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magazine
12
Cover Story
Today, businesses have numerous
means of communicating with
customers and prospects. Alongside
tried and tested methods, such as
direct mail and cold calling, there has
been a big increase in digital channels,
from email and websites to SMS and
social media.
Traditional and digital approaches
are often presented as rivals for the
marketing dollar. In fact, most successful
campaigns involve a combination of
electronic and paper-based channels.
Far from being superseded by digital
methods, hard copy mailings remain
a popular and effective means of
generating new business.
A recent study of 1,232 UK adults
conducted by the Direct Marketing
Association (DMA) and fast.MAP found
that 79% of consumers act on direct
mail immediately and that 10% more
consumers visited a brand’s website in
response to direct mail than a marketing
email. Nearly half of the 1,232 UK
adults surveyed for
From letterbox
to inbox 2013
said they had retained
printed items to look at again and 56%
considered printed marketing to be the
most trustworthy channel.
Nor are these isolated findings. A 2011
study by Royal Mail and Brand Science
found that using direct mail as part of an
integrated marketing campaign increases
payback by up to 20%. The impact is
strongest on the online components of a
campaign, which have a 62% higher ROI
when direct mail is added to the mix.
Clearly, direct mail remains valued
by businesses and consumers and
still has an important role to play in a
company’s marketing activities. That said,
it also has its detractors who see it as
an unwelcome intrusion and a waste of
resources.
So, when does direct mail become
junk mail and what can you do to make
sure your direct marketing continues
to be valued by customers and doesn’t
become an irritation?
Maximum effectiveness
Leading mailing and document solutions
provider Neopost has just published
an informative guide to maximising
the effectiveness of a direct marketing
budget. Produced in association with
the Direct Marketing Association (DMA),
A Practical Guide to Creating Effective
Direct Mail Campaigns
contains valuable
tips on every stage of a campaign, from
planning to response analysis.
You can download a free copy
from www.neopost.co.uk/dmaguide.
In the meantime, here are five ways
in which businesses of all sizes can
maximise response rates and stop their
communications from being dismissed
as junk.
1. Target the right person at the
right address
The most common complaint about
direct mail is that it is wasteful and
bad for the environment. Often, it is.
If your mailing list is full of duplicates
and incomplete addresses or if the
mailing is poorly targeted and sent to a
As the economy starts to pick up, Neopost has
produced a timely guide to maximising the
effectiveness of direct marketing
Direct mail, not junk mail
demographic with no interest in what
you are offering, it will in all likelihood
be dismissed as junk mail. However,
if you manage mailing lists properly,
your mailing is unlikely to be received
in this way. Even if the recipient is not
yet ready to take up your offer, they are
much more likely to keep a professionally
produced, well targeted mailing to refer
to later. As well as preserving a reputation
for efficiency and professionalism,
up-to-date mailing lists will enable you
to produce more targeted mailings,
minimise the number of returns and save
on print, production and mailing costs.
2. Personalise the message not just
the address
Today, consumers feel more valued if
they are addressed by name. One of
the advantages direct mail has over
some other forms of advertising is
that it enables you to target specific
individuals and groups. Personal greetings
and messages on letters, mailers and
envelopes help increase response rates
and build stronger relationships with
customers.Why not also change the
text of mailers and letters for each
recipient or target group. Making use
of variable data printing to personalise
offers or varying envelope insertions to
reflect each person’s interests makes it
more likely that your approaches will be
received favourably.
3. Respect customers’ preferences
Customising messages and offers by
addressee is particularly relevant when
communicating with existing customers
about whom you already have some
knowledge. This might also include
whether they prefer to be contacted by
email or post. Some prefer the former, no
matter how well designed a mailpiece, and
this should be taken into consideration
when planning a campaign. The ability to
distribute the same offer digitally or by
hard copy as part of an integrated process
will ensure your communications aren’t
counter-productive.
4. Add interest to your mailings
Every day, people receive large numbers of
marketing messages and yours will need
to stand out from dozens of others all
competing for attention. The look and feel
of a mailing is very important. According
to the DMA, colour marketing material