Increase Direct Mail ROI in 8 Simple Steps

 

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Simple Steps to follow to help increase direct mail ROI

Year in and year out direct mail marketing continues to just work for marketers everywhere and in all industries. To ensure that you are getting the most out of your direct mail marketing campaign and budget, we have How to Increase Direct Mail ROI in 8 Simple Steps.


1. Choosing the right direct mail format.

When you start your direct mail campaign, a crucial step is deciding what format you will use. If you want to give an offer or a coupon, then mailing a full color postcard will be your best route. If your marketing message will have more content, then you will want to think about mailing a letter or self-mailer.

2. Clear call to action.

This may seem obvious but every piece of direct mail you send out needs to have a clear and obvious call to action. Tell your recipients what you would like them to do. Call this number, go to this website, bring this coupon in, or follow us on this social media site. Repeat your call to action on each side of a postcard, or mention once or twice in a letter – but don’t over do it.

3. Dial in your targeting.

Direct mail used to go with the spray and pray, or shotgun approach – mail as much as you can for as cheap as you can. In today’s direct mail, targeting is key. It’s not worth it to send your message to people who don’t care about what you or offering. In order to maximize your ROI, you have to deliver to mailboxes of people that match demographics of your current customer base.

If you are using an internal list, you have a good idea that these people will respond due to previous interactions with your business. With that being said, it is still a good practice to periodically clean your list with updated addresses. Seattle Mailing can help with this, along with plenty of other data processing services.

If you are prospecting, make sure select the areas and demographics that match up with your current customer base. Prospecting direct mail lists have a direct correlation with the success of your campaign, and is a decision that needs to be well thought out

4. Mail more than once.

How often do you see a television ad aired just once? Chances are you see the same ad multiple times a night. The same should be true with your direct mail campaign. Not everyone will respond the first time they receive something from your organization. Plan on mailing a minimum of three times to the same list in order to maximize your ROI. If this sounds like it will cost you an arm and a leg, it won’t – just work to find a budget that you are comfortable with and then build your campaign around that.

5. The almighty offer.

A rule of thumb in the direct mail industry is the “40-40-20 rule” which says 40% of your success comes from the quality of your list (which we covered), 40% comes from your offer, and the last 20% comes from the design. Just like your mailing list, your offer needs to be relevant and meaningful. You can use buy-one-get-one, coupons, discount, free trial, an upgrade, or anything else you feel your prospects and customers would enjoy.

6. Simple, clean design.

As mentioned above, the last 20% of success is tied to your design. You want your prospects and customers to clearly and quickly see that you have something they want or need. How will your products of services solve a problem or fix a pain. Don’t overload with content and information. Once you pique interest with your offer, the recipient will follow your call to action, and find more information on their own.

7. Put a deadline on your offer.

It never hurts to add a touch of urgency to your offer. Give your recipients a sense that if they wait, they will miss out on what you are offering. Different examples of a deadlines can be time specific, or limiting quantity.

8. Make your piece personal.

Adding a level of personalization to your direct mail will give the recipients a sense that you care more than just the generic piece. The easiest personal data you can add is the name to the address block. If you have the data available you can tailor your offer based on previous purchasing history, if they are male or female, or any other data you may have.


Each one of these steps is important and should be thought through with any campaign. At the end of the day though, if you would like to increase your direct mail ROI, combining all of these steps to drive in the same direction will produce your greatest results.

Contact us today to plan your campaign!

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