Direct Mail in an E-Mail World
With all the recent talk about a ‘paperless office,’ it’s easy to think that direct mail is out of date, archaic, a waste of time and resources. Direct mail lives in an e-mail world, so it can’t be as important. Think again. Direct mail is important because we live in an e-mail world—e-mail and social media and instant messages bury us at home and at work.
Studies show that adults aged 18 to 34 are far more responsive to direct mail than many businesses suspect. Reason being, we’re all beginning to mentally block out many e-mails and other forms of online advertising. We have to. There’s just too much of it out there, so direct mail becomes an effective way to get your audience’s attention.
Furthermore, Direct Marketing Association research shows us that 79% of consumers react to direct mail immediately. Consumers take direct mail seriously and so should your business.
Here are 8 tips that will help you succeed with a direct mail campaign:
8 Tips for Direct Mail Success
- The Billboard Test: Make sure your offer is eye capturing and easy to understand. A good way to test this is with what I call the Billboard Test. If you’re on the highway going, say, 70 mph., you’ll give a billboard a few seconds of attention. Tops. With mail, you have about that much time to grab their attention and make your message clear.
- Give them options: If they see your message and are interested, then it’s time to give them options for further information. Where can they get in touch with you to find out more? Make it easy.
- QR Codes: In addition to a phone number, QR Codes are a great way to lead your audience through the sales funnel. See? With direct mail you can still take them to your website where all the information they would ever need is at their fingertips.
- Brand Continuity: Make sure you are recognizable. You want your audience to come to remember your logo, your color scheme, and your particular company voice, so that when they see your brand in another context, it will be familiar.
- Use the Space: Sending a post card? Make sure you use both sides, so you can offer as much information as possible. But don’t crowd the space. White space and large type is more effective than a paragraph.
- Create Suspense: People like receiving mail, but most people know what to look for and skim over what they think is junk mail. If you’re using a sales letter, try an envelope with no outside marketing copy. Most people will open something they think is important.
- Create Urgency: Limited offers or other time-related messages are more likely to get people moving. Make sure the call-to-action is simple and clear. And easy…don’t require your target audience to take too many steps.
- Make it Personal: Try to personalize your message as much as possible. Direct it toward a specific person, so the recipient feels as though he/she is speaking to a sales rep rather than an impersonal disruption. Treat your customers as people, rather than wallets.
These tips will help you to have a successful direct mail campaign! If you have questions about print marketing or direct mail, our Superior Business Solutions sales reps are print experts. So feel free to contact us HERE or call us at 800.968.1416.
