Direct Mail FAQs
What factors are responsible for growth in direct marketing?
Continuous creative and data testing will ensure direct marketing growth.
When we develop a client’s direct mail creative, we want to test a unique format appearance and size, a compelling design, a powerful offer supported by strong benefits, and leverage personalization. Creative should also address any perceived barriers to response. Inserts and personalized cards can emphasize product features and benefits, as well as extend the response cycle.
Our team of creative experts bring decades of direct mail experience and we apply best practice design and copywriting to achieve superior results. On the data side, depending on the industry, a variety of lists and/or data selected via predictive modeling can be tested. We provide a full complement of marketing data solutions, ranging from analytics-driven models that predict who is likely to respond to omnichannel measurement and attribution. Our predictive models are built with data from multiple sources and include elements often not found in standard data resources. By utilizing data from multiple different sources, we are more likely to identify additional highly predictive data elements, leading to greater response and conversion results.
Why is testing in direct mail so important?
Just like every marketing channel, testing is important to find out what works and what doesn’t. Testing should be done on a regular, ongoing basis in order to maintain and grow performance. It requires new creative concepts and high-performance data. Whether you are a seasoned direct marketer or are just getting started, our team can help you test your way to success with innovative creative, and data targeting solutions.
How can I make direct mail more effective?
For direct mail to be successful for you, all components – strategy, creative, and targeting – need to be optimized. As a part of our service offering, we can help with strategy, creative, data, and analytics. Aligning all of these components to work in an integrated fashion will create a successful direct mail campaign. We can partner with your team to ensure that you reach your direct marketing goals. Learn about 5 advantages of working with Nahan as a direct marketing agency here.
What is a good direct mail response rate?
This depends on the industry, the product or service being offered, and whether we are targeting prospects or customers. Typically prospect response rates range from 0.20% to 0.80%, with customer response rates typically at 1% or more. Keep in mind, what may be a good response for one marketer may not be for another. In addition to product and service, there are a number of variables, such as creative design, format, and copy, as well as data, that impact response. Cutting costs without decreasing response means a greater ROI and allows for a lower response. Direct mail response rates typically improve with creative and data testing. For maximum performance, testing should be a regular, ongoing process.
What is more important – reach or frequency?
We consider both reach and frequency equally important for direct marketing strategies.
For reach, are you targeting the right individuals? It is important to identify the correct target audience to maximize the impact of your direct marketing strategies. This is where analytics and data testing comes into the mix. Many times we can identify a profitable segment within a larger list that was considered not viable.
Frequency is also essential so that your brand and offers stay in front of your targeted audience to maximize impact. Depending on the product or service, a number of “touches” may be necessary. The ideal number of touches can be tested.
The great thing? We can help you with both reach and frequency strategies as part of our Nahan marketing agency offerings.
How often should I send direct mail?
How often you mail will depend on many factors – budget, growth objectives, planning capacity, response capacity, and the scope of your qualified target audience. Many mailers mail monthly, but some mail more frequently.
In terms of how often you should contact the same people, some mailers frequently contact the same people over a short period, varying creative packages to avoid response decline. Multiple contacts can move the needle on response. We recommend the building of a rotation of high-performing creative control, so that the same creative is not sent too frequently to the same people.
Other mailers stretch out contacts to the same people over a longer period of time. The proper strategy here can be determined by frequency testing – taking the same group of people, splitting them into frequency buckets, and reaching each group with different levels of frequency to determine the optimal number of touches. For example, monthly vs. every other month vs. quarterly.
Can direct mail be personalized?
A resounding yes! With the power of variable data printing for direct mail, where there is data, there can be personalization. Variable Data Printing is using your customer’s data to change text, images, or other content from one piece of mail to the next. Instead of printing one form 100,000 times, you can print 100,000 highly individualized pieces that speak directly to the individual. It is the opportunity for 1:1 personalized marketing using print.
How do I start direct marketing?
If you are new to direct marketing and direct mail, no problem! We have a team of experts to walk you through every step of the process, from understanding your goals, to providing direct mail creative format ideas, to postal optimization guidance aimed at managing postal costs. We consider ourselves true partners to our customers and are here every step of the way. Contact us today and let’s chat!
When to use direct mail?
The simple answer? Whenever you want to drive results! We work with our customers on a range of creative – from premium catalogs to eye-catching direct mail campaigns, focused on:
Acquisition
Customer Loyalty
Delighting Customers
Coupons/Offers to drive response
Brand Awareness
Driving Sales
And more!
Our team is here to help you develop a strategy for your direct marketing goals and can make a big impact on your marketing efforts.
What are some examples of direct mail?
Direct mail comes in many shapes and sizes. From #10 direct mail packages to catalogs to unique self-mailers, we do it all! We have a variety of direct marketing samples highlighted on our website here. If you are looking for ideas, we’d be happy to send you a sample pack. Request one today.
What is the fastest growing form of direct marketing?
In a post-pandemic world, print continues to be more important than ever, and our customers are realizing tremendous success integrating print with digital marketing campaigns to drive results.
Using direct mail as part of an omnichannel marketing strategy can help improve response rates. Studies show campaigns that paired direct mail with digital ads saw 118% higher response rates than those that only used one channel Plus, the DMA reports that direct mail can lift response rates for other channels by a whopping 450%.
Nahan offers several tools that enable customers to target those people within a direct mail or catalog campaign at the same time with integrated multi-touch digital marketing. One of these tools is Direct Mail Companion.
Direct Mail Companion targets a direct mail recipient household via their mobile devices in their homes. The targeting process is based on geocoding that achieves a 100% match rate (with the exception of multi-dwelling units) from mail file to the digital marketing universe. It leverages Device ID, which is not considered Personal Identifiable Information (PII). It is not subject to digital privacy restrictions because it does not use cookie or IP address targeting, the use of which are being increasingly restricted and regulated. Direct Mail Companion results are typically 2x higher in click-through rates than traditional display campaigns, with a 50-75% reduction in cost per click and drive incremental response rates of 20%+.
What is direct marketing strategy?
Direct marketing strategy is the process of creating the best plan to achieve your direct marketing goals. Our team provides Strategic Planning, which balances improving direct mail gross response while optimizing cost. Strategy includes competitive analysis, marketing planning, targeting and data solutions, media planning and buying, creative development, and production execution. Learn more about how we work with our customers to build effective direct marketing strategies here.
Is direct marketing dead?
Not at all! In fact, direct marketing is alive and thriving! Print is the marketing channel of choice to pair with omnichannel strategies to drive acquisitions, build customer loyalty, delight customers, and much more! Why else would the insurance, financial services, telecom, cable, health insurance, travel, auto, retail and other industries be successfully depending on direct mail every day? Plus, in our pandemic world, print matters more than ever!
Why is direct mail important?
Direct mail works! Particularly in acquisition efforts, there is no other marketing chanel that can drive such a high percentage of qualified leads for marketers. It also plays an important role in omnichannel marketing strategies, further lifting response.
Direct mail is the most effective direct-to-consumer acquisition channel. It leverages targeted data not available online, highly responsive creative, and a test and learn strategy that continually improves performance. Its average acquisition response rate is almost 4 times the response rate for an email, paid search, and social channels and over ten times the response rate of display ads! (Source: ANA and DMA Response Rate Report)
Digital ads constantly fill consumers’ screens and vie for their attention. They’re inundated from the minute they check their smartphone in the morning until it goes on the charger at night, bombarded with 4,000 plus ads every day. Consumers also get hundreds of emails a day but only a few pieces of physical mail.
So what should your brand do to cut through the clutter of marketing messages and engage your audience? The numbers say direct mail is your answer. Download our whitepaper on why direct mail effectively engages consumers and how to implement it within your marketing plan.
Does direct mail still work?
Absolutely! Here are a few fun facts:
Millennials spend more time reading their mail than any other generation
In an average household, mail is kept for an average of 17 days
On average, direct mail offers a 29% return on investment!
