3 Common Direct Mail Mistakes To Avoid

Direct mail marketing, also known as print marketing, is one of the oldest and most influential ways of marketing. While it may not be as lighting fast as digital marketing, it has its advantages. For instance, almost half of Millennials will ignore digital ads, but only 15% will ignore direct mail. Direct mail marketing also yields an average 13-to-1 return on investment.

But before you run off to one of your local printing companies to start creating direct mail postcards and fliers, there are a few common mistakes you need to avoid making. Here are three common mistakes typically made in print marketing.

3 Common Direct Mail Mistakes

Unclear Or Missing Call To Action

The goal of any marketing campaign is to have people respond to it. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get this response when you’re missing the call to action. You need to make sure that this call to action is specific and easy to follow. Highlight the great things a customer will get when they respond, and remember that this is all about the customer when you’re reaching out to printing companies. As previously stated, the goal of print marketing is to get a great customer response.

Marketing segmentation, target audience, customers care, customer relationship management (CRM) and team building concepts.

Designed Without Postal Regulations

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has many regulations on direct mail, and if you don’t follow them it can cost you more in postage. And since postage will be your biggest expense in any print marketing campaign, that means a lot of money wasted. Follow the regulations on where addresses can be placed based on your mail category, as well as the folding and paper-weight regulations. Make sure you know all of these things before you start printing.

Not Sending to a Targeted Mail List

One of the keys to a successful direct mail campaign is the list you mail to. Don’t make the common mistake of thinking that “everyone” could use your service so you don’t really need to target a specific population. Although this could be correct in theory, with direct mail you could be wasting thousands of dollars mailing to someone who doesn’t necessarily need your service. You should always look at your current customers, identify where they live and certain characteristics that make them unique so that you can try to find similar people. You wouldn’t want to mail a direct mail piece about baby formula to an elderly bachelor. The mailing list you send to will have a direct reflection on your response rate.

When you’re working with printing companies for your direct mail campaign, keep these three common mistakes in mind. You want to make sure you avoid them, as they could cost you time, money, and even affect your ROI!

3 Proven Techniques To Boost Direct Mail Advertising Response Rates

In recent years, many people have incorporated the use of digital advertising into their marketing strategies. They do this with hopes of reaching a wider audience. However, researchers find that almost half of millennials ignore digital ads, yet only 15% ignore direct mail. In fact, when executed properly, direct mail ad campaigns can bring in significant response rates and subsequent sales. Here are just a few ways to boost the response rate of your next direct mail advertising campaign.

Way to Boost Response Rates:

Know The Formula

Direct mail household response rate is currently at about 3.7% (compared to .2% mobile, .1% email, .1% social media, and .02% internet display). One of the main aspects of executing a successful direct mail advertising campaign is having a formula that works. It requires just three simple elements. Which are a strong offer or call to action, a targeted list of direct mail recipients, and a high enough frequency of communicating the message to the intended market.

Don’t Sell Products — Sell Solutions

Some of the most successful businesses in the world use this proven technique. They do this to connect more to potential clients and customers. Instead of simply listing the features of a product or service, boost engagement by relating to problems that cause the need for your business’ product or service-based solution. Target Marketing Mag writer Dean Rieck summarizes this method perfectly: “Bob doesn’t want a drill, he wants a hole. Mary doesn’t want a dress, she wants to look thin at the party this Friday…Ted doesn’t want a recipe book, he wants new ways to impress his friends at dinner parties and generate the compliments he thrives on.”

Prioritize Personalization

While the content of any given mailer is undoubtedly critical, addressing readers by name is another element that can work wonders in boosting response rates. But it’s deeper than simply changing the content to read “Dear (Customer’s Name)” as opposed to just “Dear Customer.” Your call to action should also try to reference the customer’s name at least once. Plus, mentioning a relevant geographical location will make customers feel even more connected to the brand and thus more likely to respond, i.e., “If you’re in need of wholesale printing services in Tampa, call us today for a free quote!”

Ultimately, keeping these proven techniques in mind can help you create a direct mail advertising campaign with higher response rates than you ever thought possible. For more information about wholesale printing services, contact Modern Mail and Print Solutions.

Simple But Effective Ways For Businesses To Save Money On Postage: Part 2

In the last post, we talked about some simple ways for your small business to save money on postage costs. But there are additional methods that can be taken advantage of to save you money. Here are some more effective ways for small businesses to cut back on postage costs.

Save Money On Postage:

Maximize content and efficiency:

Instead of sending out 2 individual pieces of mail, consider sending multiple coupons. Janet Attard writes on Business Know How, “When you do send invoices by mail or ship merchandise to customers, insert ads and promotions for other products and services you sell. The ad gets to ride along for free. As long as the weight of the paper it’s printed on doesn’t bump the cost of the mailing into the next rate range.”

Consider Saturation Mailings:

Saturation mailings allow you to target specific neighborhoods and areas around your location at the most cost-effective postage rate. The idea is that like-minded people live in similar areas, so instead of having to do a demographic mailing, blanket the areas you are currently working in or have customers in. The process is simple — just identify the postal carrier routes you want to target and you will save on both the mailing list and postage costs. For more detailed information, talk to your mail service provider or contact Modern Mail & Print Solutions.

Size and Weight Matter:

To qualify for Bulk standard class mailings, your piece can’t weight more than 3.5 ounces. Once you go over that weight limit, you risk going into a higher postage class at the piece-per-pound rate which can be very expensive. So it is important to know the weight of your piece. You also need to know the difference between “letter size mail” and “flat size mail” pieces. It costs significantly less to mail your piece in a standard size business envelope than it does in a 9-inch by 12-inch envelope. Don’t get caught having to mail at a higher postage rate after you print. Just because your piece is one inch bigger than it should be. Check with your local Post Office to make sure your direct mail pieces are properly sized. Plus, set up correctly to qualify you for the best automation rates.

Ultimately, taking advantage of these tips can help your small business cut back on shipping and postage costs. For more information about Mail Services in Tampa Bay, contact Modern Mail & Print Solutions.

Simple But Effective Ways For Businesses To Save Money On Postage: Part 1

Direct Mail Marketing has proven to be the best one-on-one marketing tool for small businesses. No other marketing mean allows you to target the right prospect, at the right time, with the right message, with a personalized offer. With postage making up a substantial portion of the direct mail cost though, it is important to find ways to keep your postage down without sacrificing the amount of direct mail you send. So here are some simple methods for small businesses to save money on postage costs.

Save Money On Postage:

Clean your mail file

Keeping your mailing list up to date is key in reducing postage costs. There are mail processing tools available by commercial mail houses that will NCOA and CASS certify your addresses. This process will eliminate bad addresses, along with removing those homes owners on your list that have moved with no forwarding address and any duplicate records from your file. By simply removing un-mailable records, you can save a lot of hard postage costs.

Postage Letter Parcel Stamp Mail Graphic Concept

Take advantage of bulk mailing discounts

Bulk mailing is a term that applies to mail that is meant to be sent out as standard class mail in quantities of 200 pieces or more. It can be a great resource to help businesses save on postage because it costs less to mail each individual piece. To qualify for Bulk Mail, the USPS requires you to clean your mailing list first, then prepare your mailing list in a specific presort order for the postal carriers to distribute. Mailing standard class will allow you to save as much as $.19 – $.28 a piece in postage costs compared to mailing first class.

Take advantage of Drop Ship savings

Commercial Mail houses like Modern Mail and Print Solutions can provide an additional mail service to save you money on postage cost by Drop Shipping your bulk mail directly to the Bulk Mail Entry Unit (also known as the BMEUs.) By Drop Shipping your mail through a mail house, you can save an additional $.01 – $.034 a piece in postage costs. These savings can become significant on large orders, putting the hard cost of postage back in your pocket.

Ultimately, these are just a few simple and effective ways your small business can save on your direct mail postage costs. Keep an eye out for the next post, where we’ll discuss even more creative methods for saving on postage

. For more information about commercial mail house companies in Tampa Bay, contact Modern Mail & Print Solutions.