Have you noticed more mail coming through your letterbox recently?

Direct mail used to be a very popular form of advertising, but it declined in popularity when businesses began to focus on digital marketing instead. That is, until now – direct mail is making a comeback!

Many businesses have become fed up with their marketing efforts falling into the digital abyss, so they’re returning to direct mail instead. Direct mail provides recipients with a tangible item they can touch and turn over in their hands. These physical advertisements often get left on the kitchen counter or stuck on the fridge door to be reread later or for others to see, giving them a much longer shelf life than digital ads.

Here at Good Comms marketing agency in Chester, we’re seeing demand for direct mail services grow in 2024 as businesses look for ways to differentiate themselves, make an impact, and drive more sales.

In this article, we’ll explain what is involved in planning and executing a direct mail marketing campaign, from briefing a design or creative agency to finding the right data and printing services. Are you ready to embrace the direct mail revolution?

What is direct mail?

Direct mail is a form of advertising that involves sending physical marketing materials through the post directly to a target audience. Some of the most common types of direct mail include postcards, brochures, catalogues, letters, coupons, flyers, and newsletters.

Regardless of your business goals, direct mail is a valuable addition to the marketing mix. It can be used for a variety of purposes, from driving brand awareness and building loyalty to inspiring advocacy or reactivation. It also helps to improve customer experience and reinforce your brand’s message. The physical interaction offered by direct mail can give your brand an edge over its competitors.

What are the benefits of using direct mail for marketing?

While direct mail has been less popular in recent years, it remains a powerful marketing tool, and many businesses are now rediscovering its many benefits amid its resurgence.

Here are some key benefits of using direct mail for marketing:

High response rates – The tangible nature of direct mail grabs the recipient’s attention, and as a result, it typically achieves higher response rates compared to digital advertising.

Personalisation – Direct mail can be extensively personalised, from addressing the recipient by name to customising the content and offers within the mail based on their past interactions and preferences. Personalising your communications enhances their relevance, helping to increase engagement and response rates.

Highly targeted – Detailed data allows direct mail to be very precisely targeted, enabling you to reach specific segments of your audience. This can help optimise your campaign’s efficiency and impact.

Versatile – Direct mail is very adaptable and can take on a huge number of different formats, from postcards and coupons to brochures and letters. This versatility allows you to get creative and craft something unique and memorable.

Cost-effective – While direct mail is generally more expensive than digital marketing in the short term because of the cost of printing and postage, its high response rate means it usually offers a better return on investment over time.

Less competition – With fewer companies opting for direct mail, your campaign has a better chance of standing out and grabbing the recipient’s attention.

Memorable – The versatile, creative, personalised, and tangible nature of direct mail makes it more likely to leave a lasting impression on the recipient.

How do I create a direct mail marketing campaign?

Creating a successful direct mail marketing campaign involves several steps, and managing them alone can be challenging.

The process involves:

• Concept and design

• Data acquisition

• Printing and distribution

Managing the process can be complicated and time-consuming, which is why many businesses opt to partner with a marketing agency. Here at Good Comms, we’re a marketing agency in Chester. We provide an end-to-end direct mail service that covers everything from conception through to print and delivery, simplifying the process and helping you achieve the best possible outcome from your campaign.

What to include in a direct mail creative brief?

Like any marketing project, a direct mail campaign requires a detailed brief. The brief should provide clarity on the campaign’s purpose and desired outcome.

A good direct mail brief should contain the following information:

Background – Provide a brief overview of your business, including what it does, the sector it operates in, its market positioning, and who its competitors are.

Audience profile – Tell the creative agency who you want to target. The more information you can provide here, the better. Include detailed information about your target demographic, including their age, gender, financial status, and geographical location, to paint a clear picture of who you want to target. Any triggers or hooks that are known or have worked with the target audience in the past are also useful.

The proposition – A clear value proposition is an essential part of any good brief. It should quickly and succinctly communicate why a potential buyer or prospect should invest in the product or service you are selling. It is the overriding reason a buyer should choose your product or service over a competitor’s. Your proposition should be concise, ideally no more than a sentence, and serve as the crux from which all creative concepts and mail pack designs are developed.

Call-to-action – Communicate what action you want the customer to take when reading the direct mail pack. Do you want them to visit your website, call a phone number, or scan a QR code?

Mailing volume – How many mail packs are you planning to send out? The size of your audience will determine the volume. If you want to send the direct mail out in batches to give you time to follow up on responses, then specify this.

Budget – Communicate what your maximum budget is for the campaign and calculate an approximate CPM (Cost Per Thousand). This then allows the creative agency to propose a mail pack format that suits both your objectives and your budget.

Timing – Tell the creative agency when you want the mail pack sent out and delivered. The delivery method you choose (First Class, Second Class, etc.) will dictate how long it takes.

Number of concepts required – Creative agencies often mock up several different concepts for the client to choose from. These concepts usually include a rough layout, message, hook, and call to action. Let your creative agency know how many concepts you would like them to deliver; 3-5 concepts is usually the norm.

Once your brief is ready, it’s time to show it to a designer or creative.

What format should my mail pack take?

The format of your mail pack should be aligned with your campaign goals, target audience, content, and budget.

There are many different types of mail packs available; let’s look at some of the most popular formats.

• Postcard – Effective for brief messages and promotions. Postcards are cost-effective and can stand out for their simplicity and directness.

• Letter – Letters are ideal for personalised communications. They can convey more information and foster a more personal connection with the recipient.

• Catalogue or brochures – Used to showcase a range of products.

• Coupon – Great for driving sales and encouraging quick responses. Coupons can be included within other formats or alone.

• Flyer – A simple and direct format often used for announcing events, promotions, or general business services.

• Newsletter – Usually used to communicate regularly with an established audience. Newsletters can be used to keep an audience informed about business updates, insights, and offers.

Your creative agency can help you to select the format that best aligns with your needs.

Tricks of the trade in direct mail design

The way direct mail packs are designed and formatted has become more of a science than an art. While every mail pack is different, certain design techniques have been proven to enhance the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns, regardless of their format. These tricks of the trade can significantly improve the response rates and overall impact of your direct mail campaigns.

Eye tracking

Many design and creative agencies now use eye tracking in the format and layout of their mail pack designs. Eye tracking is a technique used to measure where and for how long a person looks at various elements of an advertisement (or mail pack). Eye tracking can be used to strategically position different elements of the mail pack design to engage readers, maximise impact, and optimise its overall performance.

Johnson boxes

A Johnson Box is a graphic element containing the communication’s key message, usually found at the top of a direct mail letter. It features prominently in direct mail to draw the reader’s attention to the key message immediately and entice them to read on.

Personalisation

Personalising your direct mail message can significantly improve its performance. In addition to addressing the recipient by their name, integrating personalised content based on their previous interactions with your business, preferences, or purchase history can also help make your message feel more relevant and engaging. The more your mail pack resonates with your audience on a personal level, the more likely they are to respond to it.

Interactive elements

Adding interactive elements like QR codes, scratch-offs, or pull-tabs can increase engagement by making the experience of receiving your mail pack more enjoyable and differentiating it from other mail.

Effective use of white space

White space is the area between the design elements that make up your mail pack. How your design uses white space can affect its overall readability and the reader’s experience. Using white space effectively within your design can reduce visual clutter and help the important parts of your message stand out.

Should I use images in my direct mail pack design?

The simple answer is yes; as the age-old adage goes, a picture paints a thousand words. Images are crucial for effectively communicating your message to your audience. The images within your direct mail pack should reflect your audience (look like them) and relate specifically to the product or offer the mail pack is promoting. As with any good advertising, you need to ‘sell the sizzle’; in other words, a picture of juicy cooked sausages is going to work much better than a pack of eight uncooked bangers!

How do I target the right prospects with direct mail?

Selecting the right audience and data to target is crucial to the success of your direct mail marketing campaign. Get this bit wrong, and no matter how good your direct mail is, it’s likely to fall flat. So, how do you ensure that you’re targeting the right people? Let’s use an example to explain.

If you are creating a B2B direct mail, the three typical criteria are job title, sector, and business size. However, other factors may come into play, depending on what you’re promoting. For example, if you are promoting business loans, then you may add growth rate (turnover) to the list, allowing you to target companies that are more likely to need funding. However, this type of data is not always easy to source, so check availability first.

Because of the cost of direct mail, it’s important to narrow down your criteria as much as possible. You may want to consider limiting the size of the data pool you purchase to test response rates first. Or you could construct a test matrix of different market segments to see which provides the best response rates and then increase your data selection to include more records. Some businesses also like to batch the data so that they can spread the mailing to give them time to manage response rates.

If you are sending B2C direct mail, you are generally dealing with larger volumes, so precise targeting is even more important to keep costs controlled. In addition to age, gender, and location, you can apply a number of additional criteria, such as income, MOSAIC consumer classification profiles, and specific databases with likes and interests, but these come at a cost.

What should I look out for when ordering or buying direct mail data?

When buying direct mail data, there are several things you should check before finalising your order.

• The data includes the variables you require.

• The selection criteria reflect your target audience.

• Where is the data sourced from, and how often is it refreshed?

• The terms of usage – is it single use or can it be used multiple times?

• The data is MPS and TPS (cTPS) compliant.

• The data transfer is secure.

• What is the format, and is it compatible with your printer?

Be sure to shop around and compare counts and quotes from several providers to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Most providers are willing to provide sample data upon request.

What do I need to do to the direct mail data once I have it?

Once you’ve received your data, you should select records at random and check their quality. Make sure that the data fulfils your criteria. If you decide to sort through it, always keep a copy of the original version as a backup. Add seeds to the list (your own details or those of people you know) so that you can track delivery and see what the final direct mail design looks like. Finally, check that it is saved in a format that is compatible with your printer.

Where can I source data for my direct mail pack?

There are plenty of data providers available to source direct mail data from, including established companies like Experian. These providers have access to extensive financial data, which can help you narrow down your selection. A good starting point for finding reliable data suppliers is the Data and Marketing Association (DMA) member directory. The directory lists trusted data suppliers that adhere to industry standards.

Where do I get my direct mail packs printed?

When it comes to printing your direct mail packs, there are plenty of specialist direct mail printing companies in the UK to choose from. Choosing a printing company listed on the Data and Marketing Association Directory assures that the company is reputable and will handle and process your data securely. If you opt for a company not listed in the directory, check that they can handle your specific needs, including any customisations and the materials, formats, and sizes you require. You should also check that they follow stringent data security protocols to protect your data and comply with regulations. Look for a company with a good reputation and plenty of positive customer reviews. It’s a good idea to request samples before you place your order to check the quality of their printing.

How should I deliver my direct mail packs?

When deciding how to send your mail packs, there are plenty of delivery options to choose from beyond the traditional Royal Mail service. Alternative delivery companies such as Whistl, DHL, and UPS offer popular mailing solutions. Each of these companies uses a distinctive ‘mailing marque’ or postage mark, which they apply to the outside of your mail pack adjacent to the name and address of the recipient. You may need to supply this to your designer to include in the mail pack artwork.

How can I analyse the effectiveness of direct mail?

Once your mail pack has been sent, it’s important to monitor and analyse its performance carefully. Evaluating your campaign’s performance is key to understanding what has worked and what hasn’t, helping you to refine future campaigns.

Let’s look at some methods for measuring the effectiveness of direct mail.

Sales data analysis

Compare sales data from before and after the direct mail was sent. An increase in sales following the mailing could indicate a successful campaign.

Tracking website visits

If you include a custom URL or QR code in your direct mail and send recipients to a landing page on your website, you can analyse traffic to this page.

Unique telephone numbers

Similarly, if you want people to call your business rather than visit your website, including a unique telephone number in your direct mail will allow you to track calls related to the campaign.

Response rates

Generally, direct mail response rates range between 1% and 4%, notably higher than the typical response rate for email marketing, which usually falls under 1%. However, direct mail response rates can vary depending on several factors, including whether your audience is B2B or B2C, timing, and target demographic.

The resurgence of direct mail doesn’t mean you should abandon your digital marketing efforts. Instead, direct mail should complement digital marketing. By implementing both, you can leverage the strengths of both digital and physical advertising to create a more cohesive marketing strategy.

If you still have unanswered questions surrounding direct mail, or if you’re feeling inspired to start your first direct mail advertising campaign, get in touch with our team here at Good Comms. We’re a marketing agency in Chester offering marketing communication services across a broad range of channels and platforms, including direct mail marketing. We’re large but mighty, having worked with some of the biggest brands in the UK. Get in touch by calling us on 01244 345 110.