Looking to kickstart a direct mail campaign but not sure where to start? This Delivered 2023 presentation is designed to set anyone up for success by providing actionable ways to build a winning direct mail strategy. Brianne talks through the important elements to think about when establishing a direct mail campaign along with valuable resources.

WHY

The first W to think about is your WHY. There are many reasons why people want to dip their toes into the direct mail waters, so it’s important to figure out why you want to send direct mail. Do you want to get more phone calls? Promote an event? Or highlight a new service? The list goes on. The goal is to get really specific.

WHO

Once you’ve established your specific goal you’ll want to figure out WHO you’re going to mail to and how to get the list that you need. It’s good to understand the difference between an acquisition list and a database list. An acquisition list is a group of people that are not current customers or have not interacted with your business before. It’s a a list that you use to acquire new customers. A database list is a list of your current customers. This list would come out of your CRM system. Your database list will likely have a lower quantity and a higher response rate. Your acquisition list will have a higher quantity and likely a lower response rate.

Direct Mail Tip: Don’t spray and pray! Purchasing a large, general list and blindly sending a campaign will not give you the results that you need. Narrowing down your audience and creating a strong message will increase your response rate.

WHEN

Depending on the SMART goal you established, you’ll have a timeframe for when your mail should be landing in mailboxes. It’s important to understand the different levels of USPS postage and what their delivery timelines look like. At The Mailworks, we work with USPS First Class postage and USPS Marketing Mail (also known as 3rd class postage). First class mail is more expensive but only takes about 1-5 business days to reach mailboxes after proof approval. USPS Marketing Mail is the ideal postage for direct mail campaigns, and any larger quantity mailings. It comes at a much lower cost per piece, and takes about 7-21 days to reach mailboxes. At The Mailworks, we use our Targeted Delivery™ model to schedule when your proof needs to be approved so your mail can arrive in mailboxes, by your desired in-home date.

Direct Mail Tip: Consistency is KEY! Grace their mailboxes more than one time.

WHAT

The last thing you need to focus on is the WHAT. The corner stone of what you are going to send them is your message. You want to make sure that you are talking directly to the consumer that you are trying to reach. Make it relevant and interesting. If your message isn’t hooking the recipient within the first few seconds, they’re moving on. It’s beneficial to pair your message with good graphic design. Highlight the recipients pain point and tell them how your business can help take that pain away.

Direct Mail Tip: When crafting your message think about PAS. What is your recipients pain points? Bring awareness to how the pain points might be affecting them. Don’t lean too heavily on the features and benefits of your product or service just yet. Once you’ve identified the pain and provided awareness on how it effects them, you can present your solution. Tell them how you’re going to help them and provide the steps to take to get started.

CTA STRATEGY

Here are some best practices for CTAs:

• Emphasize one form of response (call vs. email vs text)
• Create urgency with a specific time frame or expiration date
• incentivize response with a free gift
• Emphasize limited availability to serve a certain number of responders

FORMAT

Pairing your message with the right direct mail format will help you achieve a better response rate. If you utilize a format that stands out more in the mailbox you’re likely to achieve the reach that you need.

At The Mailworks, we’re known for creating direct mail solutions that deliver, and connecting our clients with the right people at the right time.

Get started with your winning direct mail strategy today! Press the request a call button on our website to speak to one of our dedicated account managers!

Click the link to access our free download with a real life business example of a direct mail strategy!