There’s no denying that the world of business has been trending toward the more efficient, much cheaper, much more environmentally friendly, and quicker realm of electronic communications. But does direct mail marketing still work?

Direct mail is still a very powerful weapon to have in your marketing arsenal – IF it’s done correctly. Today we’re sharing a few broad tips for you to consider when creating a direct mail campaign for your business

The Dos of Direct Mail Marketing

1. Abide by the 40/40/20 Rule of Marketing: This proven method of marketing dictates that the success and ROI of your direct mail marketing are going to be dependent upon three elements:
   • 40% of your success will be derived from how effective your mailing list is.
   • 40% will depend on how persuasive your offer is.
   • 20% will come from the other elements including design, copy, images, delivery date, and method, etc.
2. Test the Market Frequently: Even if you think you gave a well-defined target list, you won’t know how good it is until you test it. Start small and calculate the effectiveness and ROI throughout every step of the process. You should perform numerous tests with small tweaks to determine the most effective combination of offer, design, and audience before mailing it out. Just be sure to only change one variable per test mailing or you won’t know what is responsible for the change.
3. Include a Great Call to Action (CTA): The CTA doesn’t need to be a discount or a sale – it could advertise a promotion or contest or incentivize people to take part in an online survey. Regardless of the nature, there must be a CTA.

The Don’ts of Direct Mail Marketing

1. Failing to Proofread Properly: Nothing will get your direct mail piece thrown in the trash more quickly than a noticeable formatting issue, an overall poor print quality, or a glaring typo. Have the copy looked over by colleagues, not only for punctuation or grammatical mistakes but for overall flow and ease of reading.
2. Forgetting to Follow Up: When your mailing is finished, you’ll have a list of people that have transacted with your business based solely on your piece of mail. And you must follow up with them. Regardless of how you do it, don’t forget that these people are worth their weight in gold when producing your next direct mail campaign.
3. Forgetting to Drive Online Traffic: Sending a direct mail piece that encourages people to follow you on your social media platform, using QR codes to unlock small freebie items, giving additional entries into a contest hosted on your business’s website, or hosting an online sale with coupon codes that are sent out via mail, are all great methods to give your direct mail a strong CTA. And it will also drive traffic to your online footprint, which will undoubtedly become more important through the years.

If you need help creating a Direct Mail Campaign, we can help. We can also assist you with Social Media Marketing, Website Design, SEO/SEM, a Blogging Program, Email Marketing – or any other marketing tools – so give us a call today at 203-746-5901 or send us an email to sales@BlueOrchidMarketing.com to get started.