How To Make Your Direct Mail Matter

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If you send out any kind of direct mail to customers, you know that the return on investment isn’t always ideal. Chances are, you send out a number of envelopes and only receive a few replies, if any.

What’s more, it’s impossible to know if recipients even open your envelope, unless they take some kind of action that you can track, like scan your QR code.

Sending a unique package and micro-targeting your recipients are both essential practices with direct mail. People receive way too much mail already, and they never read it all. They read the ones that are relevant to their needs, and the ones that stand out.

If you can cover both of these criteria, you have a much better chance of having your message read, and of receiving more responses.

Give a little somethin’

Try including a small gift with your message, like a chocolate, or a bigger gift, like a hula hoop or a neck pillow. Include a short sales letter with your call to action. If possible, tie your core message in with your gift.

If you decide on the neck pillow, you could say, “We help your business work efficiently, so you have more time to relax.”

Here’s a crazy thought. Why not send a singing telegram and have them sing your call to action? Maybe send a balloon with a message on it. Maybe those swinging silver balls that people can’t resist playing with.

Micro-target your recipients

Instead of sending 100 direct mailers to 100 people once, consider sending 100 to 25 people in a series of four. Each mailing could contain part of a story, or lead up to your call-to-action in the final mailer. Each time, tell them what to expect in the next installment, and then deliver your promise.

You could even omit your logo and contacts in the first three, so as to make the whole process a suspenseful mystery for them. Once they get your final mail and your contact info, they’ll feel like they need to contact you!

Send your targeted direct mailers to fewer people in this way, and you’ll stand out from all the junk mail they receive. Plus, you’ll get more bang for your buck (i.e. ROI).

Time to get creative

Hopefully, I got you in the brainstorming mood and triggered some ideas. Use you imagination. Do something they’d never expect, and win them over as a result of your efforts.

Do you have any ideas to share? Please leave a comment.


Image by christmasstockimages.com under a CC BY 3.0 license.

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