Print media channels such as Direct Mail have shown continued growth in the last few years, even in a digitally dominant landscape.
With a tangible print channel brands and businesses can create memorable moments with their target audience and with known delivery locations, Direct Mail can be planned within an integrated media campaign or as a stand-alone piece of activity.
Posthub, part of the Whistl Group is perfectly placed to help businesses across a wide range of industry sectors create cost effective direct mail campaigns. Posthub offers hands-on print media advice from mailing data services to the management of the delivery to the final mailing list.
To aid the understanding and effectiveness of the channel, Posthub has created this short but effective guide to Direct Mail Marketing. This guide will cover content best practice, creative design tips, effective targeting, reporting and media integration.
What is Direct Mail?
Direct Mail put simply is addressed advertising mail, targeted to an individual. Once Direct Mail is opened, it must be relevant to resonate with the targeted individual or it can be discarded. A clean and up to data database, effective targeting and relevant creative design is key to continuing the brand to consumer advertising dialogue.
Direct Mail Design Top Tips
Here are some top tips to ensure your design is eye-catching and memorable:
- Colour is important:People react emotionally to different colours for example; cold colours such as blue can promote a negative reaction in comparison to warm colours like red which have the opposite effect.
- Size matters:Probably a great place to start is choosing what content you need; this will give you a good indication of the size of the item or letter you need to send. For example, if you have a charitable case study and examples of how your donation will make a difference to the cause, this is unlikely to fit on an A5 postcard.
- Personalisation is key:If you are sending out a Direct Mail campaign it is more than likely that you will have a recipient’s name so, use it! People tend to respond more when they are addressed within the content of the communication.
- Get to the point:Keep your Direct Mail item engaging with informal language, eye-catching images and easy to follow the call to actions.
- Paper quality and finish:Deciding on the finish of your paper can help to define your brand credentials and can be more important than you might think. Flimsy 90gsm paper does not scream out luxury for example.
- Proof, test and test again:Make sure you proofread everything and get others to check it over too before going to the printers. When you are looking at your design, you may think one choice may work better than another. Why not create an AB split test fairly across your delivery schedule? This can help in understanding how to make your next campaign work, even harder.
Direct Mail Targeting
As we have progressed into a new GDPR world the art of targeting has changed for almost all media channels. Direct Mail is no exception to the change. In the past, it was easy to purchase data lists of addresses, who may be interested in your brand. Today, clean and opted in data is key to your brand reputation and will aid your responses as your contacts have already given permission to receive mail.
There are two key areas to understand when looking at Direct Mail and data to create the most effective Direct Mail campaign.
- Data cleansing
Has your data been building throughout time but without properly cleaning it? If this is the case, you can be sure you will waste budget sending out mailings to old and out of date address details. Utilising a data cleansing service is a quick and easy way to ensure your data is up to date, compliant and campaign ready. Did you know Posthub, part of the Whistl group offer free data health checks? Find out more.
- Personalisation
Even if your campaign data lists are now smaller post GDPR, this doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from the change, by using effective personalisation techniques. According to the DMA response report, a Direct Mail item with personalisation was 80% more likely to be opened. Using simple personalisation such as the customer’s name or address throughout the copy can considerably increase your campaigns response rates.
Media Integration for Direct mail
Digital media integration is widely known for most businesses; it also works exceptionally well for print marketing channels too. Response rates for Direct Mail have been seen to increase by 40% when run alongside a Doordrop campaign for example.
Direct Mail can also be delivered on the exact day of your choice. This means it can be perfectly scheduled to support your other marketing channels when running a multi-media campaign.
Measuring Direct Mail Success
Taking learnings from your media spend is arguably the most important part of any campaign. It tells us what works and what doesn’t. Data can be pretty black and white for most digital channels, and it can be just as clear for printed media. Direct Mail can benefit from utilising trackable elements that help you understand how well your print marketing campaign has worked. Here are a few tips you could try on your next Direct Mail campaign to improve your performance data:
- If you are sending potential customers online, use a landing page specifically for the Direct Mail piece to see what traffic it has driven
- You can also use QR codes to drive web traffic and make it easier for your readers to get to your website
- If you need calls, use a trackable phone number or even just a separate number for the printed piece.
- If you are looking for store visits, including a removable coupon for them to redeem in store.
- Use bespoke voucher codes to see how well your Direct Mail piece has worked with the marketing mix
To find out how Posthub can help your business with Direct Mail support visit our website www.post-hub.co.uk
