We don’t often think of mail as a brand builder, but it is.
1. Begin at the end
First of all, let’s talk about metrics. Metrics are crucial to the success of any direct mail campaign, especially in a city like Atlanta, GA. A little forethought about the goals will ensure that your direct-mail campaign is a major success. Planning is everything. Define the criteria for measuring success by tracking cost per lead, response rate, and ROI.
2. Every single bit of the collected data is useful
Newly acquired prospects are always better. Warm leads are always preferable to cold leads. Has the prospect purchased recently? Good! Then this lead is warmer than just information seekers and cold leads. If you are buying a mailing list, always make sure that the data you pay for is recent, de-duped, cleansed, in compliance with all pertinent legislation, and flourishing with opportunity for the unique requirements of your business.
3. Be absolutely clear and honest about the benefits to your customer
The goods and services that you are offering is the next factor contributing to the success of any campaign. The hypothesis, proposal, or invitation must clearly state the features and the benefits to the customer. What is in it for them personally? This is where time-limited offers, freebies, or other benefits can tip the scales in your favor. Decide on one main benefit rather than throwing in too much information for the customer to focus on. Keep it simple. Make sure that you call them to some kind of action, i.e. buy now, call today, limited time offer, etc…
4. Make it personal
The personalization of the salutation of any direct mail letter is the best way to achieve a higher response rate. Further personalization, by integrating the customer’s name as well as other personal statistics throughout the copy, will tailor your offering to reflect the prospects current purchasing habits and patterns. One-to-one personalization translates directly into much higher response rates and ROI. Putting information personal and pertinent to them only makes your mail piece look more like correspondence, instead of looking like junk mail.
5. Design for the response you most desire
Optimize the design of your direct mail pieces for response. Offer customers a choice of response mechanisms and repeat them often. This will greatly increase the probability of rapid response, and cause it to increase exponentially. Adding extra inserts will often lift a response, and adding tangible vouchers with a clear monetary value can boost the response rate considerably, as well. Always, always, always repeat the offer and the expiration date to gently solicit action easily and irresistibly.
6. Optimize pre roll-out
Successful direct marketers test constantly. Testing pre-roll will always optimize the campaign before it even goes into production for the first run. Thus saving you time, frustration, and money. The responses from your targeted audience will help improve the mail piece and the mailing list, if they are given the opportunity to go through pre-roll testing. Allowing select customers to participate in pre-roll testing, can also greatly increase their sense of loyalty to your brand.
7. Do not overlook even the smallest detail
Careful oversight of fulfillment and mailing services is crucial. Make sure your documents are proofed and ready before sending to print. Make sure salutation fields and address fields all print properly as the document goes through the merge process. Make sure you supply all of the required data fields when you prep the data. Make sure the number of records you send over is the correct number from your master list. Verify everything. Insist on signing off on proofs, even for variable text merge documents. Demand to see samples with the variable text inserted and in its proper place. Make sure everything is producing and printing properly. Let multiple people proofread.
8. Test and then test again
The effectiveness of your direct mail campaign can always be perfected by testing and retesting. True test by making sure all elements other than the ones you are testing remain absolutely constant. Follow scientific protocols and use control groups for every test performed.
Timing, message clarity, creative effectiveness, response rate, and other criteria can easily be gauged through testing. Document every statistic and track the variables over multiple test mailings. Do not skip this step. It is imperative that you figure out what is working and what is not. Do not make assumptions. Test it.
9. Measure & evaluate
Measure results accurately and track your success factor-by-factor and campaign by campaign. This is how you will determine the cost per lead and ROI. This will help you budget accordingly for all of your marketing efforts. It pays to know the truth. And don’t ignore the truth.
10. Enjoy the fruit
Now that you have tested, evaluated, and executed your successful direct mail plan and enjoyed a very healthy ROI, you have all the tools you will need to confidently and proficiently pre-plan your next campaign. Always remember, direct mail is proactive rather than reactive.
Better Letter Mailing Services is ready to help you enjoy many direct mail successes and ultimately help you boost your bottom line. Don’t procrastinate any longer. Get started now! Call Better Letter Mailing Services at 678-565-9388.