As one of marketing’s oldest channels, direct mail is sometimes unfairly labelled as an outdated method of reaching clients and prospects. But direct marketing is a longstanding channel for a reason. While times have changed and the way direct marketing is approached has too, the fact remains that with careful planning DM is still an extremely effective way for a business to achieve its leads and sales objectives.
In its most successful form it is a highly targeted, highly personal and hugely effective way of reaching the target audience. Used incorrectly however, it can be both inefficient and potentially damaging to a company’s reputation.
All businesses know that their clients and prospective clients’ time is precious. Those who mail other businesses with specific product offerings that are completely unrelated to them further exacerbate the annoyance of ‘junk’ mail. However, small mistakes, such as name or job title discrepancies, are just as important to avoid as larger scale errors.
Ensure data quality
Ensuring the quality of your data is up to scratch with the most up-to-date information on prospects is the easiest way to avoid such examples. It may seem obvious, but many businesses continue to get this wrong.
A simple first step is to start by researching the provider. Check the provider’s data credentials and obtain information on their success rate.
A key thing to remember is to make sure that the offering is relevant to the target prospect pool. If it is going to make their jobs easier, then the mail instantly loses its ‘junk’ status.
Furthermore, while it is vitally important to ensure the prospect pool is factually relevant and correct, it is also important that they are financially viable to connect with. Pre-screening tools are available to weed out any prospects that may not be in a financial position to take up your marketing offerings. Although it may reduce the numbers, it will certainly save time, effort and possible embarrassment in the long run.
Integrate DM with another channel
Once the list is taken care of, the second thing to consider is ‘how’ to reach the target audience. The desired result is to take them on a journey that starts with direct mail. What other channel of communication would best complement the direct mail campaign? Take a long, hard look at the list of target businesses. Think about the daily routine of those businesses being targeted.
Think about their working environment and about any aspect of their business that might give an idea of the best channels to combine with direct mail. Once a secondary channel has been chosen, take into account any outside influences that may impact on the chosen channel of communication.
For example, if the offering is a financial product, then is email really the best form of communication to accompany direct mail? Bearing in mind the sheer magnitude of phishing email scams related to financial offerings, there is a risk of genuine communication being tarred with the same brush and being discarded as junk. Options need to be considered carefully. Where the prospects go next should be the result of a strategic, targeted intelligent strategy, with nothing left to chance.
Don’t forget about online presence
If the call to action is to visit the website, then collaboration is key. In addition to ensuring that the link is prevalent, make sure that the landing page has some visual correlation to the mail. Too often there is little or no website presence tying in with direct marketing campaigns, which can be a massive missed opportunity. If a client or prospect’s journey comes to an abrupt end, so will the business’ chances of success.
But it shouldn’t stop at the website don’t underestimate the effectiveness of new media. The campaign could reach further than the website. Social media sites are fast becoming a valuable channel for B2B marketers, so businesses should explore ways in which to link into them. Used correctly they can add significant value.
It is not yet time for one of the oldest channels of communication to retire. There is still much value to gain from direct marketing. As with all marketing tools, businesses just need to take a more savvy approach when they use direct mail. By taking advantage of all the assets available, businesses can ensure direct mail campaigns evolve with the times and are as intelligent and targeted as they can be.
