How to Get Deeper Engagement with Your Direct Mail

Direct mail is known to have an impressive return on investment, but maybe you’re not seeing the results you want with your direct mail campaigns. You want to imagine your customer’s eyes lighting up as they read about your upcoming sale or new product launch. But instead, they might give your postcard a halfhearted glance and toss it into a stack of junk mail or—even worse—drop it straight into the nearest wastebasket. 

If you’re struggling to realize the great potential of direct mail, here are some strategies you should try to improve engagement and make the most of your direct mail campaigns.

Use Personalization as Much as Possible.

Marketers may have different approaches to driving engagement, but here’s a fact they can all agree on: People will engage more with messages that appeal directly to them. This fact is more critical today than ever before. Seventy-one percent of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76 percent get frustrated when this doesn’t happen, so you can’t afford to not leverage personalization.

What does this mean for direct mail? Use your buyer personas to create targeted campaigns rather than sending the same mailer to a huge group of people, hoping it will resonate with some of them and knowing it won’t with others. 

You can take it a step further by personalizing direct mail on an individual level. That may not seem feasible, but even if you have a huge list of recipients, you can use variable data printing to automatically change out elements on your mailers. Everything from the design to the message itself can be personalized, so use your customer relationship management (CRM) data to tailor your direct mail for each recipient. 

Here are just a few examples of how you can make direct mail more engaging through personalization:

• Feature products the customer may be interested in based on past purchases.
• Include a personalized reward based on a loyalty member’s accrued points.
• List the address or directions to their nearest brick-and-mortar location.
• Choose photos that align with their demographics.
• Reference a date like their upcoming birthday, loyalty anniversary, or last purchase.

Even by incorporating one of these elements, you can make an otherwise forgettable mailer stand out and strengthen your brand’s relationship with the customer.

Integrate with Your Digital Marketing. 

Don’t make the mistake of thinking your direct mail campaigns exist in a vacuum. It can often take many touchpoints to fully engage a customer and get them to take action, so think beyond your direct mail campaigns to all the ways you connect with customers.

Creating a consistent and connected experience with your brand across marketing channels (a.k.a. omni channel) is a great way to engage customers. Consider these ways you might integrate your direct mail with your online presence and digital marketing efforts:

• Online platforms: Ensure people know where to find you online by including your web address and social accounts. In a United States Postal Service (USPS) survey, 77 percent of businesses said that direct mail was driving website visits! 
• Social media: Encourage customers to post about their experience with your brand and include a certain hashtag. You may even want to host a social media contest where posting about your brand could earn someone a prize!
• QR codes: Use a QR code to direct people to a web landing page. Did you know more than 16 percent of mailers in 2022 contained a QR code? This is a great way to give people quick access to more information or help them take an action.
• Online promos: Include promos that encourage people to shop online. For example, you might provide a discount code for first-time shoppers who download your app.

Include a Clear Call To Action.

Another important way to get deeper engagement and higher response rates is by making it clear to the recipient what action you want them to take. Don’t let their interest fizzle out without any response, and don’t leave it up to them to wonder what they should do with their interest in your message.

Make sure your call to action (CTA) is relevant and feels like a natural next step after viewing your direct mail. For example, you might prompt the recipient to:

• Call for a free consultation.
• Make a donation.
• Visit your e-commerce store.
• Sign up for your subscription service.
• Visit a brick-and-mortar location.
• Register for an upcoming event.

Remember that any CTA will likely fall flat if the rest of your mailer fails to spark the reader’s interest. Ensure you evoke emotion with your direct mail so the recipient feels motivated to act on your message!

Give Your Direct Mail Campaigns a Boost!

You can make your direct mail more impactful by leveraging personalization, using omni channel marketing, and including strong CTAs. Want to learn more about taking your direct mail campaigns to the next level? Check out our eBook, How to Get Personal with Direct Mail!