Your next direct mail campaign could be a winner or a loser, and how things turn out will depend on you. It’s just as important to know the direct marketing mistakes to avoid as it is to know the right things to do! This will help you get more bang for your buck and avoid wasting any of your hard earned time and money on something that is not as effective as it could be.
Las Vegas Color Graphics doesn’t do “just” direct mail–we provide everything from graphic design, to data management, to full letter shop and Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) capabilities. We also offer postal consulting to help you get the most out of your mailing. Find out more at our direct mail marketing page.
Direct Mail Campaign Mistakes (and how to learn from your mistakes)
1. Not Investing Enough In a Direct Mail Campaign
On of the great things about direct response marketing is that you will know how each and every dollar is doing—right down to the half-cent! Unlike ads that don’t include a direct response element (such as many magazine and most broadcast ads), you will never have to be in the dark about where each part of your advertising dollar is going.
One advantage of this is that your direct mail campaigns will be “leaner” than non-direct response methods. But at the same time, you shouldn’t be afraid to spend top dollar on your results.
Of course you shouldn’t spend any more than you absolutely have to—but you shouldn’t spend less, either.
2. Failing to Use Current Data
One of the biggest mistakes you can make in a direct mail campaign is using outdated or bad data to make your point. Make sure to spend the time needed to gather current statistics and facts. If you use bad data then this calls your professionalism and honesty into question. Some consumers may feel you were intentionally being deceptive and will not trust your company as a result.
3. Not Backing Up Your Claims With Facts and Statistics
Just as bad as using bad data with your direct mail campaign is not including any statistics, facts, or other data at all. These statistics help build trust in your offer. They are more important to some readers than to others. Most importantly, they may be very important to the person who controls most of the money in the household!
Spend some time looking up relevant facts and figures that you can use in your mailer to get your message across. This is naturally more important in technical markets than in others.
But even non-technical consumer markets appreciate these facts and figures. More than anything, these facts and figures are trust elements that let your audience know it’s safe to buy from you.
4. Trying to be Everything to Everyone
No direct mail campaign can be everything to everyone. In fact, the core idea of direct mail is that you mail only to those people who are most likely to respond to a certain, specific type of offer.
When renting a mailing list, focus on a target population that you know wants or needs the product benefits that your business offers. Once your list supplier knows what you’re selling, he or she can clue you in to lists that have bought similar products in the recent past.
Many people in these audiences are looking for similar or complementary products. It’s important to speak directly to them and their concerns, instead of sending a broad, all-inclusive message.
5. Creating an Amazing Mailer Without Consideration For USPS Regulations and Guidelines
A successful direct mail campaign means having an amazing mailer that grabs attention and holds it. Before you even start the design process you should know what the USPS regulations and guidelines are so that you follow them. You could end up with a fantastic mailer piece that just happens to cost too much per piece for you to be profitable.
Of course, the higher the lifetime value of each customer, the more you can spend on each mailer. But even for high-value customers, it’s important to have a good idea from the start as to how much your mailing will cost per piece.
6. A Lack of Adequate Campaign Planning
Any direct mail campaign needs great planning in order to achieve the desired goals. Too many business owners and executives spend little time actually planning the campaign, mapping strategies, and doing other important legwork. Even the best mailer will not make up for a lack of planning. The planning stage usually takes weeks or months, not hours or a day or two.
7. Staying With a Single Design (and Not Testing Others)
Creating a terrific mailer is important, because this piece will help draw attention to your company, products, and message. Instead of creating a single mailer it is usually better to design two test mailers at first. Then, mail them to a small-but-significant portion of your audience.
This will help you determine which mailer has the best impact and the highest response rate. Once you know that, you can roll out the winner to your audience—and also test again!
You might want to read over these 36 rules of thumb from Claude Hopkins, the grandfather of direct mail marketing. Whether you’re a green newbie or seasoned professional, this timeless wisdom will help keep you on track with any direct response campaign.
8. Not Testing Your Mailer Enough
Testing is critical with every direct mail campaign, and many companies fail to test their mailer enough before they send it out to large numbers of consumers. Every element of the design needs to be thoroughly tested so that you can get helpful feedback. This feedback can show you where the mailer can be improved on, and which elements already have a high level of appeal.
9. Failing to Measure Direct Mail Campaign Progress
A common misconception is that the campaign is done when the mailers are sent out, and this is not the case. Successful campaigns and marketers understand the importance of tracking and measuring every possible campaign aspect. This data can be invaluable with future marketing efforts because it offers data and feedback on which elements wowed and which ones fell short of the goal.
What direct mail campaign mistakes have you made in the past and what did you learn from them?
