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How to Nail Your Next Direct Mail Campaign

How to Nail Your Next Direct Mail Campaign

If you’re a savvy marketer (reading this blog points to yes), you already know direct mail yields an impressive ROI. In fact, as one of the original forms of advertising, it has not only held its place among top strategies—sitting pretty in a $16 billion industry—but continues to grow year after year.

One of the main reasons direct mail stays profitable is because it allows you to re-target website visitors with offline messaging. With that, your business can adopt a targeted digital-to-direct mail offense that lets you cut waste and reach only your intended audience.

In short, direct mail is awesome.

So, whether you already have a direct mail plan in place or want to add it to your bag of tricks, follow these trends to stay competitive in 2021 and beyond.

Get to the Point

As classic as basic black, concise copy hardly counts as a trend, but we think it bears stating, nonetheless.

When you send direct mail, keep the essential language and toss the rest. What are you offering? What should recipients do about it? Enough said.

Of course, concise doesn’t have to mean boring. Clever language can convey a message AND make someone chuckle. Just putting that out there.

Stand Out

Warning – obvious statement ahead:

To attract customers, you need distinct marketing materials. Of course, your product/service should fill a gap in people’s lives, and it would be great if that were the end of it. But everyone knows you need something extra to get people through the door.

When applied to direct mail, this loaded truth means you need to get inventive, maybe even a little funky, to ensure your hard work doesn’t end up in the trash. Feeling panicky yet? No need. Chew on these ideas before your next campaign:

  • Check out folding options – The more recipients can play or interact with the material, the better. Want to tuck a hidden message or business card inside a brochure or flyer? Go for it.
  • Play with texture – Raised lettering, sandpaper, cutouts, oh my! Even a fancy coating option can disrupt the status quo, which makes people pay attention.
  • Go bigor small – Whatever extreme you land on works, as long as the piece stays outside standard sizing norms. See, isn’t this fun?
  • Make it playful – Use a clever tag line. Ask a question. Tell a joke. But whatever you do, write a headline that demands attention. Bonus points if it simplifies your message or includes the call to action.

Set a Trigger

It’s 2021, folks. If you haven’t made automation part of your world, get to it already. When you let software take over the busywork, not only do you have more time for core business tasks, but your direct mail campaigns become more relevant and personalized.

Plus, many automated solutions let you send direct mail based on trigger events, meaning customer behaviors/preferences lead the way. For example, online retailers can mail a postcard with a special discount to anyone who abandons a cart. Or you can send customers annual coupons on their birthdays.

The applications here are endless, and the best part—the tech gets more sophisticated and easier to implement as time passes.

Make it Personal

Like keeping verbiage concise, personalizing messages is a fundamental marketing concept. Check out a few best practices:

  • Use customers’ names (anything addressed to ‘Current Resident’ deserves to get tossed).
  • Keep content relevant (fail = pitching renters’ insurance to a homeowner).
  • Customize images (use pics of families to entice prospects with children).

Use a Mailing List

When it comes to maximizing a campaign’s personalization potential, few solutions get the job done like a targeted mailing list. The strategy works because mailing lists let you set and reach narrowed goals. And let us remember that every fruitful marketing effort should have a detailed, reachable goal.

For example, your direct mail campaign goal might sound like this: We want to attract homeowners in their 30s who live near a local office. We’ll highlight our full-service pest control option with a goal of 500 new signups in the next 30 days.  This goal makes it easy to select a list. Plus, it’s specific and measurable.

For this scenario, you could generate a list that assumes a radius (let’s say 10 miles) around the office and continues based on age and homeownership. The concept can then extend to countless other goals. Here are the most popular demographic lists:

  • New homeowners
  • Homeowners
  • New movers (anyone who has changed addresses within a defined time frame)
  • Renters
  • Parents

So there you have it—sure fire ways to help you dominate the world of direct mail marketing. If you have more questions about making direct mail part of your regular outreach strategy or want help simplifying your overall marketing efforts, reach out to Xpressdocs. With over two decades of print and digital experience, we know a thing (or fifty) about solid campaigns.

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