Running a direct mail campaign can often yield incredible results and kick-start an effective marketing campaign for your company—if you put in the right amount of time and attention. Not only are direct mail campaigns effective at putting your business in the front of your customers’ minds, they can also help you create a well-rounded marketing strategy for your company. However, there are a few common direct mail mistakes that can detract from the full impact of your campaign and lessen profitability. If you keep these 5 common direct mail mistakes in mind, you’ll be able to avoid them and ensure you carry out the most successful campaign possible.
Not taking the time to plan
If you don’t spend enough time planning your direct mail piece, there’s a good chance it could negatively affect your campaign. With poor planning, you run the risk of producing a campaign that looks rushed, and there’s a chance you’ll miss important details. You should have a strong idea of what you want to send out—a postcard, a newsletter, coupons, etc.—and you should have an offer or promotion in mind. Why are you sending out this direct mail piece? What goal do you want to achieve? How will you entice potential customers? Plan these things out before you start moving forward with your direct mail campaign.
Not using your mailing list right away
Mailing lists should be used very soon after they’re purchased or rented in order to ensure their accuracy, so it’s important you don’t sit on them for too long. Hold off on purchasing or renting a list until your campaign is completely ready to go. You don’t want to spend months planning, only to realize that your mailing list is outdated and useless, which will also cause you to waste money. The right company will work with you to make sure you have an effective and fresh list, so use it as quickly as possible.
Not creating an enticing design
If you want people to take the time to look at your direct mail piece, which I’m sure you do, you need to work on creating an aesthetically-pleasing design for your mail piece. A boring design will only inspire people to throw your mail piece away, so don’t take the risk. If you don’t have a graphic designer on staff, there are many printing companies that specialize in helping you design an intriguing mailing piece, so don’t feel like you need to tackle this one all by yourself. Your direct mail piece should be exciting and entice your recipients to open it up or look it over.
Not having an intriguing offer
No matter how beautiful your design, offering your recipients a deal that’s easy to ignore isn’t going to elicit much of a response. If you want your recipients to act on your direct mail piece, you need to give them an intriguing offer, an offer worth their time and attention. Don’t make people regret having spent their precious time opening your mail piece by rewarding them with a lousy offer. Otherwise, your beautifully designed direct mail piece will go straight into the trash.
Not integrating it into a larger marketing strategy
Direct mail campaigns can work great on their own, but it helps if you incorporate them into your larger marketing strategy. This means combining different marketing techniques like sending out email campaigns, developing a content strategy, and setting up social media sites. Building upon your direct mail campaign and creating a bigger marketing strategy is important because it will help enforce your brand and develop a relationship with your customers. Invite recipients of your direct mail piece to check out your social media sites or give feedback on your company blog. Find ways to tie it all together.
Direct mail campaigns are a great way to bring in more business and spread the word about your company. Make sure you avoid these common pitfalls and take the time to plan your direct mail campaign thoroughly, and you’ll be reaping the rewards in no time. Please contact us at (888) 578-3282 if you wish to learn more about our direct mail services.