Are you struggling to get conversions from your direct mail campaign? Did you know that direct mail still brings in the best conversion rates? Studies have shown that for every $167 spent on direct mail in the US, marketers sell $2,095 in goods. If you’re not getting favorable returns, there are definitely ways to optimize your direct mail campaigns. Let's take a look at the key ways to leverage direct mail to increase your business’s revenue.
Factors of a Successful Direct Mail Piece
Your Targeted Contact Lists
Whether you see it or not, your contact list contributes significantly to the success of your direct mail. For example, it wouldn’t be effective to only market women’s clothing to an all-male recipient list. You should, first of all, segment your list to ensure that whomever you’re targeting fits your product. Ironmark’s experts can help you build and refine your contact list to optimize the performance of your direct mail campaigns.
Related: 8 Excel Hacks for a Squeaky Clean Mailing List
Your DIRECT MAIL Offer
If you cannot correctly highlight what is there for your customer to gain, you’ll rarely get conversions out of any marketing efforts. Customers like to see what they can gain from your product or service, along with what sets you apart from your competition (including bonuses and freebies). If you can make your offer look like a steal, you’ll have a better chance of getting your audience to convert. Also, you must consider how you choose your offer - be sure the offer is the best one you can make to attract customers. Consider what makes your offer unique, and how to talk about the offer to your target audience.
Related: How Much Does Direct Mail Cost?
Your DIRECT MAIL Copy
The actual copy isn’t what will initially catch someone's eye, and may not be what converts your audience, but it’s just as essential. The copy is what will convince people to keep reading until the end.
When writing your copy, rather than highlighting the benefits of your product or service, write about how your solution solves a problem they are having. Inbound marketing principles come into play here: People don’t care about your business, they care about their own problems. If you talk too heavily about the specifics and technical side of your product or service, you’ll bore your readers (and more importantly, lose any conversions).
Think about the 1,000 songs in your pocket analogy Steve Jobs used during the iPod’s unveiling ceremony. That was the perfect example of general benefits over technical specifics. If he had said “1 gig of storage” - which may be a great headline or bullet - it would have sounded too technical, and may not have translated properly to the audience he was trying to communicate with. But Steve Jobs put it into a more relatable context, and this is very crucial.
Your Call-to-Action (CTA)
Getting your CTA right is crucial for your conversions. If you’re not directing your readers to an offer, they won’t know what to do. Giving them that direction is your job. Use CTAs like, “Call today to get started” or “Visit our website for more information.” Don’t think that a CTA is only good online - a CTA phrase can be valuable in physical media as well, as a way to prompt your audience to take the next step.
Related: Direct Mail Drops: How Many and How Often Yield Best Results?
DIRECT MAIL Design
How well your reader navigates through your mail piece depends heavily on the design. Many brands don’t pay attention to design, but it is essential. Your designs make it easier for your recipients to read through and absorb the information your mail piece has to offer.
Logo: Logos are essential for your branding. They help to ensure that you maintain a consistent look - and that your brand sticks.
Color: You shouldn’t be afraid to include colors. Maintaining a particular color helps your customers get familiarized with your brand. Here’s a good tip: include colors that pop, as these will grab the reader’s attention from the start.
Contact Details: If you want to be as direct as possible, include contact information. This makes people feel more confident dealing with you, because now they know they’re working with real people.
Direct mail is still very effective today. Learning to optimize your direct mail is crucial to properly convert your readers into paying customers. For more help with getting your direct mail campaign set up, get in contact with Ironmark’s direct mail specialists.
