What’s the secret to a successful direct mail marketing campaign?

I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase before: “Direct mail marketing is a numbers game.” Heck, some people would have you to believe that every form of marketing is simply a numbers game.

The fact is…

Numbers play an important role in every type of marketing, but they are only part of the puzzle.

Let’s say you have a $10,000 marketing budget, and you want to spend it all on a direct mail campaign. Which is the correct course of action?

A) Spend $50 on graphic design, and divide the remainder between the most inexpensive postcards available and the lowest cost postage, in order to send the maximum number of postcards.

B) Spend $5,000 creating the most gorgeous graphic design the world has ever seen, and divide the remainder between the largest, most deluxe postcards you can find, and top end postage.

C) Spend $2,500 on graphic design, and divide the rest between a medium sized postcard and postage.

The answer is D) None of the above. No two direct mail campaigns are exactly alike. Every business has unique needs. We would never recommend skimping on the graphic design or up front planning. What’s the point of sending a million postcards with a 0% conversion rate?

Here’s a quick anatomy lesson of a direct mail campaign…

1. Who? – Spend time asking yourself who you’re trying to reach. What characterizes this person? Is it where they live? How much money they make? Is it a company or a residence?

2. Why? – Why are they the ideal people for you to reach? Why would they choose your company over the other guys?

3. What? – What is the message you wish to send? What is your call to action? What product or service do you think they will best respond to?

4. When? – When will you make that initial contact? When is your second wave? Will you send a third? Multiple points of contact will increase the effectiveness of your campaign. A “once and done” approach is not likely to yield good results. Even if you send the same postcard twice, it will help drive the message home. However, we always recommend a staged approach where each mail piece is part of a larger, well thought out campaign or series of mail pieces.

5. How? – How does the recipient respond to your mail piece? You should make it very easy for them! A clear call to action will make it easy for them to comply, whether you want them to pick up the phone, log on to a website, visit your store, or scan a QR code. How can you track the return on your investment? How do you know which call to action is working best for you?

6. Where? – As you can see, there’s more to a successful direct mail marketing campaign than just printing and stamps. Where can you find professionals to help you with this complicated process and help protect your ROI?

Why, First in Print of course!

We will take the time to listen to your unique direct mail needs. We will make recommendations to suit your taste and budget. We’ll help you choose between traditional direct mail and EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail). We will create a design that informs and captivates your target audience. We will advise you on utilizing A/B comparisons, promotional codes, and other metric tracking systems in your direct mail campaign. We will help you pick the perfect size and finish to help tell your company’s story.

The secret is out! Numbers aren’t everything. Strategy is.

Give us a call at (904) 387-2237, or send us a note. Let’s get the word out about your fantastic new offering!