Getting Started with Your Direct Mail Campaign

Getting Started with Your Direct Mail Campaign

Direct mail is effective when done right. It’s time to throw any assumptions you have about direct mail out the window and start fresh. An effective mail strategy is leaps and bounds beyond digital marketing even today! On average, direct mail has a response rate of 4.4% while email comes in at 0.12%.

Let direct mailing be the powerhouse advocate for your business! While we’re proponents of mail marketing, it needs to be done right. Let’s take a look at how to get started on an effective direct mailing campaign.

Determine Your Direct Mailing Campaign Strategy

Your direct mailing campaign strategy is your blueprint for success. It means you start your campaign by asking the right questions and exploring your options. Without a sound strategy, your direct mailing campaign will not be as effective as it could be.

In our guide to determining a direct mailing campaign strategy we go over your intended messaging, your ideal audience, and what type of mail you should be sending (there are options).

Select a Mail Piece Type

There are 4 primary mail types to choose from; postcard, self-mailers, letters, and catalogs. They all have their benefits. It’s important to understand what each type does best so you can most effectively tailor your message.

In our guide to mail piece types we answer your frequently asked questions:

  • What does a postcard do best?
  • What constitutes a self-mailer?
  • What can go into a letter?
  • Do people still read catalogs?

Take a look to find your answers!

Determine Your Direct Mailing List

Mailing lists are a pivotal part of your direct mail campaign outreach. Did you know you can rent or purchase a direct mailing list? It’s true; and a rented list functions differently from a purchased list. Here at Bluegrass, we are proponents of always having an in-house direct mailing list as well.

Are you unsure if you should rent or purchase a list? Take a look at our guide to direct mailing lists and we’ll explore your different options.

Design Your Piece

Be Creative.

Even if you have a sound direct mailing strategy your mailer needs to be both functional and appealing to excite your customers. Graphic design is an art form but there are some fundamentals everyone should follow to ensure that your finished product looks good.

Of course, we’ve covered all your bases in our detailed direct mailing design guide, so take a look.

Explore Additional Channels (or Lose Your Audience)

Your mail strategy is sound. Yet, what do you do after your customers have read your mail? You need to explore something we call integrated marketing. To put it simply, integrated marketing is a technique that deploys multiple channels of communication, from direct mail, to digital, and to social.

Make the strong statistical engagement of direct mail work for you but don’t make it stop at the mailbox. Engage your audience, entice them to seek your brand out online, and give them all the innovative tools at your disposal to do just that. An integrated direct mail campaign is one that your audience remembers. Take a look at our introduction to integrated marketing to learn more.

Your Direct Mailing Campaign Deserves More

As I mentioned previously, direct mail works. Yet, if the journey ends there, then you’re doing your business a disservice. A strategy that starts with a direct mail campaign (and covers the bases we mentioned) and continues through to digital channels is exactly what your modern direct mail campaign should look like. You have the business and we have the tools; let’s work together to make your next campaign a successful one. From campaign development and direct mailing piece design to mailing service and adding digital components to your mailing campaign, we have the expertise to make the most of your campaign.

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