Direct Mail is one of the oldest marketing channels in the book. It’s been there, done it, bought the t-shirt, washed the t-shirt, worn it again, and so on.
We’ve spoken in previous blogs about the channel’s resilience and versatility, so it’s really no surprise Direct Mail is still one of the most successful marketing channels today in 2018. Although it’s tried and tested and proven to deliver results, it is just after all a carrier for your message. It has broad shoulders, but it can’t do all the work by itself.
Data is often overlooked in favour of focusing on the aesthetics and this often shows in the response rates. When building a house you start with the foundations before finally adding the finishing touches that make it a home, and in these terms, data should always be your foundation.
We’ve worked with clients that have spent considerable sums on a Direct Mail campaign that stands out, only for them to be perplexed when the response rates didn’t meet their initial expectations. At this point, some deem Direct Mail a nostalgic engagement tool that has it’s glories firmly anchored in the past and decide to proceed with digital channels and other mediums. Walking away from Direct Mail after one campaign that hasn’t met expectations is easy to do, but as with all forms of marketing, persistence pays off.
We always advise the clients we work with to really optimise their data and scrutinise their offer/message and creative to ensure it’s getting in front of the right people at the right time. It’s this focus on data as opposed to creative that has proved so effective for many of our customers.
With split testing, we can discover what type of Direct Mail campaign works best for your audience. A promotional postcard for example may engage some, but disengage others. Perhaps your target audience would better engage with a simpler piece that has a more official look and feel, such as the mail you receive from financial services companies. What’s important to remember here is it’s the data mining that’s the most important element of any marketing campaign.
Focusing on the design and creative is the fun part of planning any campaign, but it really should be the last piece of the jigsaw. Developments like programmatic mail have made it easier to re-target lapsed customers with physical pieces and variable data printing enables you to specifically target segments of your list with content that is tailored just for them. By going back to basics at the planning stage, you can really make the most of your direct mail campaigns based on the insights your data work has presented you with.
So in summary, beauty is only paper deep. Or something like that anyway. The point is, everything we do starts with data. If you want your Direct Mail campaigns to be successful and generate the leads you’d hope for, you need to make data your first port of call.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog piece, if you need any further info or would like to discuss your direct mail requirements, feel free to contact us on the office number: 0118 474 888 or email us at: enquiries@heraldchase.com
