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Whilst the switch to digital has changed the face of marketing, it’s important not to forget that many traditional marketing methods are still very effective. In fact, you may even stand out from the crowd by embracing nostalgic direct mail marketing campaigns, provided it is done correctly. Let’s take a look at the key points to remember when planning the ultimate direct mail campaign:
As all good marketers know, there’s no point running a marketing campaign without having some very clear objectives to aim towards. Identify key objectives which are measurable and achievable – do you want to increase enquiries by X%, grow the number of visitors who will visit your store, or launch a new product by offering a discount for the first X number of customers? Keep your objectives in mind throughout the duration of the campaign.
Find out exactly who your target audience are – think about locations, age ranges, whether your product is gender specific and customer behaviour. Being aware of who your customer base is will save you from wasting time and money targeting too wide a market. Target a specific audience and you will see your ROI grow.
Whether you are starting from scratch or using an existing database, make sure the information you have stored has a) been collected legally (ie your subscribers have agreed to receive promotional material and b) it is relevant to your product or offer. Spend the time to update an existing mailing list, and remove any entries which have incomplete addresses or simply aren’t within the remit of your target audience.
When designing your promotional material remember that less is more. Keep your message simple so that it stands out to your reader, and try to use graphics which explain your objectives in order to reduce word count. Be sure only to include accurate facts; writing empty promises will only disappoint your readers and they may see through anything which looks superficial. Make your reader feel as though they are having something worthwhile, include any discount codes or give them a percentage off if they place an order by a certain date.
The objectives of your direct mail campaign can easily become lost, so be sure that you place a clear call to action on your literature in order to help you to achieve your aims. Encourage readers to visit your website or ask them to call today to receive their free gift or discount, this will help you to turn enquiries into genuine leads and sales.
Your efforts will be wasted if you don’t take the time to monitor the results of your campaign. Use the campaign as an opportunity to capture more data about your client base, use analytics software to measure the increase in traffic to your website and collate any other form of response to your campaign so that you can analyse the results and identify areas for future improvement.
