Direct mail requires a solid foundation before any campaign can begin. Knowing your target market and having knowledge about your goals, messaging and what your recipient will experience can help connect you with the right people at the right time. So here’s 5 reasons why your direct mail might not be getting you the results you need…. Yet. 

Your database needs updating

If you haven’t been seeing great results with the current list you are using, there’s a few things you can do to make sure that it’s still fresh and up to date. Incorporating database reviews to your quarterly routine quickly addresses any records that may be inaccurate or incomplete. If recipients are asking to be taken off of your list, make sure you remove them. With any mailing you do, it’s also important to run your list through the NCOA (National Change Of Address) to ensure that all the mail you’re sending is reaching the right recipients. Once you’ve done those things, your list will be up to date and accurate. 

Your message isn’t focused

Your messaging and CTAs (Call To Action) are the leading factor to getting you conversions on a mail piece. They need to be to the point and crystal clear. Let’s be real, when’s the last time you read a full marketing article, email or mail piece that you received? In the world of scrolling, people spend less time reading and more time moving on. The best way for your message to resonate is if it’s short, sweet and to the point. Having a one liner with a clear CTA and a way to learn more is more effective than filling your piece up with fluffy text. Including images that spark emotion and go hand in hand with your message can help tie everything together. Don’t overwhelm your reader with too many nitty-gritty details. The more focused and direct you can be with your message the better.  

You need a customer journey

Your recipient shouldn’t have to ask questions about what to expect from giving you their information. Take yourself through the customer’s journey… How does your message make them feel? What action are you asking them to take? What are they receiving after they take that action? The journey you bring them on should be smooth and seamless.

What does that journey look like? Say you have a qr code on your mail piece that brings the recipient to a certain URL. Maybe it’s your website, or a landing page with a form for them to fill out. Depending on your CTA, after the person fills out the form, they should be receiving another form of communication from your business such as a confirmation email, or a personal email from a sales representative. Depending on their response, it’s beneficial to have multiple ways of reaching out to them so you keep yourself on their radar. You could enroll them in an email sequence, or have your sales people call them directly. A well-thought out experience will ensure that you are converting those valuable leads.

Your list isn’t focused

With an acquisition mailing, the quality of the prospects in your list is more effective than the quantity. Narrowing down your list to a specific group of people to target can help you deliver a smarter prospecting campaign, with content that resonates and speaks to them on a higher level. This requires you to really think about who you want to talk to. Don’t just yell into the abyss–who is your ideal customer, and most likely to find value in your message? Once your list is precise, you can be more strategic with your campaigns and reach your prospects with content that is meaningful to them.

You aren’t tracking response

Once you’ve sent out and finished a campaign, the results can give you insight on how to approach your next mailing. Did your campaign work–why or why not? Who responded and who did not? With direct mail, response rates may have a delay due to the time it takes for mail to reach a mailbox, and for the person to take action. There are a few ways you can track your campaign results. Putting a qr code on your mailer allows you to see how many scans a certain mailing received and can lead recipients to urls that collect their information. If your CTA includes a phone number, using call tracking technology can give you insight on how your campaign is performing in real time. Looking for something low-tech? An offer code will let you manually monitor results. Tracking response is essential  and enables you to make smart decisions on how to improve your strategy. 

At The Mailworks, we’re not here to help you check a marketing box. We’re here to collaborate and help you create campaigns that drive results for you and your business. Try these tactics to get your campaigns to push the envelope.