Direct Mail Marketing

A Recipe for Direct Mail Marketing Success

Most businesses today have a marketing initiative that includes a direct mail marketing component.  There’s no argument that the very best list to target first is your own list of previous customers.  Single handedly, this audience will deliver the highest response results every time.  To a novice marketer, a response rate to existing customers might be confused for the average response rates of any direct mail marketing campaign.  The reality is that mailing to existing customers as compared to mailing to an acquisition list is very different.  The rule varies from vertical industry to vertical industry.  A residential mortgage lender may service a customer by helping them with a purchase mortgage.  Immediately mailing a mortgage offer to that same customer is likely not going to result in a new mortgage.  This mortgage lender is better off using subprime mortgage leads, and then, at some point years later, reaching out to this previous customer and helping them reduce their interest rate.

Direct mail marketing is very different for most all businesses.  Some organizations are better suited for a new homeowner list while others are better suited for a new business list.  But all direct mail marketing professionals agree that the bottom line result is return on short or long term investment.  This return could take place in a direct purchase from a time sensitive offer, or the life-time value of purchasing as the mail recipient comes back time and time again.

Successful Direct Mail Marketing Ingredients

1. Mailing Lists
Your mailing list, whether it be your own internal customer list or an acquired one, is a crucial ingredient to your recipe for success.  Your direct mail marketing campaign is only as good as your list.  The more fine tuned your list, the more relevant your message can become.  It is better to mail 10 different messages to 10 different "segments" of your direct mail marketing list, than it is to mail one or two messages to your mass audience.

2. Creative Message
Once you've got your list, and you understand how this list looks as compared to another list, you can begin with designing the creative copy and offer.  Again, if your budget allows, it is always better to speak the language of your audience.  Consider your neighborhood.  Everyone around your home looks considerably different than you....right?  Since the answer is "yes", your message should reflect this difference.  Speak the language of your direct mail marketing list whenever possible.

3. Offer
Just as important as the creative graphic and message to your segmented audience is the offer made to this audience.  Your offer should reflect the relative importance of the audience.  As an example, a coupon for $1.00 OFF makes much more sense to a single mom, than it does to a wealthy ultra affluence couple.  Especially if it is child related and the wealthy couple has no children.  Make sure your direct mail marketing message and offer are inline with the audience you are trying to reach.