Take Direct Mail Out of the Box

By Andrea Ratajczak



What will it take to get your direct marketing message noticed? Although traditional marketing and advertising are still in vogue, studies show that unconventional marketing methods are being utilized more and more to deliver a dynamic message. Direct mail is not exempt from the changing media landscape; in the future, it will take on new shapes, sizes and looks, and incorporate an interactive online component.

The main purpose of marketing and advertising is to link the message to a specific audience. Businesses are facing a more insular customer climate, and making that connection is proving more and more difficult. Do-not-solicit requests, answering machines, caller ID, direct viewing options, etc., provide a protective barrier between the commercial message and the consumer. It is essential that businesses examine the most direct link to their propective customer.

Direct mail is still a viable method for targeting potential audiences efficiently and effectively. Consumer patterns include visiting their mailbox daily. Direct mail is not obsolete. It is not, however, without its challenges.

According to a recent report published by the Winterberry Group: "With [the postage rate] increase now a distant memory - and with the threat of future such hikes mitigated by postal reform legislation that sets an effective cap on new postage increases - the focus for 2008 will shift to advancing the role of direct mail as a component of the multichannel marketing mix. ... Expect marketers to continue turning to new applications (including analytical modeling, event triggering, multichannel coordination and advanced postal optimization initiatives) in order to reinforce their presence in the mailbox and complement other on- and offline marketing approaches."

Direct mail can still attract your audience's attention by personalization and cusomization.

"Personalization allows direct mail, which traditionally has less than 2 or 3 percent returns, to obtain returns greater than 5 percent. Some of the more effectively designed programs can achieve returns of 20 to 30 percent," wrote Evan M. Bloom in the April 2007 issue of Small Business Technology Magazine.

Direct mail is changing - with new textures and unusual, high-value packaging. It can take many different forms, such as postcards, brochures, coupons, samples, bookmarks, flyers, business cards, letters or magnets ... even baby diapers. From whacky to wild - anything goes.

Whatever the format, the main goal is to attract the consumer's eye. Using a variety of response mechanisms, direct mail remains the best method to achieve measurable results.

A direct mail piece with a "wow" factor is not the only element to a successful campaign. Establishing your clientele is critical to any business. Advertisers and marketers need to ask, "Who is the target audience?" and "What product or service do I have to match that audience?"

Careful examination of a business's current customer base will reveal consumer patterns that can be replicated for list purchase criteria and used for new customer capture. Ranking of the client list from best customers to next best will help focus marketing efforts and may reveal ways to even further customize sub-messages.

After a business establishes a relationship with a client it is essential to "touch" and then "retouch" the consumer. Repeat business can make up to 80% of the total business. That percentage can climb even higher with a referral statistic included.



Andrea Ratajczak is vice president for PDA Marketing in Catonsville. She can be reached at 410-747-2389 or e-mail andrea@pdamarketing.net.