I was inspired to write this article after a very impressive-looking direct mail piece arrived at my office. I was very excited as the pack was bright and colourful. I couldn’t help wondering what it was, how the company had found my name and whether I could pick up some good tips for my own direct mail campaigns. My expectations were high.
Unfortunately, my initial anticipation faded when I opened the mail piece and realised it was a good example of the fact that big budgets don’t necessarily buy good direct mail campaigns.
I admit I love this form of marketing. Done well, it’s a cost-effective marketing and sales tool, and is a great way to grow your brand and acquire new clients. Here’s what the company in question could have done better.
Checked the mailing list
The first thing I noticed was the incorrect spelling of my name, which led me to think about where the database had come from, how up-to-date and accurate the list was and what type of quality control was in place.
If you’re buying or hiring a list, it’s really important to do some checks before you send out your campaign. It’s as simple as calling a selection of the companies or individuals on it to check their details.
Spending your hard-earned dollars on letters that don’t get to where they’re supposed to is very frustrating indeed, so it’s vital you get a guarantee from the company supplying the data that you will have no ‘Return to sender’.
Hit at the right time
I am a firm believer in good timing, and this particular direct mail piece was trying to capitalise on this concept. It was promoting a major sporting event and the gift was a supporter scarf. Unfortunately the parcel arrived after the event commenced, so the connection with the initial media hype was lost.
Identified their target market
Perhaps it is back to Marketing 101, but sending out a direct mail piece to a company or person that is not in the target market for the product on offer is simply not a good idea.
Taking some time to clarify your target audience and including as much detail as possible in your supplier briefings will help to deliver better overall results.
Used an appropriate call to action
Further to the point above, the pack I received contained a letter with a call to action offer stating ‘The first 12 people to call and book a test drive will receive four passes to an NRL game’.
I’m guessing here, but my feeling is that whoever put this pack together isn’t from Victoria, or they’d have known that tickets to an AFL match were likely to be a much more compelling offer to a Melbournian like me.
It’s simply good marketing to personalise your communication and segment your database wherever possible. This was another opportunity lost.
Your checklist for a successful direct mail campaign
There is no doubt that much thought and money went into this particular campaign, but it failed on quite a few fronts. For your next direct mail campaign, consider the following:
- Quality check third party mailing lists
- Ensure that the communication is sent to a narrowly defined target audience
- Customise the call to action and incentive wherever possible
- Be authentic in your copy
- Use colour to engage your audience
- Use reply paid envelopes to boost your response rate
- Use both sides of the communication piece
- Use customised mail merge fields throughout the copy
Have you used direct mail with good results? Please share your pointers below.
“ My initial anticipation faded when I opened the mail piece and realised it was a good example of the fact that big budgets don’t necessarily buy good marketing campaigns. ”
Jo Macdermott from Next Marketing works with Business Owners in Melbourne who require ongoing Marketing support. If you are a Business Owner with a Marketing budget who is too busy to ‘get around to marketing’ then Jo Macdermott is here to help. Jo specialises in tactical Marketing plans that are pragmatic and make a lot of business sense.
