5 Direct Mail Facts Beginners Need to Know

Executing your first direct mail strategy comes with challenges that you may find overwhelming. Fortunately, overcoming those challenges might be easier than you think. One of the challenges related to direct mail that many marketers struggle with is knowing the facts that are essential to a successful direct mail campaign.

There is so much information regarding direct mail floating around out there that getting the facts may be more challenging than you think. Some of the most important direct mail facts include:

There are Multiple Reasons Why Direct Mail is Preferable to Email

One reason for direct mail’s increasing popularity is because of its performance in comparison to other mediums. If relying on digital platforms is how you ordinarily communicate messages with your core audience, the results marketers get from direct are likely to surprise you. Some of the reasons why marketers may find direct mail to be a preferable marketing channel to email include the facts that:

1. Direct Mail Allows You to Avoid Gatekeepers

The process of reaching key decision makers can be exhausting. That’s especially true when there are gatekeepers involved who are tasked with checking every email that reaches the inbox of a decision maker. Sending direct mail eliminates the obstacle of overcoming the objections that gatekeepers offer by directly addressing mail to said decision maker.

2. Direct Mail Doesn’t Require Opt-Ins

Spending valuable time capturing email addresses to finally get a new contact into your sales funnel, only for them not to opt-in is frustrating. One of the benefits of direct mail is that your leads don’t have to opt-in to begin receiving your marketing.

3. Other Marketing Channels Are Oversaturated

Since digital channels like email and social media have become the preferred choice for most marketers, they have become too crowded. On the other hand, direct mail is the perfect channel for communicating with prospects without competition. This could make catching the attention of your target audience much easier than if you rely on the same channels as everyone else.

Direct Mail Has a Higher ROI Than You Might Think

Another fact regarding direct mail that you should remember is that its return on investment is better than you might have expected. Research shows that the ROI for direct mail marketing sits at roughly 29%. The return on investment that direct mail advertising possesses could drastically change your strategy for marketing to your target audience. That’s particularly exciting since the return on investment for other marketing methods isn’t as promising.

Take paid search for example. Marketers who rely on paid search advertising  experience an average ROI of 23% according to the Data & Marketing Association. The ROI for online display ads is even lower at 16%. That being said, advertisers aiming to get the biggest bang for their buck will give direct mail marketing serious consideration.

The Success of Your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign Depends On Your Mailing Frequency

The magic formula to any successful marketing campaign is knowing how to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time. That’s why knowing how often you should send out postcards and letters to your audience is crucial to the success of your direct mail marketing campaign. Most experts recommend waiting 21 days in between touchpoints when engaging prospects in a direct mail campaign. Still, there’s no “one size fits all” formula for executing direct mail campaigns.

Every direct mail campaign has certain qualities that differentiates it from the next one. Making sure that you have a timely, relevant message for each touchpoint is equally as important as mastering your mailing frequency. Also paramount to the success of your direct mail campaign is a strong design that quickly catches the attention of recipients. Sending your target audience well-designed postcards that catch their eye has the potential to make a lasting impact on your marketing strategy.

There are Numerous Ways to Fully Reap the Benefits of Direct Mail While Keeping Expenses Down

Designing a memorable postcard might be more affordable than you might think. If you don’t have an in-house graphic designer, you might be wondering how to go about designing your first postcard. Luckily, GrowMail’s award winning design and creative team has you covered. Here are a few more important things to remember regarding keeping your direct mail marketing costs down:

• Make Sure That the Records In Your Mailing List Are Accurate

One of the biggest reasons for wasted funds when it comes to direct mail marketing campaigns is inaccurate data. Going through your leads to make sure they’re still correct and up-to-date is vital.

Failing to do so could mean spending money just for your postcard to sit in a mailbox that no one checks. To guarantee that your postcard or letter gets read, double and triple-checking your mailing list is a must.

• Make Use of Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) Services

Reviewing all of your options for executing a direct mail campaign is another step marketers should take to stretch advertising budgets. Among the options that are available for conducting direct mail marketing campaigns is Every Door Direct Mail services. This particular option is appealing to marketers because it allows them to send postcards to everyone in your community at the lowest possible rate.

Since you don’t need a list to take advantage of EDDM services, you can reach more contacts at a cheaper rate. If you are interested in EDDM services, then Discount Zones, which are exclusively available through GrowMail are likely to catch your attention. That’s because Discount Zones offer all the same benefits as EDDM at a fraction of the cost.

• Automate Tasks Related to Your Direct Mail Marketing Campaigns

Managing the smaller details of a direct mail campaign can become time consuming. It can also be costly if not done correctly. Byautomating tasks related to your next direct mail campaign, you’ll save precious time and money. That’s because automation is capable of helping you reduce the amount of returned mail you receive with address verification. 

Why a Direct Mail Marketing Strategy is a Necessity

The value of using digital marketing strategies to drive engagement is clear to marketers everywhere. What many of them don’t understand is that direct mail campaigns offer many of the same benefits as digital channels. Developing a direct mail marketing campaign also allows you to gain the upper-hand on your competition.

That’s because direct mail campaigns allow your message to show up where your target audience is least likely to expect to see it. This has the potential to allow your brand and message to stand out from the crowd. Isn’t that what every marketer hopes for?

How GrowMail Can Help You Achieve the Desired Outcome of Your Ad Campaign

If you’ve never executed a direct mail marketing campaign on your own, then being nervous about  finally executing one is totally fair. Fortunately, GrowMail provides marketers with all the resources necessary for making the process of sending your first postcard or letter easy.

From seamless CRM integrations and ecommerce integrations, to enhanced targeting and tracking, GrowMail goes the extra mile to make sure executing direct mail marketing campaigns is as  easy as possible. For more information about how you can use GrowMail to enhance your marketing strategy get in touch with us today!