Direct Mail Facts

Read Before You Mail

Direct Mail Campaign Response Rates
The vast majority of your direct mailers end up in the trash.  It's a fact.  Most direct mail marketing campaigns focus on a balance between building brand and response.  Base your response on a 1% response rate as a goal or bench mark.  There are no guarantees and you may not even get close to it, but if you do the math and can't make a make a profit at 1%, direct mail marketing shouldn't be considered at all.

Database Update Schedules
Updating a database means many things to many people. Was it completely rebuilt or just NCOA'd? Many mailing list databases are "updated" every 30 to 60 days meaning they have been passed against the National Change of Address. But, those same databases may only be built once a year or less. Most files work for most mailers, but it's important to understand this differentiation. When a mailer assumes the people on the list have just been added, when in fact, they've been on the list for years, the mailer can assume the poor response is due to the offer or creative, when it's really an issue with the list.

Direct Mail is measurable and predictable
The beauty of direct mail is that it's predictable and measurable. If you mail a statistically valid sample size and achieve a 1.4% response, it's very likely you will achieve the same response rate again. There are a number of ways to measure the success of your direct mail marketing campaign. For help with mailing list selection and measurement, call us....we can help.