Direct Mail Marketing in 2022

Is Direct Mail Marketing still Viable?

Direct Mail Marketing is not dead! While many traditional marketing techniques and tactics have declined, direct mail marketing is as strong as ever. In fact, according to Reportlinker.com, direct mailing is predicted to expand by $15 billion in 2022. As we see some traditional tactics, like radio, continue to decline in viewership, direct mail is still a strong tactic when implemented correctly. Recent studies have shown physical mailings to have nearly a 10x higher response rate than email marketing. Obviously, direct mail marketing is still very much alive and well within today’s current trends.

Direct Mail Marketing Strategy

As with any marketing tactic, strategy is of the utmost importance. As Sun Tzu said, “Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat”. To reach your goals, your mail marketing must implement a consistent strategy before a single piece of mail heads out the door.

Simply sending a postcard about your business to people in your area is not a strategy; it is a tactic. To head in the right direction, define your general marketing goals and identify how direct mail can help support them. If you want to supercharge your direct mail marketing efforts, reference our list of best practices below.

Best Practices

Planning

As with any effective marketing effort, planning should be at the forefront of every direct mailer. Without proper planning, your mailer might not only be ineffective, but it also might not even be eligible for sending through USPS. Choice of dimensions, colors, packaging, and weights can affect the possibility and pricing of sending a direct mailer through any postal service.

Research

We cannot stress enough how important research is for any marketing effort, especially when a physical budget is applied to every piece of collateral sent. By researching what is possible and practical for your industry and proposed area of receipt, you can save yourself a massive amount of time, money, and frustration.

Defined Audience

Your direct mail efforts are likely to fall on deaf, uninterested ears without a defined audience. By clearly defining the demographics of whom you want to see your mailing pieces, you can significantly increase the effectiveness of any campaign. Once you have a clear picture of who will read your collateral, developing more robust, resonating messaging is much easier.

Call To Action

An often-overlooked step in many marketing channels, you never want to leave a potential customer asking themselves, “What next?”. By including a clear call to action, your direct mailer can direct potential customers to become paying customers. A call to action should be short, clear, and engage the viewer. Done effectively, this is one of the most critical components of a direct mailer.

Followups

So you sent a great, wonderfully designed, and effective piece of mail to precisely the people who should be interested. When do you follow up? Every industry is on a different schedule, and with good reason. Your local pizza delivery business likely sends a new mailer every week. However, when was the last your mechanic or dentist sent you a piece of mail?

How Red Crow Can help

Red Crow is no stranger to direct mail marketing. We have been in business since 2004, and have helped many clients, large and small, navigate the waters of physical mail. Contact Us today, and we can get a custom project planned and executed to ensure you are reaching whom you need with the right message and format!