I read a lot of course about direct mail marketing, and what is “best practices”. I came across the following information this morning, and it really said what anyone that is considering direct mail should think about. Hope you find this as informative as I have.
The common reaction to direct mail is, “oh, more junk mail” and in the trash it goes. We would never consider the amount of resources that had gone into generating the piece and it would most likely go straight from the mail box to the trash bin. As marketers, we should all take a step back and ask why are we spending so much time and money creating something that just ends up in the trash without serving its purpose? We might as well just toss the actual marketing dollars in the trash.
Direct mail is not able to generate higher response rates and ROI because of two major reasons: they are typical and they lack relevance. They are typical, meaning they look just like the 50 gazillion other pieces of direct mail that are sent out each day. A two sided postcard with some text and a couple of images or a letter that looks like a legal notice of some kind. Who wants to read through tens if not hundreds of these pieces each month?
Before being engaged in your next direct mail initiative, make sure to consider if your piece stands out and who you are sending it to. Do not send out postcards because your competitors are sending out postcards. Send out something you know your competitors will not be sending out. Remember, you are not just competing with your competitors’ pieces, but with the 50 gazillion other pieces who are not even from the same industry. Take a minute and ask yourself if you would read the piece you are about to send out or would you just throw it away.
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