Direct Mail

5 Levels Of Direct Mail Marketing Planning

Direct Mail Marketing

5 Levels Of Direct Mail Marketing Planning

So many times marketers spend so much time on concepts that they can eat into the timelines very quickly. We end up getting direct mail marketing pieces that have been thrown together at the last minute and put in the mail to just get them out. You can tell when you get them and if you are the one sending them out your prospects and customers can tell too. So let’s clean up future direct mail campaigns by planning them out better. There are 5 levels you need to consider before you send out your campaign.

Direct Mail Marketing Planning:

  • Level 1: Position – Where are you now compared to the competition? Where do you want to be? Set your goals accordingly. What is your competition doing? Can you do it better?
  • Level 2: Permission – Do you and your team have the authority to plan and execute effective direct mail campaigns? In other words, are you being told what to do, or can you decide what needs to be done and do it? If you do not have the authority, find the person that does and work with them to plan out the strategy. Don’t be afraid to speak up with your ideas.
  • Level 3: Creation – How are you going to go about design, copy and offer creation? Will you do that in house or do you need help? Keep in mind that postal regulations may limit your creativity so make sure you know the rules. Who is going to do what and what will the timeline be? All three, design, copy and offer need to work together cohesively for good results.
  • Level 4: People – Who are you going to send to? This is a key area that needs to be looked at closely. Do you already have a list or do you need to find a list of the right people for your offer? Should you do versions to better target people? Have you built personas so that you know details about who you want to target?
  • Level 5: Execution – You are now ready to proceed with sending out your mail. Can you facilitate the printing and mailing in house or do you need help? Make sure to assign someone to results tracking so you know what is working and what is not. The process does not stop once your campaign has mailed, it continues on.

It is vital to the success of your campaign to carve out the necessary time to plan and strategize a good direct mail campaign. Processing through all 5 levels gives you a chance to conceptualize and build a comprehensive campaign. The goal is never to just get it in the mail. The goal is response. You decide if that is purchases, sign ups, appointments or whatever you are looking to accomplish. The results you are going to track need to match with your goal. Do not track sign ups if your goal is purchases.

It can seem daunting when you look at the whole picture, but when you break it down per level and do one at a time you will find it much easier. You don’t have to do this alone, we are here to help you create awesome direct mail in any capacity you need. By far the most complicated part are the postal regulations, we can help as you are designing so that you do not end up paying extra postage. Contact us today! We are glad to help!