Top Tips to Improve Your Direct Mail Campaigns

Direct mail marketing can be a great way to attract new (or repeat) customers to your business.  Read on to find out how to optimize your direct mail campaigns.

1.  Build a good list

Instead of relying on a bought list with low-quality prospects, build your own list based on qualified leads.  If you don’t have a list to work from, at the very least research and filter the bought lists so you don’t waste time on people who aren’t interested in your products.

2.  Target your campaigns carefully

Send different marketing messages to existing customers and prospective customers. Target your campaigns so that each recipient has a reason to respond.

3. Personalise your marketing messages

Make people feel special when they open your mails.  Mention them by name, and if they’re existing customers, thank them for their loyalty.  Customers love to feel appreciated.

4. Include a strong offer

To persuade a prospective customer to place their trust in your business, you have to offer something worthwhile.  It’s worth offering a free $50 product with a customer’s first order if the average order price is several hundred dollars.  Over the lifetime of the customer you will recoup those expenses several times over.

5. Never forget the call to action

The call to action is the most important part of any marketing message. Without the call to action, the recipient will simply look at the message, put it to one side, and forget to respond before the offer expires.

6. Offer a no-risk guarantee

A no-risk guarantee is a powerful reassurance, and allows customers to shop with confidence.  If you’re trying to reach new customers, let them know that they have nothing to lose by giving your company a chance.

7. Hire a good designer

Your direct mail messages don’t have to be fancy or expensive looking, but they should be polished and professional.  Paying a designer will result in a much better response rate.

8. Include a free gift

In the world of direct mail marketing, message that include a free gift are called “lumpy” mails.   Lumpy mail has a much greater open rate than plain letters.  It does not cost a lot to send a small free gift, such as a pen, key-ring or notepad, with each message, and it will make your campaigns more eye-catching and memorable.

9. Follow up on your mails

If you’re promoting a high-value product, or working in the B2B niche, then you are unlikely to get a huge response rate from your first mailout.  The chances of that mailout coinciding with the recipient’s need for your product or service are slim. Send follow up messages after a month or two, so that your brand is fresh in their mind.

10.  Track your campaigns and never stop testing

Add a unique voucher code to each mail, and use that code to track the conversion rate.  Test different formats and offers periodically, and keep refining your efforts.  Never stop testing.  There are always new marketing techniques to learn and try.