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Direct Mail

Direct Mail Advertising: 4 Ideas to Make Mail Worth Reading

Direct Mail Marketing

In today’s digital world, your customers are inundated with online ads and email marketing campaigns. Almost 75% of consumers report feeling overwhelmed by email overload, and nearly 40% use an ad-blocking tool.

Digital marketing has its place. However, online ad fatigue makes it easy for it to get lost in the chaos. If you’re a brand interested in standing out, it’s time to get retro and reimagine an old-school marketing approach, direct mail advertising.

What is Direct Mail Advertising?

Direct mail advertising is a marketing strategy used to engage with your target audience offline. This form of advertising is physically delivered straight to your prospect’s mailbox, cutting out the clutter we see in the digital space. Direct mail advertising includes postcards, corporate swag, catalogs, or any other physical item a company wants to send prospects.

Why Direct Mail Advertising is an Effective Strategy

People Love Receiving Mail

Checking emails fills most folks with anxiety. However, visiting their mailbox has the opposite effect. In a 2020 study conducted by the United States Postal service, 65 percent of people said receiving mail lifted their spirits. Furthermore, your prospects actually want to hear from you via snail mail, with 59 percent saying they enjoy receiving mail from brands about new products.

Direct Mail Has a High Response Rate

Because you’re interacting with consumers in a memorable way, you’ll likely have a higher response rate than other digital channels. Ambre Zachmann an eCommerce Marketing Specialist at Printing For Less, says this is because of direct mail’s tangibility. “Your mail will nearly always be seen, but that’s not the case with your digital efforts. The nice thing about a mailer is that people tend to hold onto them and can easily refer back to them. We have had a number of customers who held onto one of our mailers and reached out months later. That is harder to do with digital.”

Direct Mail Has a High ROI

You may be surprised to learn that direct mail has a more reliable return on investment than other online mediums. The average ROI for a direct mail campaign is 29 percent, while the average ROI for display ads is only 16 percent. Melanie Handl, Printing For Less’s Custom Solutions Team Lead, notes that companies can expect their direct mail ROI to increase as they send more mailings to the same group of people. The more prospects interact with your brand, the more recognizable you’ll become.

Strategies to Make Your Direct Mail Advertising Interesting

Simply sending your prospects a note in the mail isn’t enough to ensure a successful direct mail advertising campaign. Like any other advertising medium, you need to be strategic with your approach. This starts by creating quality content. Below we’ve outlined our top tips for creating mail that moves prospects down the sales funnel.

1. Customization

Your prospects are bombarded with generic messages daily. If you want to differentiate yourself from your competitors, you need to take a different approach. Customers want to feel like they matter to your company. In fact, 80 percent say they’re more likely to buy from brands that provide a personalized experience. So, creating customized content is key if you want to set your direct mail advertising campaign up for success.

One easy way to personalize your content is by including your prospect’s name. This may seem a minor addition, but it has the power to make a huge impact. Studies show that simply adding someone’s name to your direct mail advertising can increase response rates by 135%.

2. Use a Powerful Image

The text you include in your advertisement is crucial. But the images you include are even more important. People can process images 60,000 times faster than text. This means you can portray a lot more information about your company with an image than with just words.

Since visuals are so important, Wes Kirk, our in-house mailing expert, recommends choosing images that represent what your company can do. “A photo of your contractor’s truck does not tell prospects how good your work is. Show before and after photos. Let them see what sets your firm apart from your competitors.”

3. Have a Clear CTA

Sometimes, marketers are so focused on compelling copy and engaging images that they fail to include a call to action (CTA). Without a clear CTA, your prospect won’t do anything after receiving your advertisement.

CTAs are short and sweet, so you need to get your message across quickly. Use command verbs like “order” or “download” to give your readers clear and specific next steps. To grab your reader’s attention, Ambre recommends making your CTA two times larger than the rest of your text.

4. Make it Part of an Omnichannel Marketing Approach

You’re probably not going to get a ton of traction if you only send your prospects one piece of mail. There’s an old marketing rule that says consumers need to interact with a brand seven times before making a purchase. But new research shows this number may be closer to 13.

Relying on direct mail alone isn’t going to get you the best results. Instead, make it part of your broader marketing strategy. Taking an omnichannel marketing approach uses a variety of mediums to interact with your customers. This helps create a seamless customer experience and gives them more opportunities to interact with your brand.

Cut Through The Noise

Online marketing is important, but if you really want to capture your customers’ attention, you need to take things a step further. Engaging prospects offline provides your company the opportunity to interact with them in a unique way. Need help creating high-quality mailers? Give us a call at 800-930-7978!

How to Get Started with Direct Mail Automation on a Budget

Direct mail is unquestionably effective, has fantastic returns, and can easily dovetail into your existing marketing campaign. Here’s how a put together a great direct mail automation campaign to squeeze every last drop of value from your budget.

The Benefits of Omni-Channel Marketing

email marketing

Almost three billion emails get sent every day, and people are getting better at filtering them out. Even with the best, target-specific digital advertising, the odds are stacked against you. The trick is diversification. While it may seem contrary to the digital world that we inhabit, customers still love direct mail. And automated mailing systems make getting your message to a wider audience easier (and cheaper) than ever!

Develop Your List, Check It Twice

When you are running a direct mail campaign, it is vital to start with a clean list of contacts.

Direct-mail experts like to cite the 40/40/20 model: 40% of success comes from having the right mailing list, 40% comes from the value of your offer, and 20% is your writing and visuals. So, whether you are developing your own list or buying a list, give the list a thorough review before sending direct mail.

Bad addresses, changed addresses, updates that somehow never made it into the system; these can result in undeliverable or returned mail that will cost you money. If you are sourcing your mailing list from a third party, always check when the last time the list was updated. More than thirty days and you are at risk of out of date information.

As a side note, something to consider as an addition to your campaign is inbound marketing. While it sometimes seems like a distant cousin to direct mail, when paired together they can increase chatter about your business and generate traffic on your website. As an added bonus, this strategy creates a steady flow of new leads into the funnel to fuel your automated campaign.

Designing Your Mailer

joyful mail recipient

For every project, there is a direct mail option to suit your budget. Studies show that oversized envelopes and postcards receive the most interest, at 5% and 4.25% respectively. In addition, postcards come in several sizes and different finishes and can be embellished for a more unique look.

Whatever your budget, it is advisable to get the highest quality paper and inks for your mailers that you can afford. There are definitely areas of your project that permit cutting corners, but the materials of your mailers aren’t one of them. Direct mail articles are called tactile marketing for a reason. Thin, flimsy paper and cheap inks detract from the quality of your campaign. By using a basic mailer design that is less expensive, you can dedicate more of your budget to higher quality paper, better inks, and more finishes or coatings.

If there is more room in your budget, you can opt for more elaborate mailers. Specialty shapes, folds, die-cuts, inserts, or more visuals can increase appeal. Additionally, you can bring your omnichannel campaign full circle by making your mailers a truly holistic asset.

A Limited Time Offer

As we mentioned earlier, a combined 80% of your success comes from sending to the right prospects and the value of your offer. The acquisition of new customers costs 5 to 25 times more than existing customers. With that in mind, the perceived value of the offer must be significant enough to arouse curiosity and draw in your new targets. So, don’t skimp on this incredible detail. Make them a great offer, add an alluring CTA, and watch your numbers rise.

Maximizing Automation

Admittedly, one of the major appeals of contracting out the nitty-gritty of your digital and direct mail marketing to a third party is that they already have a system in place to handle the gathering, tracking, coordinating, and distribution of your information. They have the benefit of experience in handling large amounts of data; such as your tracking your mailings, the responses and website hits, and the follow-up. They can not only help you develop a professional looking campaign, but also manufacture, coordinate, and distribute your marketing materials, be it digital or physical.

And let’s face it, wouldn’t you rather put your budget towards a professional campaign that takes care of itself and allows you to dedicate more of your time and resources towards improving your brand value and client satisfaction, than licking postage stamps?

increase in marketing ROI

Remember, there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes for a successful marketing campaign. And after your mailers go out, there is even more work to do for the follow-up. Most automated marketing systems can take a few months before you start to see real growth. During that time, response and increased traffic data must be collected and analyzed. By batch coding your mailings and tracking the individual responses to your campaign, areas of effectiveness can be tracked and address the weak points. But all of this takes significant time and effort. Ultimately, a coordinated charge between your digital and your direct mail campaigns is more thorough, leaves less room for missed opportunities, and captures more high-quality data. Contracting a professional company to handle your campaign increases the likelihood for success and squeezes more value out of your budget for your ROI.

Rinse Repeat

Whether digital or direct, your marketing campaign will require regular and steady effort. There is no single process that will bring in new prospects, stimulate lost leads, and returning customers in one go. Direct mail automation is only the first of many steps to build a successful brand. But fortunately, you won’t have to start over every time The more that you automate and the more steps that you take, the easier it will be and the more successful you will become.

Call Printing For Less today at 800-930-6040 to start your own automated campaign!

The Ultimate Guide to Every Door Direct Mail Marketing

ultimate guide to eddm

Almost everyone in the entire world has been on the receiving end of an Every Door Direct Mail® (EDDM®) campaign. Even if you have recently changed your address, there will always be that business postcard promptly waiting inside your mailbox, usually marked “Postal Customer”. That is why EDDM campaigns are so effective. In a progressively more digital world physical pieces of mail still make it to your mailbox and in front of your very eyes, shutting down the outdated “print is dead” philosophy.

With EDDM®, you can cast a net into a concentrated area to maximize your direct reach. A well executed EDDM® campaign is the perfect way to get your message into the hands of every person in a specific geographic region — all without the cost of purchasing mailing lists and permits. Remember all those glossy flyers from your county’s representatives? EDDM® is made for the campaign trail. Pinpoint who your demographic is and only send mailers on your route matched with your ideal consumer. You can tailor your marketing material to better fit your postal route. EDDM® is ideal for political organizations, businesses and individuals looking to gain the attention of basically anyone (think “Local Postal Customer”).

Every Door Direct Mail Marketing Reigns Over Digital Avenues

What’s so efficient about EDDM® is the streamlined organization and transportation. There are reduced sorting and transportation associated with EDDM®, which translates to a reduction in cost incurred by the USPS carrier, which is then passed on to you. Some of the best-suited candidates for EDDM® are political groups looking to drive awareness of candidates/issues, and businesses looking to reach out to targeted customers in a specific geographical area. The number one value in an EDDM® campaign is the Reach. Candidates want your votes, which means they have to reach out to you first.

With a never-ending election cycle, it’s time to get a jump on the campaigning and get your EDDM® program started!

Cast The EDDM® Net

There’s been a recent resurgence of interest in direct mail. Of course there has! Digital marketing can only reach so far before its automatically filtered into the junk folder, removed by ad blockers, or skipped over on social feeds. Between calls to action to sign up for email newsletters and Direct Mail Campaigns, marketing professionals are shifting to a more balanced mix of online and offline channels. They realize that the expansive digital ecosystem produces an overwhelming amount of information that can be easily replaced, updated, and ignored by potential customers. It takes a whole lot of effort, but people do have the option to hit that “ Unsubscribe” link in the fine print. So, you may have reached your customer only for them to part ways with the message almost instantaneously. By including print, marketers can incite a 1:1 dialogue with their prospects, which creates lasting, engaged customer relationships. That is the long way to saying “print isn’t dead,” despite many arguments.

According to a ProPrint survey, 79% of consumers act on a brand’s direct mail piece immediately, while 56% found printed material to be the most trustworthy out of all media channels.

Here are four specific advantages to EDDM®:

  1. Reach. The ability to select specific zip codes and carrier routes allows you to target geographically, ensuring your message reaches consumers in areas most relevant to your business. You can search for your consumer market by narrowing down your audience by income, age and location. Additional demographic filters exist if you have a slightly more targeted methodology, such as home ownership, gender and household or family size. You can also use the EDDM® Mapping Tool from USPS to search for your ideal route. Ideally your reach targets only customers in your ideal market, which will lead a promising amount of conversions to your business.When going through the route reach process, USPS will ask your Route Type. You are then able to select one or more types between: residences by city, neighborhood, rural or highway and PO Box. The next prompt will ask for your Address Type (labeled Residential or Residence) which are divided into three selections which you are allowed to pick one: Business & Residential, Only Residential, or a targeted age group anything from legal age to senior citizen. Besides the design process (which hopefully you already have done) searching for your route will be the only tedious hurdle in beginning your campaign. Remember the route can make or break the campaign’s success. Make the most of your marketing dollars and take the time to find the best route for your direct mail campaign.
  2. Flexibility. This measures the size flexibility of your message. What kind of impact do you want your message to leave? The variety of postcard sizes available provides flexibility with your messaging. The smaller formats allow for punchy and compelling copy while larger formats offer room to tell the full story of your product or service. At PrintingForLess, we offer many USPS templates in all different sizes for postcard printing. Not sure what your message is going to be? Try out a mockup template before you decide to complete your order.
  3. Value. Without an EDDM® campaign, large mailing requires a postage permit as expensive as $400 per permit. With an EDDM® campaign provided by PrintingForLess, we waive that fee. USPS provides a simplified address system so that you never have to pay the price of mailing list. With no mailing permits or lists to buy and with postage at only 15.7 cents the program is highly economical. We even offer reduced postage rates for non-profit organizations.
  4. Effective. Print complements repetitive digital cycles and actually strengthens the overall effectiveness of a digital campaign. Providing something you can handle and read, grabs the consumer before they decide their next interaction with your business. By adding a high-impact, personalized tactile touch, you create true multi-channel campaigns, which increases exposure, response, and prospect engagement. Print is a low cost addition to your EDDM® campaign that could be the tipping point to beginning a lasting consumer to business relationship.

Your Printing Partner Can Make All the Difference

press-check

The less time you devote to coordinating the details of an EDDM® campaign, the more time you have to focus on growing your business. PrintingForLess offers all of following tools you will need for a successful campaign: a printer that has the capabilities to execute all aspects of an EDDM® campaign. When searching for a printing partner for your EDDM® campaign, look for one that provides:

  1. Printing capabilities. Look for a print shop with both digital and offset printing options. Digital allows for smaller quantities and variable data while offset provides larger runs with custom finishes. If you want to see your design before its sent out? Before you start down the printing pipeline, get a price quote or customized samples of your campaign before beginning your Direct Mail Campaign. When you offer both options your message is saturated in both digital and print mediums. Cover all the bases by using a printing partner that can facilitate range of print options. With all of our design options and printing capabilities, we can ensure your print job reaches your market successfully and efficiently.
  2. Route selection. What is so efficient about having an Every Door Direct Mail campaign is that we partner with USPS so that they handle delivery along the carrier route. You can deliver in suburban areas with high concentration of family housing, or maybe your target market is in an urban area filled with young professionals. Direct mail marketing only works well is your business is centered around attracting the right audience in your area. Choose a print facility that offers a route selection tool as part of the ordering process. Check out the USPS EDDM® User Guide for more information on registration. This saves you the hassle of manually searching for and choosing specific neighborhoods to target. Now you can close in on households that would find your business practice or special offer appealing which most likely means a higher response rate. PrintingForLess has made Every Door Direct Mail Campaigns simplified to offer tailored services for small businesses to political campaigns.
  3. Delivery service. Most print facilities offer transportation to the nearest USPS, but it is best to ask if the print shop if it delivers your order directly to the U.S. Postal Service. That way you don’t have to transport the bulk mailing to the post office. Upon arrival to the USPS, your direct mail campaign prints will be sent out to every home or business address on your carrier route. You can find your desired carrier route online by using the USPS EDDM® mapping tool to tailor your circulation.
  4. Regulatory expertise. EDDM® has very specific bundling and mailing requirements, so confirm that your printer has a mailing services department that is well-versed in the rules and regulations of EDDM®. Many printing services offer specifics on mailers that only include certain print sizes and bulk orders. For example: if you’re a brewery that recently unveiled a new beer on tap, you can send out a bulk of 5,000 mailers or fewer to a specific zip code near your business to draw attention to your beer release event. This type of campaign is called an EDDM® Retail Account, something for small brick and mortar shops, restaurants, or professional services. If you’re a larger organization, like a nationally recognized department store or grocer, your going to need the Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) which entitles you to 5,000+ mailers per zip code and will also require an additional postage permit. Create an account if you haven’t already with USPS and this will enable you to sign up for the right account fit for your business needs.
  5. Send Your Order. With different accounts tailored to fit the volume of direct mail marketing programs, this makes it easier for the post office to send out bulk orders on time and to the right route coordinates. After you’ve made the final decisions on your route map, schedule all your orders to be dropped off at the post office that is designated to your account. Choose a drop off date for your mailers then a payment prompt will highlight options to pay online or pay at the post office. We mentioned that finding an EDDM® mailer that will do all of the legwork, like picking up, dropping off, and sending mailers is ideal to ensure that your time is used wisely. However, if you should choose to coordinate your own transport for the mailers, make sure that you have filled out the correct forms, bundle your postcards, and deliver them to the post office with in an orderly stacks of 50-100 cards. Your order should be labeled with the correct USPS forms and contain a postcard count. Lastly, you can ship or drop off your orders at the post office that is designated to your account, whether it’s BMEU or an EDDM® Retail Account. BMEU policyholders have to drop off their order the post office that holds their permit. Retail Accounts must drop off their mailers with the post office that is matched with your route.

Make the Most of Direct Mail

direct mail postcards

Once you understand the logistics and targeting associated with EDDM®, the final component to a positive ROI is the actual composition of the piece. The design process can be a ship on rocky waters, so it’s best to keep in mind a few best practices to make this project quick and on its way to doorsteps.

  1.  Design. Use strong creative direction by using simple color palettes paired with a few eye-catching tones like metallic or chrome. Use design features that, to the touch, feel memorable like raised cardstock or glossy finishes. While a full-color piece will cost a bit more, the impact can greatly outweigh the cost variance. Things like high-resolution images, bold colors, and clean typography create a high-impact piece that will stand out in the mail. Remember, if it looks bare and scrappy then your mailer might be destined for the discard pile.
  2.  Copy. Even with the larger size postcard, every word counts. Think about concise, catchy, and compelling copy. Use bold active language that draws readers in to whatever it is your selling or offering. Activate their minds to make a decisive action. Provide enough information to educate, in a way that keeps your prospect engaged and leaves them with something memorable. Make it active or give your reader a task like applying a coupon code or signing up for promotional discounts. Or if you’re online, drive them to your website by providing a welcome discount code.
  3.  Tracking Measurement. Being able to measure your EDDM® campaign by tracking gross response rate is the best and most accurate way to prove your campaign’s success. Do you want them to call your business? Come to your store on a specific date for a sale? Or would you rather them find you online? Making the best call to action related to your business is key to getting successful response rates. Here are a few ways to track your campaign:

– Phone Number. If you choose to add a phone number with tracking capabilities, your marketing team will be able to track recorded inbound calls to your tracking number. Tracking numbers help with measuring which offer generates the most response, how many responses a certain mailer receives, what time of day you receive the most calls, and how your team handles incoming calls.

– Website URL: Adding something like a website URL is a reliable way to track visitors to your website, who may want to book a professional service or make a reservation. If you’re a restaurant or offer salon and spa services, this is the best call to action! Drawing your consumer into your mailer will lead them to your website. Offering a coupon discount code for salon service will incentivize your customer, lead them to your website to schedule an appointment. If you’re a new restaurant in the neighborhood, your mailer could offer a discount on your first meal if you present the mailer or book a reservation. Mailers that offer a lead to goods and services are always successful.

– QR Code: The ever more popular route of CTAs is the quick response (QR) code that is friendly to scanners on most smartphones. You can label smart codes like these onto your mailer to connect someone’s mobile device to your business. QR codes often contain data that, once scanned are linked to the device, are tracked and lead to a website or an application that contains the mailer offer. In conclusion, QR Codes are a quicker way to drive your consumers to your website with little effort and increase total conversion rate.

Being able to prove and improve your marketing spend is a critical component. Special offers, QR codes, and dedicated URLs are all viable ways to track the campaign and reinforce a multi-channel strategy with the ability to track whether or not consumers are converting or not. Depending on which strategy you decide to use, be sure that your message is clear and direct, so customers know exactly what to do and where to find you.

Response Rate: In preparation for your next campaign, the best route of action is to measure your previous EDDM® campaign performance. By using many tracking tactics like Google Analytics, you can track your response rate from your campaign from any of the methods that we mentioned above. According the Direct Marketing Association in targeted direct mail households, the response rate is 9% and 5% prospective rate, which are both higher than email, paid search, online display and social media combined.

Responses / Pieces Sent = Response Rate

To ensure the most accurate collection of your EDDM® response rate, take quality assurance in training your sales team to acquire and code leads accordingly as they are logged in an analysis tracking program. This should be practices every time a new tracking method is introduced or changed to an EDDM® campaign.

Follow Up Best Practices: Now what? You’ve mailed out your campaign and are collecting your results and watching the growth. As you observe your successes and reevaluate missed opportunities, take into account which tracking methods have been installed. As a best practice for your next campaign, make sure you’re recording all new avenues of tracking methods. Be sure your saving your results from past EDDM® campaigns. In the future you will observe and compare each campaign’s key performance indicators (KPIs) to see if your returns are improving and if it’s worth your marketing investment. Key components of compiling the best results is to consult your past campaign components before beginning the next campaign. Examine your mailer and see if there are any errors or misinformation or take a user experience survey. Arguably the best way to troubleshoot and measure your direct marketing campaign is by segmenting your audience. It all goes back to choosing your direct mail route: try segmenting your route to better fit your business or product.

Now that we have laid all of our reasoning out in the open, does your business need an EDDM®? Check out why an EDDM® campaign is the perfect mailing option for your business. Just remember, each step of the process is just as important as the other steps. Your mailing route is just as important as the design.  Designing a perfect mailer that doesn’t reach your targeted market could be a shot in the foot for your business. Or, a mailer with a poor message that does get into the hands of consumers might not make the mark you want. Take extra care in choosing your route and design to ensure your message gets into the hands of your potential consumers. Every Door Direct Mail® is a highly effective approach to drive actionable results. Out of all other marketing mediums, including: paid search, social media, online display, and email, direct mail has continued to reign supreme as the most successful tactic. And now that we’re in a new election cycle, it clearly shines as a cost-effective, powerful channel to engage your constituents. Contact us today to get your EDDM® campaign started!

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

Jump Start Your Direct Mail Marketing Response Rate with These Quick Tips

Have you ever designed what you thought was a stellar piece of direct mail marketing only to find the response rate to be less than optimal? Direct mail serves a lot of purposes, but ultimately, the goal is a simple one: to get a response. And if you’re not getting a big one, it’s time to rethink your strategy.

Compared to other types of marketing efforts, the direct mail response rate is already one of the best out there. On average, you can expect a reasonable 5.1% of your house list and 2.9% of your prospect list to respond – a significant jump from the 2% response rate you’d get from all your digital efforts (email marketing, paid search, social media, etc.) combined (DMA).

The good news is that if you didn’t get a great response rate, it has less to do with your marketing method itself than the way that you framed it. Direct mail provides businesses with a ton of opportunity to connect and grow, you may just have to tweak how you get there. Here are some tips for getting more out of your direct mail and increasing that all important response rate.  

Have a clear and distinct call to action

The call to action (CTA) is one of the most important features of your direct mail. A CTA is a directive of sorts that inspires immediate action on the part of the mail recipient. And it’s often promotional, i.e. “Schedule before January 1 and receive 10% off your next appointment!” or “First 100 people to sign up get a free gift.”

Your exact CTA will depend on what the product or service it is that you’re selling, as well as who your audience is. But regardless of the exact terms, it should have a few key distinct features:

  • It should stand out on the page. Whether you’ve sent a postcard or a multi-page brochure, your CTA needs to be clear and obvious to the recipient. Play around with placement, font size, color, and more to ensure that your CTA pops off the page.
  • It should be actionable. A good CTA encourages the recipient to act fast. Direct mail is highly effective, but it’s also time-sensitive – if your lead isn’t inspired to act now, they may not act at all.
  • It shouldn’t be too general. You’ve got to give something to get something. If your CTA is broad and doesn’t offer anything to the recipient – for example, “Call now to learn more!” – they’re not going to have any incentive to follow through. Making your CTA promotional is a way to offer the recipient value in return for their response.

A piece of direct mail can be informative and well-designed, but if it’s lacking a strong CTA you’re missing out on a major component of high response rates. More than anything else, you should be optimizing your CTA if you want to increase the amount of responses that you receive.

Make it personal

Your recipients are more apt to connect with a piece of mail that is personalized to them and their needs. Seventy-seven percent of individuals who responded to a USPS survey said that personalization in the direct mail they receive is very important to them (PRIMIR). In another survey, 29.2% of respondents said that they’re much more likely to open and read personalized direct mail, and 55% said they’re a little bit more likely (InfoTrends).

You’re not going to get a high direct mail response rate if you don’t get people to look at your mailer in the first place. Include the recipient’s name in the headline and tailor an offer to what you perceive as their specific needs. You can even personalize the images, choosing visuals that are most likely to appeal to the unique demographics your recipient falls under. By making a bigger impression you up your chances of engaging with the recipient and getting a response.

Incorporate digital components

Direct mail and digital mail aren’t completely antithetical. In fact, you can increase your direct mail response rate by including digital directives through a personalized URL (PURL) or a QR code – both of which drive the recipient directly to your website with minimal effort on their part.

We live in a digital world, and it’s not just millennials who are loathe to pick up the phone. Ninety percent of customers visit a company’s website before calling or emailing them (Huffington Post). A recipient visiting your site is both a response in itself and a precursor to further engagement. And using PURLs and QR codes to get them there – instead of just offering a broad direction such as “visit us at xyz.com” – allows you to track who follows through and monitor their behavior once they get there.

When including digital aspects in your direct mail, be sure to specifically note where they lead. Context matters, and a recipient might not want to follow through on a PURL or QR code if they don’t know where it’s going to take them. A good way to increase the efficacy of these digital components is to tie them in to your CTA. “Follow the link to claim your $10 off” is almost always going to more effective than simply “Follow the link.”

QR code for digital payment

Focus on existing customers

Obviously you want to use your direct mail campaign to drive new business to your company, but if you’re neglecting your existing customer base you’re doing yourself a major disservice. You have about a 60% to 70% chance of selling to an existing customer, and just a 5% to 20% chance of selling to a new prospect (Invesp). So if you’re dealing with a low response rate, it might be who you’re marketing to – not how – that is to blame.

One of the major benefits of focusing your direct mail on your current client base is that you already know what they’re interested in. Use that information to help further your personalization efforts, offering information and promotions that will appeal to them. Don’t neglect un-converted leads entirely (this isn’t an all or nothing approach), but do tap into your existing base of customers for insight on how you can better connect.

Your direct mail can – and should – do more for you. Talk to a print expert today to learn more about how to increase your direct mail response rate and start turning a bigger ROI on your mail campaigns. And if you’re just getting started, call us at 800-930-7978 to get started with direct mail printing.

How to Make Direct Mail More Effective

how to make direct mail more effectiveDirect 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 avoidDirect 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.