I feel pretty confident saying that most business owners under the age of 35 probably have never even considered running a direct mail marketing campaign for their business. Having grown up in an increasingly paperless and entirely online world, the mere concept of spending precious marketing dollars on printing up thousands of pieces of paper to stuff into mailboxes to be snail mailed to numerous people seems pretty crazy to the younger generation of entrepreneurs.
While there is no denying that the business world, and our world in general, has been dramatically swinging toward the quicker, more efficient, and much more environmentally friendly realm of electronic communication … many smart and eager modern minds wonder today — But does direct mail marketing actually work?
Before any of you young guns return your gaze to your electronic device in front of you that is now full of thoughts and ideas in large and bold fonts, discounting the idea of a mail marketing campaign today, you might want to read through this blog.
If you’re going to do direct mail, you gotta do it right.
Direct mail, while certainly a dinosaur in the world of marketing, can still be a powerful weapon in your business marketing arsenal. That is, of course, if it’s done correctly and intelligently. We’ll lay out a few broad tips for you to consider if carrying out a direct mail campaign. While we would still urge the majority of business owners toward a more electronic/Internet based marketing strategy, this article will explain how you can still get solid results today from direct mail marketing.
The Dos…
(1) Follow the 40/40/20 Rule.
We all understand the huge importance and power of making and carrying out a well-thought out and comprehensive business plan. Well, it’s no different for direct mail marketing, and this tried-and-true method of marketing is known as the 40/40/20 rule. This rule dictates that the success and eventual ROI of your direct mail marketing efforts are going to be dependent upon three factors – 40% of your success will come from how effective your mailing list is, another 40% will depend on how compelling your offer is, and the remaining 20% will come from everything else – design, the copy/text of the mailing, the images chosen, delivery date and method, etc.
(2) Test The Market.
This ties into the first 40 of the 40/40/20 rule. Even if you have what you feel is a great and well-defined target list, you will never truly know how great it is until you test it. If you operate a business in a smaller community, this won’t be as critical, but if you are in a medium or large city, it can be crucial.
Using the example above, even if you know that the Life Alert bracelet offer is meant for seniors, in a city like San Francisco or New York, you would not want to send it to everyone over the age of 55 citywide. Instead, select one (or several in a very large city) small area to test the market out. Start small and measure the effectiveness and ROI along every step of the way.
Do’…and the Don’ts
(1) Fail to Proofread/Quality Control.
Nothing will get your piece of direct mail marketing throw into the trash bin more quickly than a glaring typo, a noticeable formatting issue, or an overall poor print quality. If you are writing the copy, be sure to not only proof it yourself but also have some of your more linguistically-inclined friends and colleagues give it a once over, not only for grammatical and punctuation mistakes but for overall ease of reading and flow. Do not be afraid to seek as many trusted opinions as possible, and be sure to have thick skin to prepare for any constructive criticisms.
(2) Forget To Drive Traffic Online.
Even though this article is focused entirely on mail marketing, let’s be honest – it won’t be long until direct mail is pretty much a relic of a bygone era. And that’s perfectly okay – changing times call for changing tactics. While some business owners have opted to chuck mail marketing into the trash bin altogether, a more transitional and highly effective option would be to reduce the amount spent on mail marketing, while continuing to direct the recipients of the mail toward your business’s online front.
A simple and cheap twist on old school marketing is found using Resurge to send personal postcards to your clients all year long! Check out Resurge online at https://www.resurgereferral.com and 888-882-8806. With Resurge, all you have to do is choose the clients, and they do the rest. Direct Mail Marketing in our modern world is easy and less expensive with Resurge https://www.resurgereferral.com and 888-882-8806.
Because direct mail marketing succeeds in today’s world, use direct mail marketing today to be that strong call to action that will drive traffic to your online footprint. Contact Resurge today to learn how direct mail marketing can be that old school tool that will push your company in our modern world https://www.resurgereferral.com.