of your direct mail comes from the design of your piece. A potential customer has to notice your mailer among all of the others that he or she receives. Plastic card mailers are a great option for getting your piece to stand out from all of the “clutter”. Graphics look better, and because of their thickness, these mailers stand out among the rest. Using 4 color mailers is another option that when paired with a professionally designed piece, can grab the recipient’s attention.

You can use a test market for your direct mailing. It might be best to try a few markets initially if you are a national or regional company to see if your direct mail piece could work on a larger scale.

The final key to success is project management. You want to make sure you have a team or are working with a direct mail company that offers superior project management. One key factor is tracking redemption to ensure that you are getting a good return for your investment. With direct mail, a return of .5% is average, so anything 5% or higher is a great return.

Finally, use information you gather from your direct mailing campaign to influence future mailings! Create a customer list by tracking your redeemed cards. Plastic card mailers with magnetic strips make tracking direct mail even easier because, if you have a POS system, these cards can store information about the recipient.
A successful direct mail program is all in the detail, so make sure to pay attention to them or work with a company who can manage everything for you!

Printing Services and Print on Demand
Get more when you outsource for printing services
Statement Printing Blog