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Did your direct mail reach the intended audience?

Direct mail is highly versatile and has retained much of its effectiveness as new marketing channels have emerged. In fact, when companies utilize personalized, well-designed mail campaigns, the open rate may be as high as 90 percent, according to research from PocketMedia Solutions. This is substantially more effective than email marketing.

With the high open rate, direct mail can demonstrate a significant return on investment. In addition, direct mail comes in a variety of different forms, allowing you to tailor your campaign to the preferences of your target audience.

Use address correction to improve likelihood that the mailer reached your audience.  The promised benefits of direct mail campaigns can only take place when postcards and letters reach their intended destinations. The right message, an eye-catching design and a clear call to action are all important for the effectiveness of a campaign, but you still may not see the results you wanted without address standardization.

Have process and systems in place to reduce data errors. There are a number of errors that can occur, typically related to managing customer contact information. Duplicates and incorrect information are two of the biggest problems that can derail a mail campaign, Business 2 Community stated. Due to errors, marketers may have the same client listed multiple times in their databases, which can result in several copies of the same mailer being sent to one addressee. This is an ineffective use of a marketing budget, and it can decrease customer satisfaction. Having a system like mailing software to develop data protocols to ensure address verification happens before every mailing can significantly reduce data errors.

Data collection process often involve human error. Companies can leverage technology to correct this on the backend. Inaccurate data can be the result of data entry errors or out-of-date information. For example, previous customers may have switched addresses or even passed away. This increases the chances that consumers will never receive your mail piece. Another alternative is that a mailer could reach the intended customer, but it's after the promotion has ended because the piece needed to be forwarded several times. Marketers want their campaigns to have the maximum impact, but incorrect contact data can alienate previously loyal customers. 

There is a chance many firms are facing one of these two major problems and do not even know it. Investing in address validation software can be beneficial for marketers who rely on direct mail to reach their target audience. These platforms can manage information in real time as it's entered in the database to standardize all contact data. This helps companies get the maximum ROI on their direct mail campaigns.