The recipe for good direct marketing campaigns is simple. Direct mail pieces need a hook, memorable and convincing content, and a way to respond. The hook is usually some form of irresistible offer. The same recipe applies to any direct response marketing tool (i.e., email marketing, social media marketing, direct mail…). Each element will present itself slightly differently, but the winning formula is usually similar. For example, an email campaign relies on the subject line to act as the hook and grab attention. A piece of direct mail, like a postcard, can use a striking photo or color splash to stand out from the crowd.
Here we have some rules and tips that will help you achieve the perfect direct marketing recipe for success, without over or under-cooking!
Be Memorable
You can have a smart design, clever wording and it can fit 100% with your branding. Is this enough? NO. If it’s not memorable you might as well not send it out. Direct marketing has got to be memorable, it’s the most important rule. Not everyone takes action immediately after seeing a promotion. For direct mail, this is even truer. With a postcard campaign, your goal is to get that spot on the fridge! How you achieve this comes in a number of different ways. It could be such a striking photograph that it’s just begging a place up there. It could be that the offer is SO good not to miss the recipient doesn’t want to forget to take action.
Don’t be afraid to step outside the box, evoke emotion; humor or empathy. When a recipient has an emotional response to something (particularly something visual) it instantly becomes more memorable. The same is true for social media marketing. Content that gets re-shared and eventually goes viral is content that creates an emotional response of some nature.
Understanding Your Audience
In order to achieve all three elements of the direct marketing recipe, knowing your audience is key. Without truly understanding who your audience is, you can’t create an offer (hook) that actually resonates with that group of people. The design you use and the messaging/information provided in the promotion needs to be relevant to that target market or it will fall on deaf ears. For direct mail marketing success usually comes 70% from having the right list of contacts, 20% success from the offer itself and 10% on the design. So you can see how much weight the target audience carries in this case.
Even the way in which you choose to collect responses will be impacted by your audience. Busy young millennials will appreciate easy ways to respond online, but if you’re targeting senior citizens they will probably prefer a contact number to call.
So how can you better understand your audience? Start by looking at your current customer base and try to learn as much about them as you can. Speak with the people in your company who deal directly with them? Collect customer feedback and profiles whenever you can. It’s not just a case of knowing demographics; you also need to understand their interests and buying behaviors. Analyze your competitors and the customers they seem to attract. What type of people follows them on social media? Who is talking about them online? Don’t forget, you’re selling to real people. In actual fact, you’re selling solutions not products or services. If you can put a better focus on the problem you solve for that customer, you instantly build better connections.
For all your direct marketing needs please get in touch with us here at Zairmail. We have so much to offer above and beyond just your standard service. We are here to assist and guide you through the process, even if that means helping with some of the areas above. We provide free consulting sessions that could help give you direction, and enable you to get your message in front of the right people.
Zairmail (www.zairmail.com) is the fastest and easiest way to send (real) postal mail. Give us a call anytime at 888.898.0066, we would be happy to help with your direct mail needs.
