- February 23, 2016
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Improving Your Direct Mail Success Rate
Success with direct mail depends on many factors, including design, copywriting, and whether your offer is truly compelling. But the real driver of direct marketing success lies with your data.
A recent report on campaign data by Marketscan reveals some insights that can help integrated marketers save time, effort, and money as you prepare your next direct mail campaign.
Start With The Audience, Not The Data
Are you marketing to generate new leads or retain current customers? How you answer this question will help you identify the type of data you should be focusing on.
Marketscan reveals that twice as many campaigns are developed for lead generation as customer retention (84% vs. 43%). If you’re looking for new customers, you should target prospects you haven’t contacted recently. But if you’re promoting upgrades or add-ons, only current customers should receive your message. Make sure you start by considering the audience first, then the data.
Try a New Metric Every So Often
Do you market to prospects just because they’re in the same town as your business? After learning that only 1.27% of marketers actively seek advice on lists, Marketscan offers this pearl of wisdom: “Don’t confuse how close you can make a customer feel with how close they are geographically.” If you’ve used the same mailing criteria too often with diminishing results, change it up and go outside your comfort zone — maybe even out of town.
Engagement Matters More Than Size
How will you know success when you see it in direct mail? According to the study, “47% of marketers found measuring success the hardest campaign challenge… with one-third only attempting it once the campaign fully finishes.” Audience size is easier to quantify, but the level of engagement is more important to your long-term success.
