Direct mail has largely been abandoned over the last decade or so in favour of email marketing, but is one outbound marketing tactic that is experiencing an incredible resurgence. Sure, email marketing is cheaper and easier to track success metrics. But now our inboxes are so inundated with marketing emails that it is hard to get noticed amongst the clutter. Direct mail is just one outbound marketing tactic that will help you set yourself apart from competitors and other marketers.
As with all of your marketing tactics, it is important to start by determining what your want to accomplish with your campaign, and how you plan on executing and tracking its success (or lack thereof). Direct mail can come in a variety of forms. From traditional pieces like letters and postcards to three-dimensional objects, promotional swag and puzzles used to increase engagement and brand recall.
Direct Mail Marketing Best Practices:
- Coordinate and be consistent. Your messaging on your direct mail piece needs to coordinate with any landing pages, telemarketing scripts or any other tactics that are being integrated in the campaign. The continuity of your messaging will increase buyer recall and enforce what you are asking the audience to do.
- Be emotional. Buyers buy on emotion and justify with facts. Your messaging and visuals need to connect with your audience on an emotional level. This is where understanding your target buyer persona becomes helpful in crafting your message.
- Make yourself available. Providing multiple ways to respond to your call to action will maximise return. Provide a web address, QR code, email address and phone number at a minimum. Depending on your audience, also consider including a fax number and/or physical address with return materials. It may sound out-dated, but people do still respond to these reply channels.
- Track it. As with all things in marketing, make sure you are setting up systems for tracking your direct mail marketing return. Include an offer or landing page web address that is specific to the direct mail piece to help you determine that is what ultimately inspired the prospect to learn more.
These direct mail marketing best practices should help you get started with reacquainting yourself with direct mail as a viable option for your business. Have you recently run a direct mail campaign after taking some time off? What direct mail marketing advice would you share with other business owners who are reconsidering this communication channel?