Great Direct Mail Marketing Execution

Great direct mail marketing execution leads to better response rates. Many marketers are great at generating direct mail ideas, building creative and strategy, but when it comes to execution, they fail. Let’s face it, failure is not an option, so build a great execution plan as you build your creative. We have put together some great direct mail tips for you.

Ideas for great direct mail execution:

1. Details – Start with a focus on all the details from creation, through execution. Here are the top questions to ask: Who are you mailing to? What is your message? What images will you use? What is your call to action? How can people respond? When do you plan to mail? How will it mail? Can you do it in house or do you need to outsource? How long do people have to respond? Are you doing any follow up? There are a ton of questions to answer before you even get to put the piece in the mail.
2. Performance – It is extremely important to know what is working and what is not. So your next task is to figure out how can you measure your direct mail. One way is by response, how many people called, emailed or went to your link. Another way is by sales, how much money was generated based on the mail piece. There are many metrics that may be important to you, so plan ahead on ways to track them before you mail. Providing a coupon code or special phone number/landing page is a great way to know who is responding to your campaign.
3. Reports – Create reports that show your metrics so that your team knows what is working and can build off of your success. They should be posted for all to see and kept current. If you are getting more of a response from one offer than another your team needs to know it. You also need to know who responds in what ways by phone, email, website or even in store. Make sure that you have this information available at the customer level to, so you can identify who is responding to what.
4. Accountability – Assign responsibilities to people on your team. Everyone on the team needs to know who is in charge of what so that nothing falls through the cracks. Create a calendar of your schedule so that everyone one knows when things are due and you meet all your deadlines. Designate a point person for each section of the campaign. Don’t forget to have a person who is in charge of the whole campaign that the other team members report to.

Direct mail has the best response rates of all the marketing channels, as long as you send to the right people with the right offer at the right time. You will learn all of this information from prior mailings. Over time you will build a rich data base, which will allow you to select very targeted people who are most interested on your offer. Many times we spend so much time on creative and copy that the way it gets in the mail is overlooked. You need to build into your timeline the printing and mailing of the pieces. Timing of the mail can really matter especially if you are having a limited time sale.

We can help you plan out your timeline and keep you on track. We can also help determine when you should mail based on your in-home dates. You should consider the type of postage you will be using too. Do you want the look of stamps, meter or indicia? There are a lot of details that go into direct mail execution, do not be afraid to ask for help from the experts, that is what we are here for. Are you ready to plan and execute a great direct mail campaign? Contact us today! We are glad to help!