In this age of digital marketing, it’s easy to write the direct mailer off as a dinosaur without much to offer a modern sales team. However, experts from Marketing Today to Entrepreneur Magazine still sing the praises of direct mail campaigns: it’s fast, it’s targeted, and it’s cost effective…if it’s done right.
Have the Right Mailing List
No matter how good your design or copy, your mailing campaign is guaranteed to be dead on arrival without the right mailing list. According to the experts at Entrepreneur, 40 percent of a campaign’s impact comes from offer value, 20 percent comes from the design or content…and the remaining 40 percent comes from getting it to the right people. Pinpoint targeting of recipients is one of direct mailing’s greatest strengths, so your targeting needs to be top notch!
The Right Call to Action
What is the most common mistake mailers make? According to Robert Bly of Marketing Today, it’s the same whether you’re advertising a restaurant discount or soliciting donations from alumni: no call to action. The call is what brings a response from your customers or clients: “Join us for tonight!” or “Call now to arrange your donation.”
Pick Your Medium Carefully
A direct marketing firm can offer a wide range of mailing mediums, from postcards to letters to sample packages. It may seem like a simple choice, but the medium of your mailer still sends a distinct message to the customer. Postcards are great for retail offers or coupons, but formal solicitations like credit offers or donation requests will make a better impression as an understated level. Even your envelope can do more than hold a mailing label, with a simple labels like “Time sensitive material enclosed” or “look inside to reduce your credit payments.”
Good Design is Key
Whether it’s food, people, or products, the first impression is made through the eyes. That first split-second visual will determine whether your mailer gets a second glance or goes straight into the trashcan.
Good design, especially for ads that need to be eye catching, is a fine line between boring and tasteless. Flip through your own mailbox to get a sense for what works and what doesn’t: what is interesting and eye catching, and what just makes you roll your eyes? A good direct marketing firm like Southwest Direct will also provide graphic design advice to make your campaign the best it can be.
Direct marketing campaigns can mean a lot to your business, so you deserve a direct marketing firm who will support you through every step of the process. Contact Southwest Direct and take advantage of a team who will guide you every step of the way, from inception to design to completion.
