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How to Make Direct Mail More Effective

how to make direct mail more effective Direct mail is alive and well, in fact, effective direct mail stands out in a world oversaturated with digital marketing. A Facebook ad campaign, email marketing, and digital search are all still important but they are just table stakes now, real engagement is happening with direct mail.

People think direct mail is dying because it is not used very effectively. You’re used to seeing direct mail for real estate, where may make sense, but what about direct mail for restaurants, retailers, consignment shops, cafes and other small business? The secret is combining your direct mail and digital marketing. But this sounds like something only big companies can do, right? No way! We’ll show you how to use direct mail effectively.

What Makes Direct Mail Marketing Effective

Before we jump into the cool tricks and tips, let’s talk about what makes direct mail marketing effective in the first place: it’s really real.

When people touch an object, they can recall it 30% more effectively. The recall duration for direct mail triple that of any other channel. This means they will remember your direct mail marketing better, longer.

Believe it or not, direct mail is a powerful driver of digital action. It’s perfect for getting people to check out your website, order online or share something.

Now, let’s talk about what makes direct mail ineffective: it is expensive. Compared to Facebook Ads and MailChimp newsletters, direct mail is a pretty big investment for most small businesses, even if you are getting great rates from the best direct mail marketing companies.

Because of cost, direct mail is often not personalized (even though it can be, just like an email). Direct mail also requires a mailing address, which can be a challenge to get.

Let us see how to use direct mail as a surgical tool, not an out of control fire hose.

How to Combine Direct Mail and Digital Channels

Once you understand direct mistakes to avoid, you’re ready to start combining direct mail and digital marketing.

This might seem like something only a larger company with expensive marketing technology can pull off, but you can do it too. Here are some ideas.

Use Direct Mail to Drive Digital Action

Make a list of digital actions you want your customers to take. Here are some good ideas:

  • Subscribe to your email newsletter. Newsletters aren’t spam!
  • Share your site.
  • Cash in a coupon on your site.
  • Use a feature in your app.
  • Create an account on your site.

Here’s how direct mail can help.

  • Create a direct mail coupon that’s only good on your website.
  • Send a unique, creative direct mailer that advertises your newsletter.
  • Send a personalized report showing some key features of your app, or site, that your customer hasn’t been using.
  • A postcard that is a personalized, VIP invitation to make an account.

You can use variable data printing to personalize your direct mail and personalized URLs (they’re not that hard to make!) to make digital links and calls to action relevant.

Send Direct Mail Based on Digital Actions

Take the reverse tactic and only send direct mail when you need to, this frees up your pocketbook to make more effective direct mail.

  • Send a personalized birthday card when it is close to a customer’s birthday.
  • Reward loyal customers with a discount coupon – systems like Square, Shopify, and WooCommerce can help you track customer loyalty.
  • Turn in-store conversation into a chance to get both email and mailing addresses, send potential customers reminders to both their inbox and mailbox.

Creating a blended offline & online campaign is a good idea too if you have the time. Here are some simple, fun ideas we’ve seen work for our customers.

  • Use direct mail to send something fun, like a punch-out figure, a silly picture or something else and have customer share it online with hashtags or links driving traffic back to your site.
  • Create a referral program and use both direct mail and email to send requests. As customers refer new customers to you, give them both a reward. Send the reward via direct mail if you can, it will be more meaningful.
  • Send personalized thank you notes, no offer included, just a thank you. It will get you noticed.

The key to a happy marriage of direct mail and digital marketing is data. You are capturing more data than you realize. Check software like Square or your e-commerce solution – there should be some data there to mine for marketing. Here’s the most important data to building a clean, usable list:

  • Name, birthday and customer loyalty.
  • Mailing Address.
  • Email Address.
  • If possible, buying preferences.

Tips and Tricks for Effective Direct Mail

Here are some more tips and tricks for effective direct mail.

Every Door Direct Mail. Learn how to use Every Door Direct Mail to reach potential customers that aren’t on your list. EDDM will make an effective direct mail campaign that converts strangers into customers.

Small List Means Bigger Spend. The smaller your list, the most you can spend per direct mail piece. When you use a service like Every Door Direct Mail, you are reaching hundreds or even thousands of customers so the cost per piece must be as low as possible, but when you have a curated list such as ‘all customers having a birthday this month that have spent more than $1,000 with us’ you can spend more money per piece to make a bigger impact.

Measure Results. Try to create unique links, phone numbers, landing pages and personalized URLS only for direct mail to track engagement from a specific campaign. This way you know that customer that accessed your company that way only did it because they saw your direct mail (and took action). Measure these results against email and other marketing channels.

Need some inspiration? Check out these direct mail campaigns that got our attention last year.

Need help with your print? Talk to a live print expert today: 800-930-7978.

10 Direct Mail Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

10 direct mail mistakes to avoid Direct mail gets attention, but what do you with that attention? You only have about 3 seconds before your prospect, customer or lead puts the direct mail down so you better make those seconds count. Here are the top 10 mistakes we see people make with their direct mail campaigns every day.

Your Direct Mail Has No Defined Goals

Start with the basics: what will make your campaign a success? Will it be more walk-in traffic, better name recall, or a huge turnout for an event? Set your goals up first and be clear, honest and demanding with how to measure success. Once you have goals, you can measure how close you got to them.

  • Pick one goal per campaign.
  • Figure out how to track it (we are fans of using direct mail to drive digital action, like using your app or going to a website).
  • Make the goal easy to complete. Have a 35 question form? What is wrong with you. Throw that away.

You Picked the Wrong Audience for Your Direct Mail Campaign

Too many people don’t think about their audience when launching a direct mail campaign. Targeting everyone isn’t a marketing strategy, it is just plain lazy. Direct mail doesn’t work for everyone, no channel does, so use direct mail intelligently. Research your market, slice and dice the data, and build segments that join together to reveal your audience. Tailor your message correctly.

Also, the right audience becomes the wrong audience at the wrong time. Get your timing down. Know when your mailer will land and time it with other events in your area, the season or where the customer is in their buying decision.

Think about all those times you bought something on Amazon and then the ads for that item follow you around the Internet. Don’t be like that – get your timing right.

Too Much Copy in Your Direct Mail

Too much copy is boring to read.

Use white space. Use sizzling hot adjectives and verbs that fly off of the page.

Keep it short.

Your Direct Mail Has No Clear Call to Action

Our opinion is that the number reason that direct mail campaigns fail is a muddled call to action. Your direct mail piece must contain one, single call to action. It must be enormous, bold, memorable and easy enough for someone to actually complete.

Pretend your prospect will put your direct mail piece but will remember it, vaguely, days later. Because that is exactly how direct mail works. If your call to action is easy to remember you are more likely to get them to take action.

Here are some tips:

  • Seriously, just one call to action.
  • Bold, bright colors. Research shows that people remember some colors, like orange, better than others.
  • Make your call to action personalized by using  Personalized URL, a QR code or personalized copy or images on the piece.

Your Direct Mail Focuses on Features

No one cares about who you are, what you can do or how you got where you are. No one cares if you’re having a good time or if you’re going out of business. Remember: people don’t buy drills, they buy holes in things.

Your direct mail, and the rest of your marketing, can not lead with features. You must lead with value. Too many direct mail campaigns stutter and die because they don’t offer value.

Be relevant and be read.

Only Using Direct Mail as a Coupon

To be clear, sometimes a direct mail coupon is a fabulous idea but unless you already have a relationship with the recipient (they are an existing customer or partner), a direct mail coupon can spur the wrong type of action.

No one wants a customer that is just looking to save a dollar. Those people are mercenaries and they’ll drop you fast for the pennies on the dollar in savings. Here are some ideas to get that same great juice without squeezing a coupon-lemon. (Just go with us, we know that was a weak analogy).

  • Send a sample. You get their purchase at full price and a lumpy package gets opened.
  • Offer a discount if they refer a friend. Include all the info on the direct mail. This works great because direct mail is perfect for literally giving to a friend.
  • Send a catalog personalized to a customer’s taste, so they see products that are curated just for them. Sounds expensive? Impossible? Think again because Printing for Less can make personalizing your direct quick, easy and affordable.

Your Direct Mail Branding is Off

Everyone hates the brand police. But you know what they hate more? Going belly-up because you can’t be consistent with your message, your customers leave you and everyone hates what you’ve become.

Seems dramatic? Well, it is, but that could happen. Being consistent in your marketing messaging is critical. You should be able to boil your company down into one, short and memorable statement (sentences are way too long).

Keep your direct mail bound to that core idea.

  • Use the right brand colors.
  • Use approved messaging and copy.
  • Target audiences that are part of your marketing strategy.
  • Give direct mail its own special twist so it can stand alone, but keep it on brand.

Top level branding is pretty high-level, squishy academics. In the real world just remember: follow the style guide.

Your Direct Mail Ignores the Power of Tactile Sensation

Direct mail is the only marketing channel that lets you advertise to fingers. Seem silly? Did you know the human finger is one of the most sensitive fingers in the entire animal kingdom? If your finger was the size of the Earth, you could tell the difference between a house and an SUV.

Why would you pass that up! Add a tactile element to your printed direct mail. Use a textured paper, embossed design or even an element that is normally intended for visual pop like high gloss spot UV coating.

But add small designs for touch, like tiny wrinkles, bumps or ridges. Anything that the finger can process with a touch. If someone feels something startling, they will remember your message longer.

There’s a special coating called SoftTouch that feels like velvet, add it to your next piece.

You Didn’t Think You Could Make Direct Mail Personalized

People respond to their name, birthday or other personal information. Using a technology called Variable Data Printing you can print your direct mail pieces so they are hyper-personalized to your customers.

  • Include a customer’s name, birthday or anniversary.
  • Change pictures or graphics based on customer age or demographics.
  • Change copy on the direct mail piece to keep the message local by referencing their city or sports team.

If you have the data, almost anything is possible with personalized printing.

You Didn’t Follow Up Your Direct Mail

The cardinal sin of any marketing campaign is not following up. If you get responses, action or interest you have to take action. If people are walking into your store, ask them about the direct mail campaign. If they are emailing you or filling out forms on your site, thank them for opening up their mailbox to you.

Follow up with an email, phone call or replying to a social media message. These folks raised their hand, they want to talk to you, do what it takes to make these conversations happen.

The problems that stimy a direct mail campaign aren’t that different from the ones that hamstring other campaigns. Remember to use a mailing service to save time and your sanity, and look into special services like Every Door Direct Mail, which can get your direct mail circulated without needing an address list.

Need help with your print? Talk to a live print expert today: 800-930-7978.

Why You Need Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)®

EDDM, or Every Door Direct Mail, makes local marketing easy, affordable and effective. Attract customers from a specific area with this offering by the USPS. All you have to do is choose from one of four official mailing sizes, a zip code and you’re almost there. You don’t even need an address list!

Got an event, or new offering that a neighborhood should know? Watch and learn more how to make the magic of Every Door Direct Mail work for you. We’ve also included some top printing tips and tricks to make your marketing efforts go the extra mile for your business.

Need help with your print? Talk to a live print expert today: 800-930-7978.

Print-Powered Small Business: MAP Brewing

Did you look down at the bar last time you sipped on a microbrew? More love goes into those coasters and menus than you may realize. Every last detail counts big when it comes to making happy customers. Small business owners know that better than most. That’s why we took a trip to Bozeman’s beautiful MAP Brewing to hear how print can impact your business straight from its founder, Dash Rodman.

Watch and learn how high-quality, custom printing can impact your small business, from coasters and menus, to table tents, packaging, flyers and more. Cheers!

Need help with your print? Talk to a live print expert today: 800-930-7978.

First Impressions Count: Use Short-Run Packaging to Make a Splash

short run packaging labels

Packaging is a critical piece of the marketing mix. It is the first impression you make on a customer, so how it looks, feels and how well it’s made all contribute to the first impression of what’s inside. Some customers are more interested in packaging, sure, but everyone judges you by the package you choose, even if unconsciously.

For small and medium-sized businesses, finding an affordable solution for packaging your products can be a challenge. Boxes aren’t cheap! But there are some solutions for short-run packaging.

Promotional Packaging: Quick, Affordable, Personalized

At Printing for Less we’re always trying to push the envelope (pardon our pun) when it comes to innovative printing and mailing options and we’ve perfected an affordable solution for packaging: promotional packaging.

Our special packaging is built on three ideas: it should fast, affordable and easily personalized. Here’s how we do it:

  • We print your artwork (which can be personalized for each customer) on a large sheet of high-quality material (it’s called Invercote, think of it as something between cardboard and paper).
  • It is lightweight but durable, and it adheres to our stringent requirements for color and detail.
  • We perforated shapes for your box and add peel-and-stick tape at the right spots.
  • You just tear off the boxes, peel back the tape on the edges, fold it together and you’ve got a package.

This approach is designed for very short runs – it isn’t cost effective for you to assemble thousand of these on your own! So who can use Printing for Less’s promotional packaging? Well, plenty of people.

Perfect Packaging for Handcrafts

Promotional packaging is perfect for handcrafted products that are at home on Etsy and similar sites. Here are some of the ways our customers are using short-run packaging:

  • Soapmakers: The Pillow Box is perfect for cradling your creation! Add your custom branding, design and flair to your creation and have a product that pops inside and out.
  • Business card holders: Your business card is your first line of communications to your clients. Protect your investment with a custom business card holder
  • Jewelry makers: These easy-to-assemble packages are perfect for your bespoke creations! They can fit anything from necklaces to rings and earrings.

pillow box packaging

Affordable, Fast Prototype Packaging

Need a prototype packaging for a meeting? Need to do a market sample test ASAP? Promotional packaging can be a lifesaver.

  • Fast turnaround time: We can print, proof and deliver your packages in as little as three business days.
  • Test multiple versions: A/B test versions of your artwork, logos and more.
  • Personalized artwork: Change artwork, text, and designs based on customer data.
  • Affordable: Designed for short runs, you can create unique prototypes that hit budget.

Variable Data, Personalized Packages

Printing for Less’s promotional packaging takes advantage of innovative digital printing. This means you can tap into the power of variable data printing. If you have the data, Printing for Less can use it to trigger what changes in your artwork, from text to images to the entire design.

  • Change text on the packaging to reference customer names, birth dates and other details.
  • Swap out images based on customer preferences, past purchases, or, well, anything!
  • Change the entire art file for the packaging based on demographics, geography or anything else you can dream up.

variable data packaging example

If you want a simple, affordable solution for your packaging, see if our short-run options will be right for you. Check out our site here, or just give us a call. We’ll answer all your questions about cost, production time and most importantly: if this will work for you.

Need help with your print? Talk to a live print expert today: 800-930-7978.

Big Sky: Big Ideas 2017 – The Next Frontier in Customer Engagement

big sky big ideas 2017 Welcome to the Next Frontier in Customer Engagement

Montana technology company Printing for Less is proud to announce the initial speaker lineup for its second annual Big Sky: Big Ideas Customer Engagement Summit. Salesforce VP of Strategic Research Peter Coffee will keynote and spearhead the event’s discussion, alongside Printing for Less Founder and CEO Andrew Field. Additional speakers include Marketo GVP of Strategy Tawheed Kader; Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Author, The Transformational Consumer; ThriftBooks VP of Sales and Marketing Nicole Cox and Montana’s own Devin B. Holmes, Founder of Big Sky Code Academy.

To be held in Bozeman, Montana, on October 5, the event will bring local and national thought leaders together to discuss and reimagine customer engagement, the future of business and the power of technology to build a better world.

“We live in this crazy digital, mobile, social world, and have infinite channels. You can’t blast your way through it,” says Printing for Less CEO and Founder Andrew Field. “We know mass-market is dead, or dying, and as marketers we need to find innovative ways to create customer engagement. Printing for Less helps marketers deliver authentic and personalized customer experiences that drive engagement, and we look forward to connecting with other disruptors who recognize the power of this change.”

A Montana born-and-raised company, Printing for Less believes there’s no place like the Mountain West to explore new ways of thinking. Big Sky: Big Ideas invites attendees to leave the beaten path and see Yellowstone National Park as few ever will — with their own backcountry guide. The park is located less than an hour from Printing for Less’s headquarters in Livingston, Montana, and just an hour and a half from Bozeman.

“We decided the Livingston/Bozeman area was the perfect place to bring together the best minds in business and technology to create a brighter future for ourselves, our customers and our broader community,” says Printing for Less Chief Evangelist Marne Reed.

Founded in 1996, Printing for Less has been at the forefront of the booming Montana technology scene for more than two decades. The country’s first online printer, Printing for Less is today a pioneer of Tactile Marketing Automation.

A private Printing for Less Executive Forum, held in part at the Printing for Less headquarters, will begin Thursday, October 4 and run for two days throughout the Customer Engagement Summit. At this invite-only event, Printing for Less customers and prospects will collaborate to share best practices, tactics and a path towards the future of customer engagement.

October 5, 2017

Bozeman and Livingston, MT

www.bigskybigideas.com

Event Agenda: www.bigskybigideas.com/agenda

Need help with your print? Talk to a live print expert today: 800-930-7978.