How to win more customers with direct mail marketing Image: Unsplash Ever heard of Zoom fatigue? It’s the feeling one gets after countless meetings and virtually interacting with people – which is sheer and utter weariness. Sound familiar? Turns out, it isn’t a myth after all as popular video chat platforms have been discovered to be exhausting for the human mind and body, according to Professor Jeremy Bailenson who is the founding director of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab. Image: Freepik This is not exclusive to just the platform Zoom, but also to other video chatting technology or platforms. And, as you may have guessed, this phenomenon also applies to a lot of digital communication activities such as social media and digital marketing, which is why direct mail is still one of the best ways for a business to reach customers. Direct mail marketing is simply engaging prospective customers by sending printed mailers, corporate swag or other physical items you can imagine. This method has stood the test of time, especially now more so than ever in the all-consuming and energy-draining digital age. Finding new customers can be difficult – we know that firsthand after more than two decades of experience in the market. At SalesWorks, we help our clients boost their brands and acquire new customers, and there are always key market trends that stand out, especially in terms of conversion tactics such as direct mail marketing. Hence, we’ve put together this guide on how to enhance your direct mail marketing strategy, because when done right, it can get you more customers than you can ever imagine! Measuring the impact of direct mail campaigns Image: DocuMart With the digital approach, marketers often rely on analytics to measure the success of their campaigns. This is not too different from direct mail marketing; with the right strategy and tools, there are actually many ways that you can measure the impact of a direct mail campaign. Response rate: Which is the percentage of people who respond to your direct mailer Customer acquisition cost: Looking at all of the costs involved such as shipping, manufacturing, design as well printing costs against the pipeline or revenue generated Conversion: The percentage of prospects that are turned into subscribing or paying customers in response to your direct mail campaign What makes an effective direct mail marketing strategy? Now that you have an idea of what are the clear ways you can measure direct mail campaigns, we have broken down the top four key components of an effective direct mail marketing strategy below: 1. Targeting the right audience Like all other marketing strategies, remember to not spray and pray. Take time to make sure that your mailing list is updated with customer profiles that you have already analysed. For example, you wouldn’t want to send direct mailers for gardening services to someone who lives in a high-rise! 2. Using the right creatives and visuals Regardless of whether it is a digital or an offline approach, visuals are still one of the most important elements of your direct mailer. Direct mails do still need to compete for your customer’s attention (and keep it so they don’t just end up throwing them away), so ensure that it captures your audience’s eyes and is easy to understand. 3. Picking the right time You know your business and your audience better than anyone. That said, you should be able to understand how your audience behaves and what their purchase decision timeline is like. Ask yourself questions like, “When do they typically make a purchase or subscription to your product?” or “Are there particular seasons during which they are more likely to survey similar products that my business or brand also offers?” Once you have nailed down the answers to these burning questions, you’ll then be able to pinpoint the right time to send out your direct mailer. 4. Creating a call to action Similar to offline campaigns, there needs to be a clear, actionable and trackable call to action. Some of the ways that you can include a call to action include a dedicated phone number or email specific to this campaign, a QR code that lands on a specific landing site or even unique coupon codes. The possibilities are endless here, so don’t be afraid to get creative with how you want to measure success. Make direct mail marketing a key strategy with SalesWorks Image: SalesWorks A well-designed direct mailing campaign can be a major boost for your overall marketing strategy. By utilising the best practices we reviewed today, as well as knowing how to properly measure success, you will be able to have an idea of how you can execute the campaign of your dreams. However, with many moving parts, having the right partner that can not only support you but also shape the strategy is also valuable. This is where SalesWorks can help! We are a trusted activation agency known to drive high-quality and high-volume customers to our clients – daily! With an extensive footprint across Asia, our network allows us to provide market-specific knowledge and targeted expertise to all of our clients, and that could be you. If you want to know more about how we can help enhance or better your direct mailing marketing strategy and win more customers, contact us and we will get back to you to discuss how we can help you to hit the ground running.