Pitfalls of Direct Mail

Direct mail campaigns are a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal.  Designing and executing these campaigns wisely can bring in new business, build customer loyalty and expand your brand awareness beyond other types of advertising.

While direct mail is one of the oldest marketing tools, it now simply requires more than just sending out a postcard to a mailing list.  Here are five pitfalls to avoid:

Using a Bad – or Untargeted - Mailing List

Today’s data hygiene services have advanced data tracking tools to ensure that mailing lists are up to date.  But even if data is accurate (with such tools as NCOA) are these the contacts that will be most likely to be in need of your services?  Spend the time and a few extra dollars to fine tune your list to only the most qualified leads.

Not Having a Compelling – or Personalized -- Offer

The average American receives over 10,000 advertising messages per day.  How can you stand out among the clutter?  The use of personalized direct mail (using variable print data, for example) will grab your prospect’s attention faster and create the expectation of personalized service most consumers value highly.  Also, be sure to include a compelling offer  -- a deep discount, superior savings,  a free gift – or you might as well not send it at all. When creating an offer, ask yourself: “What’s in it for the customer?”

Sending Only Once

A one-time mailer – particularly if there are no other forms of promotion or advertising for your company  – may or not bring the desired results.  Studies have shown that a consumer must get an impression from your company three times before they will pick up the phone or check out your website.

Weak or No Call to Action

Your direct mail piece must include a strong and direct call to-action.  Whether your recipient needs to call or enroll online, it is important to make the action extremely clear.  Moreover, the call-to-action must create a sense of urgency. Expiration dates are a great way to get people to respond.   

Lack of Tracking Mechanisms

Because you want to know exactly how effective your campaign was, you must always include tracking mechanisms.  Tracking mechanisms include special coupon codes, toll free numbers, a designated extension or landing page.  At its simplest, instruct your staff to be sure to determine the report the source of the leads on a daily or weekly basis.  

Not Being Prepared

Perhaps the easiest, yet the most overlooked part of a direct mail campaign, is not being prepared for customers to come knocking at your door. When your campaign is launched, make sure you prep your staff and train them on the offer and its specifics. Also, make sure that you have sufficient stock of your particular product or item. The worst thing you can do is disappoint customers who are willing to buy.

A well-planned direct mail campaign can be a great stream of revenue and new customers. A direct mail piece can deliver the results you want: increased awareness, new customers and higher sales if executed correctly. Make sure to avoid these five pitfalls for maximum results.

How Direct Mail Can Drive Traffic to Your Landing Page

Direct mail is often overlooked as a method of driving traffic to your landing page.  Here are some design tips for your direct mail piece:

Make your content personal. Readers are drawn to copy that includes personalized messaging, headlines and subheads—anything that suggests you’re trying to reach out to them personally.

Create a user-friendly web address. Since the URL you want people to go to can’t be “clicked on” from a postcard or flier, your job is to create a website address that’s easy to remember and easy to type.  Make your address short and easy to spell.

Have a compelling offer.  Just inviting people to visit your website won’t work. As with any direct mail piece, you should include a compelling offer—special discount, free one-time offer, newsletter, etc.—something people feel they must have by visiting your site.

Include a call-to-action and deadline. Customers most often respond when they understand how to do it and when they’re told there’s only a limited time-span to reply. Something like “Go to www.carpetclean.com today for 30% off your next cleaning job. Offer expires in three days.”   Special offers and discounts that are awarded to the “First 50 People to Respond” are effective, too.   

Create a special landing page. Yes, it’s great when a direct mail piece inspires people to visit your website. But unless the page you direct them to is clear, easy-to-navigate and free of distractions, you may want to consider building a special landing page. Include this landing page URL in your direct mail piece. This way, you can track responses, collect valuable user information and start planning future direct marketing campaigns.  If you are driving traffic to your landing page using multiple advertising mediums, be sure to include a coupon or promotion code. 

How to create and use a QR code in your next mailer

QR codes (Quick Response barcodes) are no longer new to consumers and your prospects.  There are a variety of creative uses for QR codes that help engage prospects with your brand and are an excellent tool to bridge the gap between print and electronic marketing.

Here are 4 steps to creating a QR code:

1.         SELECT A QR CODE GENERATOR

There are many out there, but the key is finding the right one for your needs. Some things to look for when choosing a QR code generator are:  1) Whether you can track and analyze performance; 2) If it allows you to design a code that is unique to your brand; and 3) If it is compatible with common QR code readers. Although there are many other options out there, here are three to consider researching:

KAYWA.  With Kawya you can customize your design for free.  The paid version allows you to track performance. The codes can link to a web page, text, phone numbers, or SMS.

GOQR.ME.  This is also a free service with an option for paid premium service.  This generator allows you to “read” to text, URL, phone number, SMS, or vCard.

MICROSOFT TAG.  Microsoft Tag allows you to have a color QR code (rather than the traditional black and white).  It is also free of charge with limited analysis of the consumers viewing and going to the tagged item.

2.                  CREATE AND LINK

When creating your QR code, you must identify the “call to action” when somebody actually uses it.  If you print a QR code on your business card, for example, you might want to link the code to your vCard to save your contact information.  However, if you’re planning a print or direct mail campaign, you should consider linking to a landing page or your website. 

3.                  TEST IT

Ensure that your QR code “reads” correctly and be sure to try more than just one reader. A good place to start is the free tool Google Googles, which captures the image as a picture and then tells you what link or item it “reads to.” Another free tool is “QR Code Reader”, which automatically takes you to whatever it “reads.”  Both are easy to use and available for multiple smartphones.

4.                  TRACK AND ANALYZE

Just like any other marketing campaign, track and analyze much traffic comes from each specific code.  Are people scanning your code but not redeeming their offer once they get to your landing page?  Or are they not even compelled enough to scan your QR code? Knowing this will help you troubleshoot and adjust your poorly performing QR codes to more closely mirror those that work well.

For more information on utilizing QR codes in your direct mail campaigns, please visit www.mailmanagerinc.com.

What's this Lumpy Mail All About?

“Lumpy mail” is a type of direct mail piece that is not a flat post card or sales letter. “Lumpy mail” – also known as “dimensional mail” or “bump in the envelope” marketing – can contain a promotional item, product samples or just about anything else that is not flat and carries your sales message.

Consumers receive a lot of direct mail each day and business owners get even more than your average person.  While a direct sales letter can get someone’s attention, and postcards can be a cost effective way to reach your prospects, nothing has a better open rate or response rate than a powerful dimensional mail campaign. This is because it’s not your typical piece of mail.  It’s special.  And it creates curiosity.  Not only will more people open your dimensional mail, but more people will respond to it.

A dimensional mail campaign requires a larger investment per prospect both in terms of time and cost, so it’s important to select your list carefully. Unlike standard direct mail, it may cost substantially more to send each piece, so it is imperative you utilize a targeted database. 

Dimensional mail ideas are limitless and we can help you select the item that best fits your campaign. 

For further information, go to www.mailmanagerinc.com. 

Benefits of Direct Mail

Direct mail marketing is a simple yet powerful way to get your message directly to your target audience. A smart and effective direct mail marketing campaign can help your business grow by grabbing the attention of potential customers. Here are some of the benefits of direct mail campaigns:

§  According to the United States Postal  Service, 98% of consumers bring in their mail the day it’s delivered and 77 percent sort through it immediately.  This means there are people who are seeing your direct mail marketing campaign immediately. 

§  Direct mail campaigns allow you to target on a specific group of individuals who are most likely to want or need the products and services your company provides. This means a higher ROI than if you were to do mass advertising like a print, TV, radio or banner ad.

§  You can customize your direct mail campaign by addressing your customers by name and addressing their needs specifically using Variable Data Printing (VDP).  When you speak directly to your audience, they are more likely to respond.

§  Mailing campaigns are flexible in that there are many ways to deliver your message:  a letter, a postcard, a brochure, etc.   We will help you choose which method will get your message across best.

§  A direct mail piece allows you to physically put your message in the hands of your target audience.  You can make an even greater impression by sending a “bump in the envelope” (where a premium is included) or adding additional material like coupons.

§  Direct mail Campaigns are easily measurable and can allow you to see exactly how effective they are for your company.  Simply track the inquiries received or count the number of coupons redeemed.  This will help you better target future mailings by allowing you to see exactly what works for your audience.

For more information, please visit www.mailmanagerinc.com.

Print in the Mix: Fast Fact - Direct Mail Drives Charitable Donations and Retention

Print in the Mix: Fast Fact - Direct Mail Drives Charitable Donations and Retention

Postal News

Required Use of Intelligent Mail by May 2011 Has Been Postponed.

DMM Advisory from January 13, 2011, announced the following: "Postal Service Relaxes Upcoming Requirements for Automation Prices. Recognizing ongoing concerns about mailers' readiness for broader adoption of the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB), the USPS has decided that automation discounts for mail with POSTNET Barcodes will continue to be offered beyond May 2011." At this time, the USPS has not identified a new date.

For more information please visit the USPS Advisory site: Here

Mailing Service Prices to Change APRIL 17, 2011

Prices are going up for USPS Mailing Service products, which include First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services, and Extra Services.

The new prices take effect on April 17, 2011, almost two years since the USPS last raised the prices. Based on a price cap calculated by the Postal Rate Commission using the Consumer Price Index data, the USPS will increase prices by an average of 1.741% across each Class of Mail.

The new prices can be viewed online using Postal Explorer . Click on the link in the left blue navigation frame under *New* April 17, 2011 Pricing Information.