Direct Mail Gets the Job Done
A thoughtful, well-planned direct mail campaign can benefit any business, nonprofit group, or organization wanting to raise awareness or advertise an event. Direct mail can announce the opening of a new store, introduce new products to known customers, or spread a message to people willing to receive it. What makes direct mail so effective is its ability to target specific customers and certain demographics.
This blog examines why direct mail offers a better response rate and provides tips for improving your next direct mail campaign’s response rate.
What Is a Good Response Rate for Direct Mail?
It may come as a surprise to some people, but direct mail provides some of the best rates of return of any advertising medium. Here are some statistics to give you background about targeted direct mail response rates:
- 41% of mail recipients say they look forward to getting the mail every day.
- 42% of mail recipients read or scan all the mail they get, including advertisements.
- 73% of American consumers prefer direct mail because they control when and where they read the message.
The average response for a direct mail campaign is 0.5% to 2%. This means out of every 100 recipients, 2 to 4 people respond, and half of them take action. The more you spread your brand and your message, these rates increase.
Tips for Increasing Your Direct Mail Response Rates
Every direct mail campaign is different, but the fundamentals remain the same. If you want to increase the responses to your flyers, postcards, and brochures, consider building these elements into your campaign.
Choose Your Targets Wisely
You should already know who your ideal reader is. The next step is to find prospects who are likely to follow up on your message or offer. This means lists that have been cleansed of active customers, chronic non-responders, and irrelevant recipients, so you spend more of your advertising dollar finding new customers. What you don’t want to do is blast your message out to a cold list of random targets—that’s called junk mail. Instead, it’s much more effective to reach out to an individual or a household with a pre-stated interest.
Use a Great Design
Appealing designs go beyond flashy colors. Critical design elements include mailer size, the cardstock you use, and content placement. A great creative design draws the eye to your mail piece, and when you send something with a strategic, unique look and feel, people remember it.
Personalize
Postcard printing technology has developed to where each piece of mail can feature customized content depending on the recipient. From pictures and text to preferred color palettes, personalization is how a direct mail piece connects with the recipient. You can even use a personalized postcard to thank your customer after a sale.
Start Small
One of the great things about direct mail is that you can start a campaign with just a handful of clients. This allows you to test customer responses to a specific product or service.
Make It Easy With a Clear Call to Action
Personalization means you can include a QR Code or barcode targeted at the recipient and direct them to a personalized landing page that addresses their specific needs. This allows you to use space on your mailers for eye-catching design instead of a wall of text.
Remember That a Campaign Doesn’t Have To Stop at One Mailing
You can use the success of one mailing to boost the response rates of a second related mailing. Sequential mailing acts as a reminder of previous interest, and it increases your odds of reaching the right customer at the right time.
Choose Presort as Your Direct Mail Partner
The Presort Inc. team is here to help you design, print, and implement a direct mail campaign that makes sense for your organization and your advertising budget.
- The Presort Plus tool allows you to track response rates and maximize the impact of your direct mail campaigns.
- Our direct mail printing services are customized to your designs and your specific direct mail strategy.
Presort Inc. provides first-class mail services at a discounted cost to businesses large and small. It’s more critical in today’s competitive environment than ever to get your direct mail pieces delivered quickly, consistently, and efficiently to your targeted mailing list.
Ready To Increase Response Rates While Lowering Costs?
Presort Inc. uses advanced data sets and technology to pinpoint your target audience and only send mailers to those most likely to respond. Find out more about how hitting the right target increases response rates and converts more sales.