Preparing Your Direct Mail Campaign
Direct mail is an effective vehicle for getting your message to your market, and the investment continues to bring returns for marketers. You’ll want to make sure, however, that the preparation put into your campaign gives it the best chance to bring you the leads you need.
The first step is determining your message and the action you want prospects to take. While a postcard might serve as an image piece or all-purpose ad with a general “contact us” call to action, a direct mail letter will focus more in-depth on a specific offer.
This offer is backed up with information that builds its value in the customer’s mind (third-party statistics, testimonials, guarantees, etc.), then it leads toward the request for a response within a certain timeframe. The letter is written strategically to motivate this response and includes sales triggers that speak to the audience’s pain points and problems that you can solve.
The next stage is design. Direct mail letters don’t require a lot of flash. They’re mostly copy, but with key words and phrases highlighted. Importantly, though, the direct mail letter should be carefully proofread to make sure you don’t undercut your professionalism with a bunch of typos or unknowingly make promises in your offer that you can’t keep.
You’ll work with your printer and mailing service as you prepare files for production and mailing. To make sure you aren’t surprised by costs, it’s important to know how design affects postage before printing. Your printer helps here as you discuss how design complies with mailing formats and fits your postage estimates.
Choosing your list is part of this process as well – whether in-house or acquired. The mailing service component will help you with list acquisition and preparing, personalizing and stuffing your envelopes before the final stage of putting them in the mail. Strategically targeting a promising list and tracking results is also central to an effective strategy.