There’s a shift in the direct mail landscape that’s making it easier to create and send direct mail effectively. Digital marketers are already experienced with running data-driven campaigns. So, you can apply many of the same best practices to direct mail. The only real limitation is the print partner you choose and what they offer. In this post we’ll cover how you can run direct mail campaigns just like email campaigns. If you’ve already been sending email campaigns, you’ll feel right at home.
A/B test the creative
With email, digital marketers frequently test subject lines to improve open rates, images and copy to see how well their message resonates, and different call-to-actions to improve conversation rates. Given the longer lead times (days vs. seconds) and higher cost of physical mail, you should be A/B testing. For a given mailing list, you should consider splitting it and sending each subsegment a different mailer design. The design could have different copy, images, or call-to-actions. The key is to find a mailing partner that has low or no minimum volumes so you can test more without spending a small fortune.
Personalize each mailer
Personalized emails drive 6x higher transaction rates. Personalizing your direct mail is just as important, and can be just as easy. If your mailing list is targeted and you have data on each recipient, you should consider personalizing each mailer with attributes like the recipient’s name. “John, this 20% off coupon is just for you!” is a lot more compelling than “Friend, this 20% off coupon is just for you!” Your call-to-action should be unique for each campaign so you can track the results. An even more sophisticated strategy is to offer unique promotional codes or URLs per recipient so you can track results at a campaign and individual level.
Segment your direct mail mailing list
The right targeting matters more than anything else. Therefore, you should optimize your copy and call-to-action for the mailing list in your campaign. For example, if you have a CRM with customers in a certain region, your design and copy could be geared specifically for them. Consider breaking down your mailing list into smaller segments with unique creatives for each.
Properly attribute the campaign results
Digital marketing is all about the data you use to create better campaigns and the results you get back. Physical mail doesn’t directly offer this since, well, it’s an analog format. To account for this, you should be using call-to-actions that are trackable. This includes promotional codes and specific landing pages that are unique to your campaign. It’s important you get this part right so that you know the ROI of your campaign. If you’re A/B testing, knowing which one performs best matters even more so you can double down on the winner for your next campaign.
If you’re looking to run direct mail campaigns like a digital marketer, give Mailjoy a shot. It’s a self-service direct mail tool to send data-driven postcard campaigns in minutes.
