Re-Published from April 24, 2015 |
It’s no secret that most marketers are relying heavily on digital marketing efforts, namely social media, to land new business. It can be somewhat simple to identify individuals that could be potential customers due to the semi-transparent nature of social media sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, and most importantly, it’s safe from a monetary standpoint costing only time. So, how do marketers stand out from the crowd these days? Years ago all that was available was direct-mail marketing, cold calling or in-person drop-ins. These days, as exemplified above, it’s mostly impersonal interaction online that can lead to volume based marketing. And while that is an efficient approach, it can dilute the connection if done improperly.
For those of you who have been tasked with creating a relevant and impactful direct-mail marketing campaign, you understand the complexities and details that go along with successful execution. This may be why most marketers turn to digital – it’s less messy and things can be (for the most part) undone. With direct-mail marketing, once the ink dries and the mailing is executed, there’s no turning back which is why it needs to be done right the first time, every time.
Just as with most trends, then tend to come full circle years or decades down the road. This has become the case with direct-mail marketing. Consumers are overloaded with emails, direct-messages and friend requests. What stands out in 2015 is direct-mail marketing, and when done in harmony with digital marketing the impact will be tenfold.
To get started with direct-mail marketing, follow the checklist below.
• Audience – Identify who it is that you want to market to, not only on an individual level but also from a group standpoint. Meaning, will the direct mailer be sent to current customers, prospective customers, or to be more specific, a group of prospective customers in the financial industry? Targeting your audience will allow you to speak to their needs directly.
• List building – Now that an audience has been identified, where will you pull the list from? There are certainly companies out there that can provide you with prospecting lists but what better place to start than with your network on social media. Check LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for connections but also prospective customers. Especially those that you’ve recently connect with; show them your capabilities in direct-mail marketing not just social media.
• Creative – Build your team internally to develop the campaign itself. Identify team members who are creative, insightful, and reliable. You’ll need to concept the theme, write copy, develop graphics and coordinate with vendors. Be sure to have the right team members on board to get the job done, and if you aren’t the type to coordinate, appoint a team member to run the show.
• Call to action – Depending on the purpose of the direct-mailer, you may want to include a soft or hard call to action (CTA). CTA’s are indeed necessary to create next steps for your audience. If you’re offering special pricing but don’t provide a call back number or email address, it may prove difficult for the recipient to take action. Think about it logically, and if you were the consumer, how would you know what to do with the mailing piece.
• Supplier partners – Finding reliable partners that are outside your organization is just as important as the folks inside. You’ll need partners to apply the graphics you’ve created to products or packaging and print romance cards. Not to mention, a fulfillment center to pull it all together and execute the campaign. Finding the right fit is incredibly important to ensure the campaign goes off without a hitch.
• Analytics – Gathering analytics to understand the return on your direct-mail marketing campaign is the real test to see if the campaign is worthy of being run again. It can be easy to say that you created an interesting and relevant campaign but if you don’t get one response you may think about either running interviews with your audience or conducting a focus group to make tweaks.
These six checklist items should give you a good start to building your first, or next, direct-mail marketing campaign but if this still seems daunting or you need assistance, consider Proforma to be the partner you can rely on from start to finish.