Many marketers have witnessed direct mail’s effectiveness over the last years, while most parts of the world have been in and out of lockdown. For most cooped up at home, direct mail has provided a welcome diversion from unending screen time and the continual overwhelming feeling of digital communications.
A well-designed admail does not just express brand values. It also increases engagement and activation. According to a study in 2019, direct mail marketing had a household response rate of 9%, which is nine times greater than the email response rate (1%).
Consumers desire personal engagement and tactile communication. And direct mail may produce compelling results when you perform them deliberately and strategically. Every day, more people open their mail, which is terrific for boosting open, cut-through, and conversion rates.
Using Relevant and effective messages can help engage, acquire, and keep the best customers. And many have seen direct mail doing so by enhancing sales. So, it’s best to know how to plan and carry out an effective direct mail campaign. Below are a few pointers to help you get started. But first, what is direct marketing, and how does it work?
What Exactly Is Direct Marketing?
Direct marketing is a type of promotion that avoids using mass media or other advertising intermediaries to reach current and potential customers. Direct mail marketing is just a subset of direct marketing, which includes strategies like email, telemarketing, and text messaging.
A direct marketing message often includes a call to action. It invites customers to respond, purchase, or utilize the marketing material in some manner.
5 Different Types of Direct Marketing Styles
As stated above, there are several types of direct marketing channels. These tactics can enable businesses to engage directly with consumers to achieve an agreeable return on investment.
1.Email marketing
Email is still one of the most popular direct marketing platforms. Accordingly, email marketing enables you to send a message or customized marketing material to your target audience’s inbox in a matter of seconds. This customization can help you attract customers to engage with your message.
However, you must ensure that you optimize your email for current spam filters, so you don’t get flagged without your knowledge.
2. Direct mail marketing
While many businesses have switched their attention to direct digital marketing, direct mail marketing remains effective. However, it does cost more than online channels. This method will require supplies and printing equipment to produce and mail eye-catching flyers, catalogs, or brochures to your intended recipients.
3. Telemarketing
Telephone calls continue to be an essential aspect of direct marketing. For this direct marketing method, skilled telemarketers reach out to prospects and discuss offers or deals to convert a fast call into a transaction. Through telemarketing, agents can swiftly evaluate customer interest. Hence, promotions and sales can occur concurrently.
4. Text message marketing
Having a social media presence may help you reach out to customers, especially with how integrated it is into people’s lives. However, sometimes communicating with your customers through text messages may be more efficient.
Businesses frequently utilize text messaging to distribute news, promotions, and updates. SMS is an efficient communication method with existing clients whose phone numbers companies have gathered and included in a contact list through prior transactions.
5. Couponing
This somewhat archaic but effective direct marketing tactic entails purchasing space in a newspaper or magazine to place a coupon. This way, consumers can see, tear out, and use them to receive discounts or freebies.
Launching a Successful Direct Marketing Strategy
1.Clean up your data
Customer data is at the core of just about any marketing campaign. However, merely having data about your customers is not enough. It’s best to guarantee that you sort and clean your data regularly to ensure personal, relevant, and compelling communications.
Cleaning your data allows you to maintain the accuracy, completeness, and usability of your customers’ information easily and efficiently. It can also reduce expenses and reputation damage from incorrect data. Moreover, you can maximize data quality to improve targeting and results, effectively standardizing your data to improve matching.
Data cleanup will be easier to manage if you work with a reliable source. Fortunately, there are many online platforms available you can use to validate, cleanse, update, and upgrade your data.
2. Determine your target audience
Direct response marketing is most effective when you define the target demographic properly, reducing the number of variables involved. Marketers consider zip code, family income, past transaction records, gender, and a variety of other factors to identify who is most likely to purchase a product.
You can go broad or limited based on your budget. But it is critical to define who to contact explicitly. Compile a list of potential clients, paying special attention to the demographics most likely to respond.
3. Customize your campaign
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when crafting a brand’s direct mail strategy. However, adopting brand messaging that caters to the tastes of your target demographics can help. Some factors you may want to consider are their employment status, age, and buying behaviors.
Each audience group has specific requirements you must be aware of. Identifying which marketing campaign best suits the target audience is feasible if you use the correct data.
4. Create a persuasive marketing letter
Once you’ve tailor-fitted your campaign, connect with your target market. Develop a good offer that will entice your prospective customers to take action. One advantage of direct marketing is that you don’t have to worry about being overly aggressive. You don’t just want to inform or entertain the recipient, but you also want them to act.
You may want to include some design elements that strengthen your company’s brand, but only if they don’t detract from the main message. It can also be good to provide testimonials. Including this information lets your potential customer see what makes your business unique and how effective your products are.
Above all, your letter should center on the client and how you can assist them in meeting their needs. Concentrate on how you can provide exceptional value to their firm.
5. Try out your campaign
After you’ve compiled and assessed your customer data and written your letter, it’s time to put your campaign to the test. It’s best to begin with a smaller section of your list and see what sort of feedback you get. This step can assist you in determining a standard response rate and how many letters you should send out per week in the future.
Campaign Your Direct Marketing Effectively
Effective direct marketing doesn’t end with sending out your letters. You must also monitor its efficacy. This step may be more challenging but is doable if you have an organized system.
For example, if you want your customers to contact you, create a separate email address for your campaign. Once you get responses, you’ll know it’s from direct mail rather than other marketing methods. You can also modify your campaign accordingly based on your customers’ messages.
Most importantly, always put your customers at the center of your direct marketing campaign. They are the ones who will receive your materials and help put your business on top.