Direct Mail: Don’t End Up in the Trash!

Directly mailing is great…if you do it right! It’s still a very relevant marketing strategy, and is still quite competitive with digital marketing. For instance, in a DMA Response Rate Report from 2015, direct mail achieved a nearly 4% response rate with house lists, and a 1% response rate with a prospect list. Digital channels only had a .62% response rate when mobile, email, social media, paid search, and display advertising were combined. With a direct mailing, you can focus on your target audience and they are more likely to see and handle your advertisement. This doesn’t mean all direct mail is successful. There are some mistakes that can land your piece in the trash without even a second glance.

Mistake #1: Not limiting your target audience.

Not coming up with a targeted list of people that fit within your demographic scope can be a waste of money. Simply sending postcards out to everyone without narrowing the list means that most people are going to toss it without thinking – you don’t recognize what is being advertised, hello garbage bin. Be sure to either collect a list of patrons or contact Fusion Group USA to discuss purchasing a mailing list. We can target any demographic based on a number of characteristics – gender, age, hobbies, homeowner/renter, income level, etc.

Mistake #2: Not spending time on your call to action (CTA).

Your CTA is very important to hook customers. It needs to be strong, action-oriented, and easy to carry out. Some other things to keep in mind when developing a call to action are the following: remove any risk to the customer, always tell people what to do next, encourage immediate response, emphasize benefits, and pay attention to your phrasing. Be sure to use friendly and approachable language, but make it action-oriented so that the reader feel the need to act as soon as possible.

Mistake #3: Not paying attention to design, or designing it yourself.

People get a ton of mail. When they’re going through their daily stack, it’s important that your postcard or direct mailing piece stands out. You want them to be intrigued enough to look at it and potentially hang on to it for use. Instead of trying to design it yourself (unless you are a trained graphic designer), it may be worth it to go to a professional and let them take over the design portion.

Mistake #4: Not including an offer!

If there is no incentive for the reader to keep your direct mailing piece, it’ll most certainly end up in the trash immediately. You have to include some sort of exclusive offer so that people are more likely to hang on to it…if they can get a deal on something, they’ll probably use it! Plus, a great way to keep track of how well your direct mailing attracts people, add an offer that includes mentioning the postcard to get the deal. This way you can tell how many people actually read the piece and acted on the CTA.

Mistake #5: Only doing your direct mailing once.

Repetition is the key to success. You’ll have more luck sending out 1,000 postcards a number of time and focusing your list more rather than sending out 100,000 postcards once. There are studies that show that people need to see your name or logo at least 7 times before they recognize your business. So, if you send out postcards multiple times to a focused list, you’ll have a better shot at being remembered by prospective customers.

Direct mailing can be a great way to get your brand exposure and market your business. But, there are some things you have to take into account when planning. Fusion Group USA can help you with the design, list purchase, and mailing of your direct mailing pieces. We can also offer assistance on trying to narrow your target audience and suggest mailing pieces that will work best. Contact us today to get your direct mailing rolling!

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