What’s the biggest mistake businesses make when it comes to direct mail marketing? Inconsistency. In the past 9 years that I’ve worked for a direct mail marketing agency, the mistake I see repeated time and time again, the one that causes the most frustration and biggest lost of money, is inconsistency.
Businesses send out 2-3 mailings and expect that people will rush their store or website. Not true. Most people don’t start to recognize a brand or pay attention to their marketing until the 5th or 6th mailing. And it sometimes takes more mailings to get someone to take an action.
But it’s hard to be consistent! Yes, I know. That’s why so many people fail. BUT, if you have a strategy, the right tools, and a solid marketing team behind you, you can, in fact, do it.
Mail smaller quantities more frequently. We see it all the time. A business has a budget for 10,000 mailings and they decide to send all 10,000 at once in hopes of boosting business. BAD IDEA! Like I said earlier, people don’t pay attention to the first, second or even third mailing. You have to mail frequently to grab their attention.
So, instead of sending all 10,000 at once, it is better to choose a group of 1,000 or 2,000 recipients and mail to that group 5-10 times.
Plan your mailings in advance. If you think you’ll find time to sit down each month and decide on a mailing, you are wrong. You might remember the first and second month, but then you’ll get distracted by actually running your business and you’ll forget all about it.
So make a plan! Decide exactly what you want to mail for the next 6, 9 or 12 months. You can simply write down the ideas, or actually have the cards designed ahead of time.
Include digital marketing touch points. I love direct mail marketing with my whole heart. I also love digital marketing. And while it is possible to be successful using just one, combining the two is the ultimate recipe for success.
You can pretty easily convert your mailing content into content for emails, blogs, and social media. Repurposing the content cuts down on time invested and dramatically increasing your opportunity for revenue growth.
Get help. It is possible to do direct mail marketing entirely on your own. But why would you want to? Our expert staff handles everything from graphic design to print to mail. Our primary goal is to keep you mailing consistently so that you see RESULTS!
Give us a call at 800-468-6100 or email [email protected] to get started.