Direct mail marketing – also called direct mail advertising – has been around for more than a century. Recently, thanks to the rise of digital marketing, it has developed a bit of a bad reputation. You might have heard people say that direct mail marketing is too expensive, or it just doesn’t work.
While it may not work like it used to pre-internet, the landscape of direct mail has simply evolved – and yes, it still works.
In fact, for every $167 spent on direct mail in the US, businesses sell $2,095 in goods.
That begs the question – how can you make direct mail marketing work for you?
Let’s find out.
Table of Content
What Is Direct Mail Marketing?
Types of Direct Mail Marketing Materials
What Is a Direct Mail Marketing Strategy – and How Do You Improve It?
What Is Direct Mail Marketing?
Direct mail marketing is when a business like yours uses physical mail to share marketing material. Typically, marketers use the United States Postal Service (USPS) or a private mail service for this. You can send marketing materials like postcards, flyers, catalogs, business cards, mailers, and more. It all depends on how creative you can get with your marketing campaign.
Traditional direct mail campaigns can be super effective, especially when used in conjunction with digital efforts. Studies have found that marketing campaigns that use direct mail and one or more digital media experience a 118% lift in response rate compared to using direct mail only.
A carefully crafted direct mail marketing strategy combined with other digital marketing channels can help you generate more leads and sales. The question is – which type of direct mail marketing materials do you need?
Types of Direct Mail Marketing Materials
There are many different types of direct mail marketing materials. Whether to send brochures or catalogs depends on your industry/niche, budget, marketing goals, and target audience. Here are the major types of direct mail.
Brochures can be great things to send to potential customers or clients outlining your services or new products. Businesses can get creative with graphics and messaging and there is plenty of space in a brochure to get your message across.
Perhaps you are a new small business owner who wants to target a certain neighborhood. Consider sending out your business card in a nicely printed or hand-addressed envelope to let people know who you are and what you do!
- Mailers
Mailers, or rack cards, are great ways to send deals or other incentives to get customers in your door. When you include a persuasive call to action (CTA), a mailer can be a great marketing tool.
A calendar can be a super-creative direct mail marketing idea. For example, a gym in Brazil sent out calendars in the shape of a man and a woman that got slimmer as they flipped through the months. That’s a creative marketing campaign to get more members!
Depending on your business model, sending a catalog to a particular demographic or area can be a smart way to get more sales. Offer a discount code unique to the mail campaign, and you can see exactly how powerful your direct mail marketing efforts can be!
What Is a Direct Mail Marketing Strategy – and How Do You Improve It?
Put simply, it’s your direct mail campaign. It involves identifying your target audience, designing your marketing material, building a mailing list, and distributing the mail. It’s an ongoing strategy that requires continuous monitoring and improvements.
There are lots of ways to make sure your message is coming across loud and clear through direct mail pieces.
Define The Goal of Your Direct Mail Marketing Strategy
First, you need to decide on the goal of your direct mail marketing campaigns. The goal will help you define your audience and target demographic, which will guide your design. Zeroing in on WHO you are sending a direct mail piece to will help you find out WHERE to send it!
If you are a small business owner, you can use mailing and mapping tools from USPS to promote your small business in your local community. The Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) service is one of the most popular and cost-effective ways to kickstart your direct mail marketing.
Create Your Direct Mail Design
We recommend creating custom copies instead of buying run-of-the-mill materials from local card printing shops. Your marketing material needs an attention-grabbing headline because it’s the first thing people see when they receive your mail. So, make every word count.
The graphics and images should complement your headline. They should keep your potential customers glued to your flyer or brochure. Use high-quality images or graphics that reflect your brand values, evoke emotion, and reinforce the benefits of responding to your offer.
Create a Strong Call to Action (CTA)
A strong call to action is at the heart of every successful direct mail campaign. If you want more sales, include a discount code unique to the mailers. If you want more calls, make sure to set up a specific phone number. Add a compelling CTA, like ‘first 100 callers get 20% discount,’ to encourage your potential customers who get your mail to call.
Including a unique coupon code or phone number offers one more benefit – tracking! One of the misconceptions about direct mail marketing is that it’s difficult to track. With coupon codes or phone numbers, you can track the sales or leads you get from your direct mail marketing campaign.
Why Is Direct Mail Marketing Still a Good Idea?
Still, the question remains – why use direct mail?
Is it better than email marketing?
While digital ads offer real-time data, traditional marketing leads to more quality business. In fact, according to Marketing Charts, direct mail marketing had a 29% return on investment (ROI), nearly overtaking social media marketing.
Another study by Go Inspire Group found that digital and direct mail marketing had similar response rates. However, businesses that sent out mail made more money from the campaign. The survey concluded that “astute marketers should not regard direct email and direct mail as a choice — an either/or decision — but should be exploring how the two mediums are combined to provide the greatest incremental, complementary effect.”
When direct mail coincides with a digital campaign, magic can happen!
Consider sending direct mail with a creative hashtag or bar code that scans to a YouTube video, your business’s social media, or a landing page explaining the campaign. Get your creative juices flowing and find ways to combine these two proven marketing strategies.
Alternatively, you can hire experts like Digiprint Corporation. With our direct mail marketing services, you don’t have to worry about a thing. From design to mailing, our experts will take care of everything while you see your business soar.
Give Your Direct Mail Marketing a Boost
We can help with your business’s direct mailing needs with full-service support. Our in-house graphic designers are experts at creating cost-effective and appealing mail pieces – that don’t look like junk mail.
With our direct mail marketing services, you don’t have to store your mailers or collateral or even send them out yourself. We’ll manage everything for you.
Reach out for a quote to understand your direct mail marketing cost, strategy, and more.
