As explained last week we are going to be providing some useful marketing plans for you to take note of, refer to and follow as you look at trying out new methods of marketing your business. Most of our methods can be used by most businesses but if you are unsure, feel free to contact us to discuss your concerns and individual needs and goals.

Is Direct Mail still effective in 2019?

It may surprise you to learn that this type of marketing has a better response rate than any of the popular digital marketing methods! The often-dismissed method of sending a leaflet directly to a home has been around for decades and still gives a better response and success rate than Social Media, Paid Online Ads, eMail Marketing. This is according to online marketing guru Neil Patel (one of the top 10 marketers according to Forbes magazine) so should not be taken lightly. The stats say that direct mail has a response rate of just under 6% which is over 10 times that of the digital methods mentioned above.

What is the direct mailing marketing process?

1. Start with setting up a way to measure the success of the campaign. With direct mailing, this is easy. Simply state on the leaflet that the customer needs to mention it or bring the leaflet with them to avail of the offer. Then, ensure you have staff keep track of the customers who do so. In that way, you can see how effective the campaign is and actually put a real monetary value on the campaign’s direct effectiveness.
2. Next, decide what it is you are going to offer in the mailing. It is vital that you keep the mailing simple and ensure that it will catch the attention of the receiver. Well established and recognizable big retailers can send out more detailed mail because their brand is instantly recognizable whereas small businesses are usually not. This means that one or two images are best, not too many. This then means that your offer should be focused on one or two products or services rather than lots. Alternatively, you can give an overall offer “10% off everything when you show this leaflet” etc.
3. Once you have the general idea of your offer, talk to the printers and graphic designers. Good direct mailing companies will have in-house designers who know the products they print. Be careful of trying to use separate companies for this as what a designer suggests may not work with the printing methods of another company. Explain your idea simply, ask any questions you may have and provide things like company logo, colors, and images. This is important and you must ensure any images you provide are of sufficient quality for printing on paper – your graphic designer can advise you on this based on the size, paper, etc. being used. Another important thing to get advice on is the type of paper you use. Your direct mailing company can advise on this but generally, better quality paper is worth paying for as it is a reflection of your company and brand.
4. When the designers have shown you what the design looks like and you are happy with it, you can then proceed with the order. Speak to the mailing company about the costs and areas they will cover. Direct mailing works best if your business is within a reasonable driving distance of those you mail to so keep that in mind and discuss the options fully.
5. Ensure that all staff is aware of the promotion and that they understand how they are to keep track of respondents.
6. After the campaign has ended – for direct mailing, that means 7-10 days after the leaflets have gone out – start to assess the impact it had. Look at the different factors:
   1. How many people specifically responded to the offer
   2. How many made a purchase and for what value?
   3. Were you busier than you normally would be?
   4. Did sales go up compared to the previous weeks’ average?
   5. Any other feedback from staff regarding the campaign?

Once you have this information, you can begin to assess the Return on Investment (ROI) and compare it to the cost of the campaign.

7. At this point, you can decide if it is worth doing another. If you feel it wasn’t successful, look at why that might have been. However, if you have followed the steps and used reputable companies to help, then it should be successful. If you decide to do it again, then it is generally wise to spread out offers but assess this for your own type of business. You may decide to run ongoing direct mail campaigns perhaps targeting different locations or with different offers etc.

So there you have it – as you can see, while there are 7 steps mentioned above, there is nothing difficult about running this type of campaign. With such a good response rate and a relatively low cost when compared to many methods, the simplicity of creating this type of campaign is very attractive.

Pros of Direct Mail Marketing

• Easy to set up
• Low fixed costs which are known in advance
• It is Scalable so if it is successful, you can expand the geographic area targeted
• Easy to measure results
• High response rate compared to other methods (up to 10 times better)
• Suitable for many types of business including retail stores and services
• Very suitable for smaller and locally based businesses

Take the first step today…

At Colorado Canopies, we know how to run direct mailing campaigns. Our in-house graphic design team and staff are more than happy to discuss your goals and need to ensure you get the campaign you want. Talk to us today to find out more and take the first step to a successful marketing campaign.