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Paying attention to direct mail variables can improve campaigns
Direct mail is a complex medium, but it can serve a number of functions for organizations of all sizes. While you can use these campaigns to drive sales, it may be challenging to get direct mail right. Address validation can ensure postcards and letters reach the right people.
There is a great deal of debate on the various attributes of direct mail campaigns, such as format and length of the copy. However, the right mix may depend on your target audience. Some messaging tactics will be more effective with a particular customer segment, according to Chief Marketer magazine.
In some cases, more copy may help drive the point home. This is based on the product you're trying to promote and the special offer. It also depends on who the target of the mailer is. However, even if you utilize longer copy, don't make the message or call to action too complicated because it can be distracting for recipients.
"When you get someone captive and reading your piece and you're one on one, you have a chance to tell your story and connect with the prospect," Craig Simpson, co-author of "The Direct Mail Solution," told Chief Marketer. "It's just you and them, I've found when we increase copy length we increase response."
Segmentation can drive results
You can't send a blanket message to all your prospective customers, especially if you're in an industry with a lengthy sales cycle. Data-driven marketing is taking off in many companies. While using data to segment clients and target prospects may seem like something exclusive to Internet advertising, these same principles can be applied to direct mail. You have to assess information from previous transactions and customer interactions to get a more accurate picture of your customers, Marketing Week magazine stated.
Maintaining a single marketing database may help you work with more accurate data. Trying to form a single picture of a customer with multiple sources of data can quickly make things complicated, and you risk sending the wrong message to a customer and potentially losing the sale. Direct mail campaigns may not have the desired results if companies send postcards or letters to the incorrect segment. However, you can't create direct mail segments and expect them to remain static over time, Direct Marketing News said.
Particularly in the B2B sector, it's important to pay attention to customer behavior because it indicates that prospects are moving from one stage of the sales cycle to another. There are many variables, and monitoring them can help make your marketing more effective.
In addition to segmentation, timing of mail campaigns can make a significant impact on performance. You need to consider the action you are trying to get potential customers to take after receiving your mailer and think about your audience's needs, according to Chief Marketer. For example, CPAs probably won't want to attend an event during tax season. The more information you have about your market, the more effectively you can target this group. Address correction can also ensure customers are receiving your messages.
