Crafting an Exceptional Brief for Your Direct Mail Campaign: A Step-by-Step Guide

One of the most widely used marketing tactics that has stood the passage of time is direct mail, but unfortunately, it is not being used to its full potential. The fact is, that to effectively employ direct mail campaign services, certain rules and practices must be followed.

The truth is that a successful direct mail marketing campaign is still one of the most effective ways for your business to generate and retain customers. Even if you are already marketing effectively through digital channels, implementing direct mail through print and mail services complements digital marketing and can help you reach customers you might not otherwise reach.

Simply put, not knowing how to execute a stellar direct mail marketing campaign (or even attempting to do so) puts your company behind the competition, but do not worry, here is a step-by-step guide on crafting an exceptional brief for your direct mail campaign.

What is Direct Mail?

In layman’s terms, direct mail marketing is the practice of sending physical marketing materials to someone’s mailbox. It is possible to do so through the USPS (United States Postal Service) or utilizing the services of direct mail marketing companies. Catalogs, postcards, flyers, and free samples are some of the most common forms of direct mail.

Direct Mail Pros and Cons

Direct mail, like everything else, has advantages and disadvantages. We’ve already discussed it briefly, but here’s everything in one place.

Pros

Has a higher response rate than other forms of marketing.

Can be personalized.

And allows you to reach a larger audience.

Cons

Must be eye-catching, or it will be a waste of money if people do not open it

Some people may not like it (and may regard it as junk mail).

Steps for Crafting an Exceptional Brief for Your Direct Mail Campaign

The direct mail brief is, without a doubt, the most important aspect of the direct mail you send to your target audience.

We know that direct mail recipients have a higher response rate than most popular digital marketing campaigns. Despite the high response rate, your efforts can go down the drain if you are unable to hook the recipient on your direct mail copy.

Let us take a look at the steps involved in creating an effective and successful direct mail brief:

Step 1: Define Your Campaign Goal

A strong directive mail campaign starts with defined goals. Directionless, your efforts may be without a clear understanding of the goal. Consider the following objectives:

Increase Brand Awareness: Potential customers must learn more about your brand’s unique qualities and values if your aim is to increase brand recognition through direct mail.

Boost Sales: To reach your sales objectives, your direct mail strategy ought to center

around compelling proposals, promotions, and motivators if that is your primary goal.

Complement Other Marketing Efforts: Ensuring cohesion across marketing platforms, direct mail should complement other channels. Across platforms, create cohesion by synchronizing messages and timing.

Step 2: Identify Your Target Audience

Understanding your audience requires information that is important to your direct mail campaign. Make strong use of data collection tools such as surveys, competitor reviews, and social media of your target demographic.

Their demographic data can be further segmented into age, gender, profits, ethnicity, employment, homeownership, internet access, purchase records, and more.

Step 3: Build a Mailing List

Once you have identified why and for whom you are conducting the direct mail campaign, it is time to create a mailing list. Simply put, this is the list of people to whom you’ll be sending direct mail. There are two kinds of lists: house lists and purchased lists.

The first type, house lists, contains the names and addresses of your current customers. If you collect this type of information (which almost every business does), you should keep it somewhere safe.

The second type, purchased lists, as the name implies, involves the purchase of addresses and names.

Step 4: Focus on the Quality of Your Offer and CTA.

While direct mail marketing materials include more than just the offer and the call to action (CTA), those two components are the most important. They have the power to make or break your direct mail marketing campaign.

People are simple creatures; they want to know what you are selling, why they should consider your product or service, and how to get it if they are persuaded by your copy. This is why you must include those details in your direct mail marketing materials – there is no other option.

However, simply having it is insufficient; you must also make it appealing and make your customers or prospects WANT to use your product or service.

Step 5: Choose the Format

The next step in the direct mail process is to select the best format for your campaign. A standard postcard is the format of choice for most direct mail marketing campaigns. It is, however, not the only one.

Depending on your requirements, you can select from a variety of options such as standard postcards, large postcards, Letters, Pamphlets, and even dimensional mail, if your budget allows.

Step 6: Design Your Marketing Piece

It is very important to focus on the next step of direct mail marketing, which is, designing your marketing copy. Although you can easily get it done by yourself or some in-house talent. But it is highly recommended to hire capable direct mail campaign companies, who will take care of everything for you. Their first-hand experience with print and mail services will definitely give you an edge over your competitors.

If you follow these instructions to the T, you will have no trouble whatsoever in drafting the perfect direct mail marketing brief for your direct mail campaign.

Conclusion

Although there are numerous factors to consider when writing a direct mail brief, we hope this step-by-step guide provides you with everything you need to ensure the success of your next

campaign.

When it comes to the appearance of direct mail, it may appear intimidating at first, but the truth is that some of those things are either obvious or something you already do as a company. Another good idea would be to employ the services of direct mail marketing companies who possess hands-on experience with the same.

The most important aspect of your direct mail campaign is arguably the copy. It is vital to carefully analyze your direct mail campaigns in order to learn what works and what doesn’t for your company.