Wind Up 2023 With a Direct Mail BANG!

Data.

Channels.

Options.

As we near the last lap in the race that is 2023, it’s time to make sure you use three ingredients that could make (or break) you end-of-the-year Direct Mail campaigns.

Marketers always look for ways to optimize budgets while they drive great results and ROI.

That’s why it’s so important to include direct mail in your marketing strategy in the last quarter of 2023.

Statistics from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) suggest that Direct Mail is on the comeback trail.

Direct Marketing Mail revenue increased $681 million from the previous year. That’s a 4.9% increase.

Inflation complicates the mind-set that Direct Mail works.

Ink, paper, and postage price increases all add to the concerns that Direct Mail is a profitable avenue to explore and exploit.

While these factors may tempt you to cut back on your Direct Mail plans – or even abandon or abort them – that’s not a great plan for success.

What you need to do now is work smarter.

To do that, you need to make certain you include these 3 ingredients in your Direct Mail plan:

1. Data.

Find better data and use your data better.

Data is the gasoline of Direct Mail.

To use it correctly (and profitably) you need to combine art and science.

First, make sure your data is clean.

Dedupe. Standardize formats. Separate incomplete records. Perform a ZIP analysis to find out where your customers live.

Use the USPS’s National Change of Address (NCOA) database. That way your mail will get to your target’s home.

If needed, use an outside source to append missing information.

For example, you may want to a coordinated Direct Mail – Email campaign, but you need to secure the correct email addresses of your customers. There are excellent services to provide this to you.

Over the course your customer journeys through your sales funnel, you collect a wide range of data points.

You must analyze your data, interpret the results, and strategize based on that interpretation.

It’s so much more than “Let’s sell them the next widget we make.”

Examine what the customer purchased. When? How? How many? Where? How many times did they purchase? What was the average order value?

Look at the demographics. Where do they live? Do you know their gender? Do you know their age or age bracket? Do you know their birthday?

Think of your Direct Mail campaign as a recipe. The data is the ingredient list. Mix and match data points so that they tell you what your customers want next.

In your communications, use your data: personalize your sales letters!

That means more than just use the name in the salutation.

People love to see their city or county mentioned in a sales letter.

It’s like at a concert: the crowd goes wild when the performer says, “It’s great to be here in Pittsburgh tonight!”

You have the data… use it.

2. Channels.

Combine your Direct mail efforts with other media.

Your customer’s journey is about how different channels work with each other.

Direct mail and digital channels like email and social have

touchpoints that can trigger each other and result in a desired action.

What combo delivers the best ROI?

Well… That depends on your goals and budget, your product or service, and your ability to activate those channels appropriately.

But… Your customers expect you and your brand to be on multiple channels.

A data-driven omnichannel strategy will help you decide how to fit Direct Mail into the right place.

A printed piece has touch and feel. Use it to its greatest advantage.

Include a QR code, personalized URLs (PURLS), promotional URLs, or phone numbers or prompts to allow easy online orders or to generate foot traffic to a retail location.

Drop your Direct mailer on a Monday, and on Wednesday send out an email that simply alerts your customers to, “Keep an eye on their mailbox for a special opportunity exclusively for you.”

3. Options.

Give yourself options to protect profits.

We used to call it, “changing on the fly.”

Now, it’s “pivoting.”

Whatever you call it, it really is a skill worth having.

Disruptions to the printer supply chain, price increases for paper, ink and postage, demand flexibility in your plans.

Don’t take the quick and easy solution of mailing less.

Instead, achieve the same or similar Direct Mail designs (and results) with a little creativity with your materials.

For example:

• Thinner or lighter paper or your printer’s house stock may cost less—and be immediately available.

• Reduce envelope weight by using fewer components, or even replace them in your campaign by sending folded self-mailers or jumbo postcards instead.

• Stick to standard size No. 10 envelopes, which are often easier to source. But to stand out in the customer’s mailbox, add colorful inks and images on your OGE.

Plan early to give yourself as much runway as possible, in case there are unexpected bumps in the road.

Getting to the end of the year isn’t just about meeting the current and ongoing challenges.

Among the lessons learned from the pandemic is the need to adapt quickly to new conditions.

It’s up to you: plan now or fail later.

Peter T. Britton,

Resultant

PTB@novuscom.net