10 Best Practices for Your Direct Mail Marketing Strategy 

By Sarah Harris

Plenty of documents and reading materials that once relied on printed paper have since become strictly digital. Everything from instruction manuals and stock prices to breaking news is now more likely to be composed of ones and zeros in a computer’s memory than ink on a page. 

And this shift has benefits. For example, it saves trees from being cut down for paper and helps keep information up to date. As much as the digital revolution has transformed information storage, though, people are still physical creatures and prefer to interact with physical media. 

The benefits of physical media extend to many areas. For instance, studies have shown that students are more likely to retain information from physical than from digital textbooks. But it is especially true for marketing campaigns.

That is why a direct mail marketing strategy can be so effective. Physical letters and postcards:

• Demonstrate effort
• Get attention
• Feel personal

If your company is researching whether direct mail marketing strategies are the right move, remember that recipients are far more likely to respond to physical mail than an email or social media message.

Print Bind Ship’s Mail Genius direct mail service specializes in boosting engagement with businesses just like yours. To get the most out of your advertising campaign, become familiar with these direct mail best practices.

1. Know Your Target Audience

Direct mail is not random. Knowing who the right potential consumers are and putting your resources into reaching them provides the best bang for your buck. You can focus on specific locations, interests, ages, incomes and other vital metrics. Tailoring your message to your audience improves response rates.

2. Create a Clear and Concise Message

Your direct mail marketing strategy must employ short, impactful messages with clear calls to action. What do you want the recipient to do — download an app? Take advantage of a sale? Get to the point quickly with your copy.

3. Choose the Right Format

Your desired message will dictate the type of mail you send:

• Postcards are small, feature bright graphics and are perfect for short messages.
• Letters are more personal and allow for explanations and detailed information. 
• Catalogs provide “window shopping” experiences for recipients.
• Self-mailers have room for photos and images but fold up to save space.
• Dimensional mail creates an unboxing experience that can build excitement.

Define who your targets are and what your goals are for your campaign to make the right choice.

4. Use High-Quality Graphics and Visuals

No direct mail marketing strategy aims for second impressions — it’s the first impression that counts. A higher image and graphics quality lead to better consistency, clearer branding, and an overall positive impact for your mailers.

5. Include a Clear Call-to-Action

Your call to action needs to answer the unspoken question in every recipient’s head — “What’s in this for me?” Create a straightforward, impossible-to-misunderstand directive that puts the focus on the customer’s needs. Think of statements like “Shop on our website now for 50% off!” or “Download our app for exclusive deals!”

6. Personalize Your Mailings

The beauty of using a direct mail service such as Mail Genius is that every mailer can have personalized messages. Consumers want to be addressed by name and feel as though their needs are heard. Your mailers can feature messaging based on your customers’ interests and preferences.

7. Test and Measure Your Campaigns

Direct mail marketing strategies don’t operate in a vacuum. Testing and collecting data will allow you to refine your formats, graphics and copy to see what gets the best response. Then, you can use that data to craft a more impactful campaign or even modify a current campaign.

8. Follow Up with Recipients

Building relationships breeds brand loyalty. Reach out to recipients through other means to gauge their interest — whether through social media, email, follow-up mailers or phone calls.

9. Continually Optimize Your Strategy

There’s always an opportunity to get better at reaching new customers. If you’re planning on a long-term direct mail strategy, you’ll want to consider whether to reach out to new types of customers, retarget existing recipients, or change your messaging. Remember to continually test, measure and analyze your results.

10. Consider Partnering with a Reputable Direct Mail Provider

As you might imagine, handling a direct mail campaign entirely in-house quickly becomes a daunting, if not impossible, task. Most companies hire outside help, such as Print Bind Ship’s Mail Genius. 

We create effective, eye-catching direct mail pieces and target them for the best response. You’ll get all the data you need to ensure your campaigns are on the right track, and you can modify your mailers to generate the kind of feedback you’re looking for.

Smart Direct Marketing with Mail Genius

Digital marketing certainly has its place. But if you want to connect with potential customers, you need something more tangible. A direct mail marketing strategy lets you make a lasting impression that can turn into continued sales and brand loyalty. 

Craft a direct mail marketing strategy that includes Print Bind Ship’s Mail Genius, and you’ll reap the benefits of our experience and expertise. We’ll help you connect with your ideal customers and get noticed like never before. Contact Print Bind Ship to get started.

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