Despite us living in the digital age, direct mail continues to be an effective marketing strategy that is utilized by companies large and small. But what is direct mail marketing? And how can it benefit your business?
What is Meant by Direct Mail Marketing?
Direct mail marketing is material that is physically delivered to a recipient’s mailbox. It could include catalogs, flyers, postcards, and brochures, for example. Some companies will even send products such as pens, stickers, notebooks, and other branded items in the hopes of promoting their business.
How Does Direct Mail Marketing Work?
One of the great things about direct mail is that it is something that consumers trust. Digital mail is often seen as spam or as something that is out to scam the consumer, but when it comes to printed materials there is trust among all age groups. How does it work? How can you implement an effective marketing strategy with direct mail?
As mentioned already, direct mail marketing is a strategy that involves physical materials being sent to a prospect. Businesses often use this form of marketing when hoping to attract new customers, but it is also used with existing customers as a reminder of the great service a company provides or to thank customers for their business.
According to the folks at Full Tilt Direct, experts in direct mail marketing, to ensure a campaign is effective business would need to first identify its goals. It is essential that you know exactly what it is you want to achieve from your campaign as this is the only way to measure success. Knowing the goal will also help when it comes to making decisions at a later stage of the campaign.
Deciding who to target in your campaign is also important. If you are targeting current or past customers, you will no doubt already have their address information but if you are hoping to secure business from new customers, you may need to purchase a list. You might not think that directing such a campaign at current or past customers is a good idea, but you might be surprised. These customers are already familiar with your brand and the products or services you offer, so they will be much more likely to purchase again if they were happy with their previous purchase.
If you are promoting a new product or service, make sure you are providing your audience with information on how this new product can help them to solve a problem. It might be a problem they didn’t even realize they had. Keep the information to the point and be sure to include a call to action that encourages the recipient to do whatever it is that you are hoping they will do, such as buy your product or utilize your new service.
How to Ensure Success
Direct mail marketing can be hugely successful when done right. Nevertheless, if you have no experience in running such a campaign, it could be a waste of time and money. Utilizing a company with experience in direct mail advertising may help to avoid any of the potential pitfalls associated with doing it yourself.
With an inexperienced company, you might end up spending money sending promotional materials to a mailing list full of errors for example. It is important to be aware that whether you utilize a marketing company or do it yourself there is a cost associated with direct mail advertising. You need to make sure you are using an accurate mailing list and that you have fully researched your target audience and what they are likely to engage with.