4 tips to increase ROI on direct mail

4 TIPS TO INCREASE ROI ON DIRECT MAIL _ Pel Hughes print marketing new orleans

Direct mail is pretty cool.

Haven’t heard anyone bust that one out in a while?

Well, we just did.

Direct mail, while not as popular as it once was, is still a powerful tool to get a message into the hands of your audience. In fact, the Direct Marketing Association found direct mail response rates can actually be 10 to 30 times higher than that of digital.  

 

So how can you capitalize on that statistic?

Do direct marketing better.

Keep reading to discover our top 4 techniques to increase your ROI on direct mail.

 

 

  • Make a good list

 

You’ve heard it countless times, but we’ll go ahead and say it again: no matter how good your message is, it’s worthless if it doesn’t find its way to the right people.

That’s why mailing lists matter. Paying attention to demographics like age, income, gender, etc all contribute to building a list full of people likely to respond to your call to action, so never skimp on this.

Also, keep in mind that lists need to constantly be updated and monitored.

Don’t have a mail list? Ask us how to purchase a list that will work for you, and help you build your customer base.

 

 

  • Make your call to action obvious

 

Ah, another fun piece of marketing jargon – the ever important “call to action,” or CTA as they say in the biz. This is what you want your reader to do. For direct mail, the call to action is incredibly important. If you’re sending a piece of mail into someone’s home, you better be giving them some specific instructions, or you’re just wasting your money.

To make the CTA obvious, it’s also important to make the language on your direct mail clear, descriptive, and straight to the point. If you want someone to visit your website, don’t just list the URL – tell them to visit your website. Same goes for phone numbers. Tell people exactly what their next step should be.

 

 

  • Align the direct mail piece with your brand

 

Grabbing your customers’ attention should never mean sacrificing brand consistency.

It is massively important to infuse your direct mail piece with your unique value proposition and the essence of your brand. That means choosing the right type of mailing medium and sticking with the tone, energy, and general style used in any of your other marketing communications.

For example, if you’re selling a product or service that comes with a high price tag, you might consider higher quality paper and packaging to communicate this distinction. American Express mailers (and most credit card mailings) serve as fantastic examples of high quality direct mail. They send their “invitations” to new card membership in sleek, heavy weight paper envelopes. No “SIGN UP TODAY” or “LOW RATES HERE” messages adorn the envelopes, and it’s not hard to figure out why…

Tacky is not their angle – subtlety is. Exclusivity.

Nuts that paper can communicate all that, right? Think about it the next time you put together a DM campaign.

 

 

  • Don’t insult your audience’s intelligence

 

Think of direct mail as a back and forth between your brand and someone else. Don’t knock them over the head with cringeworthy claims like “HOTTEST NIGHT CLUB IN TOWN” or a double whammy bold and italic message with exclamation points!!!

It just looks like you’re desperate, and desperate is not cute on anyone.

No one is impressed by the bold claims and the aggressive text, so stick with a message that derives its power from relevance and value rather than sheer force.

Easy enough, right?

The key to a successful direct mail campaign might not be as elusive as you think. With the right mix of research, sophistication, and creativity, you’ll be well on your way to bringing in some major ROI.