Effective Direct Mail Campaigns

Direct mail is a form of marketing that consists of direct contact between the company and potential customers. In contrast to other forms of marketing, such as email or social media, direct mail is delivered to consumers without them making a conscious decision to receive it. The cost-effectiveness and efficiency of this method has led to its widespread use in recent decades and its effectiveness has been proven.

Effective Direct Mail Campaigns promotes effective strategies for direct mail campaigns, including how to create a campaign with an audience instead of targeting the general public, as well as how companies can optimize their budgeting process by using direct mailing data. The paper also discusses how to use technology such as landing pages to track results from direct mail campaigns.

In today’s business environment, the success of a company is often determined by its ability to adjust quickly and effectively, to react to changes in the industry and take advantage of emerging opportunities. Many companies are not able to do this on their own because they lack a good understanding of their customers' needs and behaviors. Effective Direct Mail Campaigns states that “The greatest value that can be attained from direct mail is its ability to generate qualified leads directly from the source--the customer” (2005). In order to create a campaign that can help companies contact the right customers, a company must have knowledge of the psychology of consumers. Effective Direct Mail Campaigns explains that “Because direct mail is a very powerful and efficient tool, it should be used properly by an organization that is committed to achieving the best results” (2005). Specifically, effective direct mail campaigns should:

Effective Direct Mail Campaigns covers three key principles for creating successful campaigns:

Landing Pages

An effective landing page creates a better chance for sales and leads because it provides helpful information and a great visual appeal. The paper discusses how landing pages can be used as part of an effective direct mail campaign.

Landing pages can be effective in creating an instant contact with potential customers and therefore provide a low-cost, high-return campaign. Landing pages can be used to test a direct mail campaign’s profitability before launching it for full distribution. By giving the public access to relevant information about the company, landing pages provide motivation for customers to respond to a direct mail campaign. Landing page technology makes it possible for companies to constantly monitor leads and measure their effectiveness on the page without requiring action from customers such as filling out a form or clicking through from another website (Effective Direct Mail Campaigns 2005).

Landing pages are most effective when the page is designed to highlight an element of the customer’s experience with the company. When a company is aware of what that customer value is, it can create a landing page that highlights this benefit and changes the state of the customer’s mind about what the company represents. The paper states that “Developing a good landing page for each target audience is like playing chess with someone who has a very different game. You need to play to your opponent's strengths and weaknesses…” (2005). By playing to your competitor’s unique strengths, you will be able to increase your chances for success.

Landing pages are most effective when you can:

Although a landing page may not be crucial to the success of a direct mailing campaign, it can be used to create an interaction between the potential customer and the company, which improves the chances of increasing sales. As stated in Effective Direct Mail Campaigns, “A landing page is a great way to give customers information about products and services without having to clutter their mailboxes with unnecessary brochures or information” (2005).

Email Responses: A Webbased Measurement Method for Top-of-Mind Awareness and Purchase Intentions in Direct Marketing Campaigns

Effective Direct Mail Campaigns states that “email is becoming more popular as an inexpensive way of contacting customers.

Conclusion

Effective direct mail campaigns are most effective when the company knows what it is doing and has a specific goal in mind. For example, companies that are selling household products often use direct mail to target mothers. According to Effective Direct Mail Campaigns, “A mailing that focuses on women who have children under the age of three will generate more response than one that targets any woman who has children” (2005). The paper emphasizes that successful campaigns are built around creating a good image of the company.

The concept of a landing page is important for both employees and managers to follow in order to improve their ability at communicating by using email marketing campaigns.