3 Direct Mail Marketing Mistakes You’re Probably Making

You know the power of direct mail marketing, it’s worked for you before. Yet, for some reason, this go around it doesn’t seem to be producing the same effects. Did your clientele change? Did the entire world suddenly delete their email accounts all at once? Continue reading to learn 3 direct mail marketing mistakes.

Probably not. As with any type of marketing strategy, direct mail is subject to change in correspondence (get it? A little direct mail joke there for you) with the fluctuations of society. So before you bail on your next direct mail campaign, compare your strategy with the list below of what not to do.

3 Direct Mail Marketing Mistakes:

You don’t stand out from the crowd

People open up mail on a daily basis and do you want to know what they see? A lot of white envelopes. One of the worst things you can do for your direct mail campaign is to blend in with every other Joe Schmoe’s piece of mail. Adding a little bit of color or design to make your mail stand apart from everyone else’s is a sure fire way to at least draw the recipient’s attention.

Having an vague call to action

Your call to action is essentially your statement of what you want the recipient to do once they’ve read your mail. Do you want them to visit your website? Take advantage of an upcoming sale? Sign up for your newsletter? Having an unclear call to action will ultimately result in a pretty poor conversion rate, no matter how good your overall campaign maybe. Ensure that the recipient doesn’t have to guess what you want them to do, clearly state it for them.

Bad Copy

Proofread, proofread, proofread. The last thing you want to do is send someone a piece of mail and ask them to trust your product or services when you have glaring typos or grammatical errors in your copy. You also don’t want to overdo it with language or use a weird format. Stick to a basic, well-written bit of copy and you’ll do wonders.

You will also want to pay attention to your demographic. Perhaps you’ve been targeting the older generations with direct mail and the younger generation with email, even though 90% of Millennials find direct mail advertising to be reliable according to a recent survey. So take a bit of time to rework your direct mail campaign strategy and avoid these mistakes.

If you’re getting ready for your upcoming campaign and need wholesale printing services, call us today.

Direct Mail Marketing Versus Email Marketing: Pros and Cons

Direct mail advertising and email marketing: which one is best for your business? Well, it could really go either way and it’s dependent on your business and the strategies that you use. However, there are many advantages and disadvantages to each method and it’s important to know which one is best for what time and purposes.

Below you will find the pros and cons of both email marketing and direct mail marketing.

Direct Mail Marketing Versus Email Marketing

Direct Mail Marketing Campaigns

The pros and cons for direct mail are far more extensive than this list, but here are just a few to get the ball rolling.

• Pros

  • Direct mail has come a long way from the traditional, boring postcard that you get from your dentist every time you have an appointment coming up. With technology such as variable data printing and things like QR codes, direct mail can be engaged on a completely different level than before.
  • Direct mail can instill a personalized feeling in the recipient that can’t be matched with an email. People feel as though you put in more of an effort to send them a physical piece of mail and consider it to be more important.

• Cons

  • It’s not always easy to build a reliable direct mail list because people aren’t as willing to give out their physical address as they are their email address. Not to mention people move and don’t always think to update you.
  • While direct mail can pay off substantially in the long run, it tends to cost more upfront compared to email marketing. You have to purchase paper, ink, templates, and contract a printing company as well.

Email Marketing Campaigns

As with direct mail, email marketing has its benefits and downfalls.

• Pros

  • Email marketing is probably one of the least expensive avenues to use in your campaigns. That also means it tends to have a higher ROI than other methods.
  • Sending an email is instantaneous compared to the average week-long wait for direct mail. That means you can send out next day promotions and reach your target audience at a much faster rate.

• Cons

  • Despite all the benefits of email marketing, it is becoming less and less effective with time. In fact, when it comes to making purchasing decisions, 92% of people state that they prefer direct mail. That could be because there is something inherently “spammy” about email marketing and people’s diminishing trust in the content.
  • Emails often don’t look as good as you want them to compared to the look and feel of direct mail.

When it comes down to which one is better for your business, the truth is that you should probably continue to use both. You may lean on direct mail marketing campaigns more but you shouldn’t stop using email marketing altogether. Find what works for you and use it.

Looking for a printing company to handle your direct mail marketing campaign? Give us a call today.

3 More Creative Direct Mail Advertising Ideas to Get You Noticed

In the last article, we learned about some pretty creative and fun ways to make your direct mail stand out from the others. Sending custom made maps that show the customer exactly how to find you, balloons with secret messages that are only able to be read once blown-up, and useful items such that the customer can use were the creative direct mail ideas discussed last time. Continue reading to learn creative direct mail advertising ideas!

In this article, you’ll find out about some more creative direct mail campaign tips.

Creative Direct Mail Advertising Ideas:

Get Funky

Chances are you’ve received plenty of direct mail in your life, and they all tend to blend together. Not just in design, but in shape and medium as well. How many times have you gotten direct mail postcards from the dealership where you bought your car, or a card from your dentist reminding you about your appointment, or any other piece of direct mail for that matter? They’re all usually pretty similar. right? Well then don’t make your mail anything like theirs, be funky instead. Send odd shaped pieces of mail that catch the eye, or throw 2D out the window altogether and send a 3D object. You can send someone any number of things to make sure they remember you.

Origami Your Mail

Remember those pop-up books you used to read as a child or read to your child now? You can take that same principle of interactivity and apply it to your direct mail campaign. Anything could work, so long as it doesn’t remind you of a postcard. Send a paper airplane, pop-up card, or an origami creation to let people know that you’re not like the other guys.

Code a Conversion

Your direct mail is supposed to serve a specific purpose, one that leads to conversions. Rather than sending a piece with your website printed on it and hoping for the best, add a custom QR code that the recipient can scan to take them right where you want them to go. You can even create a custom QR code that looks like a work of art rather than a bunch of black and white blocks.

When it comes to your direct mail campaign, technology is your friend. Despite the popularity of mobile devices, 66% of shoppers are more likely to use a voucher if they have a physical copy. So find a printing company and get to creating unique and creative direct mail that sets your business apart.

For all of your direct mail printing needs, give us a call today. We’re here to ensure your campaign runs without a hitch.

Direct Mail Marketing Work: 4 Ways to for Your Business

Direct mail marketing work, if done correctly, can be an effective means of forging strong customer relations and brand awareness. If done incorrectly, then your mail will be considered “junk mail” and end up in the trash.

In truth, your well-composed, articulate piece of direct mail might end up in the trash anyway — that’s a significant risk of direct mail marketing. However, it is still the best marketing mean that can hit your target prospect at the right time, with the right message.  There are many uses of direct mail that might encourage recipients not to throw them away. Here are a few.

How to Make Direct Mail Marketing Work:

Catalogs

Not everything has to be a colorful, oversized postcard. Sometimes the best way to grab a potential customer’s attention is to be an open book (pun definitely intended). Sending a catalog that lists all of your products and services takes the ‘spam’ out of direct mail campaigns and leaves recipients with a straightforward list of what you can do for them. You can even include a coupon, but ultimately you’re leaving it in their hands to make a decision.

Discount Vouchers

The tried and (sometimes) true method of direct mail: discount vouchers. What better way to get someone interested in your product or service by giving it to them a Discount to response now, rather than later.

Useful Tips

Even though it’s technically “direct mail marketing,” you don’t always have to be direct. Sometimes all you need is to put your brand in someone’s brain. Let it marinate there for a bit like a good steak. Eventually, they might need a product or service you offer. In addition, they might know someone else who does, and your name will come to mind. You can do this by sending helpful industry tips, recipes, calendars, and more.  Keeping your message in front of your audience and staying Top of Mind is a great way to increase responses with your customer base.

Free Stuff

Going along the same lines as the discount voucher, if you can afford to give away samples, then you might have a great marketing opportunity. People love free stuff, even if they’ll never use it or have no interest in it, they’ll gladly accept it if it’s free. You can do this by sending a free sample directly to potential customers, or to whoever responds to your mailing. You could even use the piece of mail as a trade-in voucher, stating that if they come to your business on this day during this sale, they can “present this card for a free such and such.”

If you’re still hesitant on direct mail in a general sense, you shouldn’t be. Direct mail is preferred by 92% of shoppers for making purchasing decisions. All it takes is targeted direct mail lists with a reputable printing company, and some creativity to make your campaign a successful one. Hopefully these tips help you in marking direct mail marketing work.

Looking for a printing company in Tampa, FL? Call us today.