The first step in our Selling Through Direct Mail Marketing series, if you remember, was to understand the market and your audience. Once you’ve taken that step and gotten to “know” the people you’re marketing to, you’re ready to craft a direct mail campaign that truly focuses on what that target audience wants and needs.
One of the most important keys to good marketing lies in knowing which message will resonate with your target audience – to attract them, maintain their attention, and ultimately compel them to act on your offer. How do you do that? Here are four elements of your direct mail that should differ depending on who you’re marketing to – to ensure that you’re selling what your prospects want. Use this as a checklist to ensure that your mailer will resonate.
1. The offer.
Who you are marketing to should determine the type of offer that you provide them. For example, if you aim is to cross sell or up sell to current customers, a limited-time-only discount would probably work well. However, if you’re marketing to new prospects who don’t yet know how great your product or service is, a free trial is a good bet.
2. The call to action.
Your mailer should always include some sort of call to action. What are you asking recipients to do? You could encourage the recipient to go to your website, send you their information, take a survey, or scan a QR code. Whatever it is, the action should engage the recipient more deeply by giving them more information or value beyond what they get from the mailer. When deciding on the most effective call to action, look at your demographic. If you are marketing to Baby Boomers, include a phone number they can call or a reply postcard they can return. If you are marketing to Millennials, include a QR code they can scan or link to a sign-up form on your mobile website.
3. The format.
Your format should depend on the relationship your audience already has (or doesn’t have) with you, and on what you’re selling. Are you announcing a special offer for your best customers? A jumbo postcard with bright graphics that highlights your offer should do the trick. Are you trying to sell new customers on your business service? A letter that gives you time to explain yourself is a great bet. Or are you a real estate agent marketing to sellers in a given neighborhood? A flyer self-mailer featuring the specs on houses you’ve sold in the neighborhood would be a great way to advertise your service. Click2Mail offers a wide variety of formats to choose from.
4. The list.
No matter what offer, call to action, or format you use, you have to have a mailing list. Local businesses (new restaurants, landscaping companies, and carpet cleaners) often prefer EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) to send out mailers to every house within certain zip code(s). EDDM saves them money and allows them to spread the word about the good or service they provide. If you have a more targeted audience, you may opt for a resident occupant list that allows you to select from demographic criteria like location, gender, age, race, income level, and much more to create a customized mailing list. If you want to “clone” your best customers, consider the Look Alike Report, which analyzes your customer file and finds new prospects with similar attributes such as attitudes, buying habits, and interests.
By basing your offer, call-to-action, format choice, and mailing list on who your target audience is, and what you’re selling them, you’re a huge step closer to an effective direct mail marketing campaign. For more on how to sell through direct mail marketing, stay tuned for step 3 in next month’s newsletter. Until then, we are available online at Click2Mail.com or by phone at 1-866-665-2787.
