Direct Mail Marketing
Successful Direct Mail Marketing Starts with a Successful Mailing List Data
Direct Mail Marketing is a form of advertising that attempts to communicate the most effective message directly to the consumer via the United States Postal Service. The beauty of this form of marketing is its ability to be measured. Since there's a typical response vehicle incorporated into the offer, the marketing professional can know how well the campaign is working. Unlike TV or billboard ads, direct mail reaches the consumer directly and asks, at the very least, for a dialog.
Attaining the Goal with Direct Mail Marketing
The number one goal with direct mail marketing is to connect with the consumer and initiate a dialog. Too often, business owners testing direct mail want immediate return on their advertisement investment. If they don't get a positive return on this investment then they consider it a failure. For many, this medium isn't the smartest medium to be used. It's often times more expensive than they can afford. A good mail service provider will properly set the mailers expectations so that there are no "surprises" after the money is spent.
First, there's no guarantee. If you've done everything properly, you should learn something with every direct mail marketing campaign. At the very least, you should be measuring the effectiveness of one offer as it’s compared with a different offer.
Let’s digress for a moment and consider how we shop. Whether it's online or going to the store, most people only let go of their hard earned dollars when they are confidence they are getting what they expect. Most consumers follow a path of wanting or needing a product or service. They aren't always sure how or what will satisfy their want or need but that's where they start. The higher value this want or need is, the more money they are willing to part to satisfy this want or need. And the more money they are willing to spend, the more careful people are with their buying decisions.
So let's consider this for a moment. Many people are willing to spend their money, but only after they feel they're making the best choice. Using the 80% / 20% rule, 80% of the shoppers are in a "learning" mode, and only about 20% are in a shopping mode at any given time. This is a very important point to make because many people will not be buyers at this moment, and if you do not give them something to learn, you've wasted your messaging. Whether we're talking about direct mail or online marketing, you should attempt to satisfy both the learner and the buyer. Ideally, you should attempt both at the same time so that you bring about an opportunity to make a sale later on down the road. With direct mail marketing, your mail piece should include some bit of information that helps the consumer with their learning phase. Point them to your website, provide them some factual information that brings them closer to the buying decision, or give them info about how your product stands up against the competition. The main point is that your direct mail piece shouldn't attempt to do one thing and one thing only. It should always attempt to "move" the consumer a bit closer to the buying moment.
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The Future of Direct Mail Marketing
What changes will occure with Direct Mail Marketing? If you're in a supportive role to this very large and established industry, you'll want to read on to start thinking about how to change too. Today, BB Direct offers easy to integrate solutions for supplimenting postal direct mail marketing. Whether you're a printer, mail service provider, specialty direct marketing firm, or the solo direct mail division of a newspaper, we want to help you bring these new products to your existing customers. They'll begin testing online if they haven't already done so, but they may not let you know. Talk to your customers, find out what they're thinking, and identify those lost marketing dollars.
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