Creating a Direct Marketing Campaign

Direct marketing, such as direct mail campaigns, has certainly faced competition since the arrival of digital. However, it remains a key marketing tool for businesses and one that can be highly profitable.

It’s also proven to be as successful, if not more so, than many digital options when it comes to customer engagement - direct mail achieves a 4.4% response rate, compared to 0.12% for email. If you’re keen to integrate a direct marketing campaign into your ongoing strategy, then these are some of the key steps involved.

• Identify your target market. Who are you trying to reach with the campaign and why? Compile as much information as possible on your target audience before you begin planning a direct marketing campaign so that it will be well-informed. Include data on age, location, income, likes, dislikes, and typical behaviours.
• What’s the message? It’s crucial to have clarity on your message at the start of the planning stage. Do you need to re-target the message for different demographics? You’ll need to ensure that the message is appropriate for the markets you’re targeting. Focus on the benefits of your product or service for the customer if you want to get the best results.
• What are your goals? What is this direct marketing campaign designed to achieve? These could be general or they could be specific, but the more detailed you’re able to make your objectives, the more likely you are to create a campaign that is specifically designed to achieve them.
• Don’t forget the hook. This is what gives the customer a reason to get in touch. It could be to take advantage of a special offer, to enter a prize draw, or simply to “find out more.”
• Invest in your marketing materials. You may need to consider the best channel and format in terms of which are the most appropriate to your target audience. That could be brochures or flyers, booklets, or personalised letters.
• Implement your campaign. Once you’ve created a structure for your campaign and decided on the materials, moving on to implementation is the next step. Initially, this will be all about your mailing list – according to the experts, 40% of the impact of a campaign comes from having the right mailing list. With the list and materials ready, it’s time to press ‘go.’

It’s worth investing in creating great content that people feel compelled to respond to – high quality images, engaging text, and a format that draws the eye in will all help with this goal.