10 Tips for Direct Mail Marketing in 2024

Direct mail marketing can be expensive, although, through the right campaign, it can quickly offset your costs. This is why so many companies still use or have begun using direct mail marketing campaigns. The key to your success, like many other types of campaigns, is your approach. Proper planning goes a long way when you are creating a campaign that has the possibility for a large ROI. But also careful planning as it is more expensive than other marketing campaigns. There is no denying that the business world has moved away from print media. The world has gravitated towards a more eco-friendly and cheaper alternative that is electronic communication.

Below, we’ve put together a list of the top 10 tips for direct mail marketing in the 2024.

1. Know Your Recipients 

Don’t forget the 40/40/20 rule, and if you don’t know what it is, I’ll explain. The 40/40/20 rule is that 40% of your success comes from how effective your mailing list is, another 40% is how compelling your offer is, and the remaining 20% comes from everything else. This includes the copy/text, the images, design, etc. As almost half of your success comes from how effective your mailing list is, it is important to know your recipient list. It is easy to get sold by online list makers that sell you a random list of leads. Be sure you are vetting who you are sending them to. The best thing you can do is buy a verified list from a reputable company on top of your own verified information. 

2. Where’s The Value!?

The other large chunk of the golden rule is your offer and getting your recipients to see the value in it. You will be wasting your money if your mailer doesn’t include some kind of sale, rebate, speciality or bonus. As with many campaigns, the key is to get your audience to purchase now. So make your offer truly unique and big enough. It incentivizes them to purchase. Make the limited offer time as well; nothing creates a need as much as a limited offer that is hard to pass up. Then finally, use coupon codes so that you can track the success of your campaign.

3. Leave A Good Impression 

Like most of your marketing efforts, you need to have a visually appealing design in order to draw the eye of your audience. Having a great design will only reinforce your message on your mailer. Don’t forget to follow basic design rules, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box and get creative. If you don’t have the appropriate software or skills in order to make your idea come alive, hire a graphic designer. This will not only save you time and effort, but it will also add a professional touch in a time frame you couldn’t. The added cost is well worth the investment, and your recipients will notice the quality. 

`4. Use The Right Tools

Find a printer with a good reputation for quality and customer service, and order a sample kit to ensure it is what you had envisioned. Most printer companies will send you free samples to show off their quality. Pricing should not necessarily be a limiting factor as you will want to pay for a high-quality product. But don’t be afraid to shop around and ensure you are getting the highest quality for your money. In the printing world, you get what you pay for, and your company will not benefit from using a low-quality product. Don’t waste time and effort that you put into your mailer with a low quality finished product. 

5. Let Them Send It

Most printing companies will have a mail house or will have an existing partnership with a mail house. This makes it easier for you as you can have them send out your mailers after they print them. This can save time and money as your mailing list can be addressed as the print shop prints your mailers. You are thus eliminating the extra cost associated with moving your mailers from one place to another to ship them. An additional benefit is that printing companies typically know printing regulations and mailing prices. They are also able to find the best deals for bulk mailing and postage. 

6. Make Your Message Stand Out

Ensure that your promotional materials identify with your target audience through your features and why it benefits them. It is not enough to pitch a product and simply state the features. Your audience needs to know why they should care and how it will benefit them. Many features have multiple benefits, and as a copywriter, you will have to pick out which benefit(s) are the ones that will resonate. If you are having trouble writing copy that you believe will hook your audience, it may be beneficial to hire a professional. This could help boost your ROI as it will ensure your copy is written correctly. 

7. Choose The Right Stock

Take a moment to think about which type of mailer your audience will respond best to. Is it going to be a postcard, brochure, greeting card, letter? Once you have this in mind, you can focus on what type of emotion this will invoke in your audience. Strongly consider using professional-grade paper and dye cut shapes to have yours stand out from the crowd. 

8. Be The Customer

Take a step back from your masterpiece and approach them as your audience would. How would you initially react and read your mailer? Does your message flow with the natural way someone would handle mail? Does the mailer look credible and professional? Or is it something someone would ignore? Now take it to your friends, colleagues, and family and gather their reactions. You can even ask passers by for their input and make adjustments accordingly. 

9. Time To Test

Many companies will waste a lot of time and marketing dollars because they don’t test. Before you spend countless dollars on a campaign, be sure to test it. If you can’t make sales off a smaller market, it may be time to revisit your message and design, and see what’s wrong. Many companies that do test their campaigns will test different campaigns against one another and see what works best. If you do not have the message to do so, just remember to test and make small changes accordingly. 

10. Follow Up

Following up with prospects can get a large number of sales in a short amount of time. The more personal you can make it, the better. Use a postcard or brochure to follow up with a personalized message to the recipient (your printer can help you with this). Phone calls or emails can also be warranted, as long as the situation is appropriate. Try collecting phone numbers and permissions to use a phone call as a follow up, to deliver more information and get the highest quality leads to follow up with. 

Final Words

Unlike what you hear and typically see in today’s marketing climate, print media is not completely dead. Print media, like all marketing campaigns, have their time and place. Some of these tips may seem simple, and some may seem a bit more time-intensive, but all are as important. It all comes back to quality and if your audience can see the value in what you are selling. As the only thing they have to gauge this at that moment may be the mailer, you need to ensure it is high quality. No one is going to continue through to buy your product if what they are holding is poor quality. Start with high-quality materials and continue this through your design and message, and you will be shocked. Don’t forget; you can always reach out to the professionals for help; it’s what they do, and that investment won’t go unnoticed. Good luck on your new direct mail marketing campaign, we look forward to getting one!