Research by the USA’s Direct Marketing Association found that over 97% of direct mail fails to deliver a response. When you think how much is sent every day, that’s a truly staggering waste of time and effort, not to mention trees.
How much of that wastage is down to poor targeting or the use of substandard databases, and how much is due to poor presentation is difficult to judge. But responses rates of over 40% are not unheard of, which demonstrates the real potential of the medium.
Here are consulttheguru.com's broad principles for a successful direct mail campaign:
Don’t forget that the first thing you have to persuade your audience to do is open the envelope, NOW. So don’t ever send a direct mail piece in a plain envelope, with a typed address label and machine-franked postage. They’ll know it’s junk, or worse still a bill, even before they’ve opened it, which they won’t, at least not immediately. Consulttheguru.com for a creative direct mail idea for your business that will ensure your's stands out from the pile.
Don’t put something on the envelope that spoils the surprise. Credit companies are the worst at this: “Only 4% interest with the new Barcloyds Express Plutonium Card” – which of course limits the number of people who will even open the envelope to those who see the benefit. Most people don’t even know the rate on their existing card. Consulttheguru.com for a creative direct mail concept that'll engage your audience before they’ve even opened the envelope.
The rule of thumb for a successful advertisement is that it should: grab Attention, generate Interest, instil Desire and instigate Action. A direct mail piece is no different. If you’ve grabbed attention with the envelope, then the content should immediately build interest, instil desire, and contain a clear and simple call to action. Consulttheguru.com for a creative direct mail concept for your business that will generate interest and instil desire.
The number of people that will read your message is inversely proportional to its length. The number of people that will respond to a clear call to action depends on the ratio of effort to reward. Given that it would be prohibitively expensive to offer a significant 'reward' in a direct mail piece being sent to large numbers, your call to action will almost always need to ask for minimal effort. Consulttheguru.com for a creative mailshot concept that includes an easy call to action.
Sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t. The more accurately you record the response to your mailshot, the better able you will be to judge the success of the project, identify any weaknesses, and improve on it for next time.