Direct Mail Marketing Basics Part 2 of 5: Preparing for your Campaign

In part 1 of our 5-part series, we discussed the benefits of using direct mail to reach your target audience. Now, we’ll delve deeper and get into things you might want to consider when you’re preparing to launch a direct mail campaign. Contrary to what you may believe, it doesn’t need to be daunting. All it requires is a little preparation. Read on below to find out how you can get started:

Budget. Do your homework and determine the costs of creating a direct mail campaign. If you choose to hire a writer or graphic designer, you’ll want to allot for that. Other things to consider are the price of your mailing list, postage costs, and printing expenses. Obtain quotes from a few different printers so you can get a ballpark figure. Once you have a good idea of the costs involved, determine how much money you’re willing to allocate to the campaign and then stick with it.

Determine Your Audience. Is your goal to target previous customers? Or would you rather send your mailing to individuals who reside within a certain zip code? Have you considered obtaining a mailing list of individuals who have certain demographic characteristics such as high income or current homeowners? Once you have decided who your market is, you can target your message more effectively to address its needs.

Create Your Campaign. Think about the message that you would like to convey to your target audience. For instance, do you want to mention your great rates or your exceptional customer service? Once you have determined your message, choose the format you would like to use for your campaign. Do you want to mail postcards, newsletters, or brochures? After making your selection, create your materials, and then print them.

Run the Campaign. Now that your direct mail pieces are complete, send them out to your target audience. To avoid being inundated with leads, you may want to try sending portions of your mailings out over time. For example, you could send 25% of your mailing out the first month, 25% out the second month, etc.

Evaluate. Determine how successful your campaign was. How many leads did you receive as a result of your campaign? If you sent your campaign out to a wide geographic area, analyze whether there was a specific zip code that resulted in greater responses. Of the leads that you do get, ask clients what prompted them to contact you about your services. With this information in hand, you’ll be better equipped to modify the campaign as needed for future mailings.

This covers the basics of how you can easily create your own direct mail campaign. In part 3 of this series, we’ll delve into formatting your direct mail piece.

Celebrating 15 years in Business! Titan List is a  Advertising and Design agency specializing in Direct Mail, Mortgage Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Website / Graphic Design. Titan List has been around since 1998, and has a team of highly qualified individuals with experience in the marketing trends that fit your business. Unlike other agencies that source their work out, Titan List & Mailing handles the entire campaign in-house. Looking for a special list of data for your business? We can customize any data list for your company.