Jet Mail 3/9/23 6:00 AM

How to Build a Successful Direct Mail Marketing Plan for 2023

How to Build a Successful Direct Mail Marketing Plan for 2023

When was the last time you opened your mailbox and found 121 letters waiting for you? Unless you're a celebrity who gets a ton of fan mail, we'd imagine it's pretty uncommon!

But that's the harsh reality of email marketing—an average of 121 emails flood your inbox daily. That's why businesses must find a way to stand out from all the digital noise.

So how do you build a successful marketing plan and get your company's name out there?

It's simple: direct mail marketing, a highly effective approach to reaching potential customers.

When it comes to direct mail campaigns, the numbers don't lie. In addition, direct mail marketing delivers a medley of compelling advantages:

With figures like that, it's clear you need to include a direct mail component in your marketing strategy. Read on for tips from Jet Mail's experts on how to build a successful direct mail marketing plan for 2023, including:

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Why Direct Mail is So Effective in 2023 

While digital marketing is the focus of most companies' advertising campaigns, it's declined in its effectiveness year-over-year, leaving marketers frustrated with rising costs and underwhelming performance. 

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But direct mail is like the Energizer bunny of marketing channels–it keeps going and going and going…

In fact, the average response rate of direct mail is between 2.7% - 4.4%, while email marketing is around 0.6%, which is comparatively very low.

Why?

Postcards, letters, calendars, and other direct mail content have a long shelf life, present in customers' homes long-term, influencing their buying decisions.

But direct mail marketing is more than just sending 100,000 postcards addressed to "Current Resident." Successful direct mail campaigns in 2023 must be personalized, data-driven and fast.

The excellent news is that setting your direct mail marketing up for success is easy and can be done in six simple steps.

6 Requirements for Successful Direct Mail Campaigns in 2023

Use Smart Market Segmentation

Market segmentation lets you target your marketing messages with laser precision. The segmentation process divides your overall market into subsets based on demographics like age, sex, ethnicity, salary, and marital status, all helpful information when thinking about your customer! Then, use the power of variable data printing to reach into your market segments and customize each piece of your direct mail advertising to meet their needs—without sacrificing speed-to-market or quality.

Build Accurate Data-Driven Mailing Lists

Good data is the foundation for a profitable direct mail campaign. But maintaining data hygiene and scrubbing are essential steps to ensure that your information on your customers is correct. Don't have time to do this yourself? Jet Mail's expert data processing team has over two decades of experience managing complex data. Lean on us to help append mailing lists, eliminate costly duplication and keep current with the National Change of Address (NCOA).

Use Your Valuable CRM Data to Customize Offers

85% of consumers say personalization makes them more likely to open direct mail. Meaning an irresistible offer tailored to their needs is just what customers want. By analyzing your customer relationship management (CRM) data, you can learn what your customers have already purchased and what they'll need next. Then, use a direct mail campaign to promote your products with personalized offers that won't get lost in a sea of emails.

Use Creative Copy and Packaging

With email, you're limited to nine words in the subject line to grab consumer attention. That's not a lot to work with! However, direct mail has a tangible, physical advantage—a blank canvas for creativity. To entice curiosity, you can use vivid colors, bold text, attractive and personalized envelopes, and even gift boxes. Creative packaging and copy are incredibly influential during the holidays when customers expect cards and gifts from friends and family. Personalization is critical here, so be sure you’re well-versed in direct mail personalization strategies.

Use Strong Calls to Action (CTAs)

You know what they say: "Actions speak louder than words." And we're obsessed with having strong CTAs in direct mail marketing campaigns because they help you get your message across in a way that is more likely to charm your customers to take action on your offers. So how do you use a CTA to convince your prospects to engage with your messages? When writing CTA's for direct mail, consider what you want customers to do and find an emotional hook. Now, your hook doesn't have to be as catchy as the latest viral TikTok sound, but it should be clear and tell prospects what to do next. Be sure to read our guide on direct mail copywriting to create copy that converts!

Test Your Markets With Short-Run Versatility

W. Edwards Deming said, "Without data, you're just another person with an opinion." That means that testing is paramount in your marketing strategy—no matter whether you're going print or digital. Plus, it would be silly to risk a significant investment on a 100,000-piece mailing campaign until you've seen results from a 500-piece test run. Does testing your campaign sound like too much work? Jet Mail has the technology and team of experts to help plan your campaign, identify your strengths and pinpoint actionable growth opportunities to optimize your marketing strategy. Our customers have achieved response rates as high as 30% on mailings of just 2,500 hyper-targeted pieces! 

How to Implement Your Direct Mail Strategy With Ease 

We've been getting numerous questions from readers on how to execute an idea—especially when multiple print, design, data, packing, labeling and shipping vendors are involved. The answer: customized direct mail solutions from Jet Mail!

We consolidate your direct mail, printing and marketing fulfillment needs under one roof.

From personalized B2C direct mail campaigns to hyper-targeted B2B print collateral to seamless e-commerce fulfillment, businesses have relied on Jet Mail since 1993 for marketing fulfillment solutions that increase revenue and accelerate growth.

Our extensive menu of print and direct mail services is amplified by our equally comprehensive list of lightning-fast fulfillment services, including inventory management, pick and pack, kitting, assembly, warehousing and shipping.

At Jet Mail, we understand the demands of fast-paced and competitive industries, which is why we specialize in fast, personalized and data-driven marketing fulfillment solutions.

Our cutting-edge digital printing technology, on-site USPS facility, team of marketing logistics experts, and three fulfillment centers strategically located in key markets across the U.S. allow us to move at jet speed and with pinpoint precision. All of our marketing and fulfillment services can be accessed through the Jet Mail Marketing portal 24/7 to further expedite delivery times.

Businesses rely on Jet Mail to manage more than just their print, mail and fulfillment needs. As a HIPAA-compliant and SOC 2-certified business, you can rest assured that your data is safe, secure and managed with the utmost care.

Ready to get started? We're excited to hear what you have in mind for your project. Contact us today!

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Editor's Note: This blog was originally published in November 2020, but has been updated with relevant information. 

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