Direct mail delivers information about your products and services directly into the hands of your target audience - and potential customers. When direct mail isn't done well, it is often dismissed as junk mail. We think that's fair. But done well, its very effective. Not to mention profitable...
The below lists the three most important factors in direct mail:
1. Data - Has your data been cleaned recently? Is it warm (actual customers) or cold (third party data)? Has it been used recently - or ever? Good data is vital. We have seen a direct mail piece get 0.012% response rate against one set of data, and 7% against another. It was exactly the same creative. Data should be at the top of your priority list when it comes to direct mail. Ignore this at your own peril!
2. Timing - Why do all these fantastic DVD sets and Greatest Hits CDs come out JUST before Christmas? It isn't an accident. Some record companies wait six months to release a CD in December. Why? To maximise PROFITS! It's all about good timing. Would you order from a Gap Clothing catalogue immediately after allegations were published of them using child labour or running sweat shops? That's unfortunate timing. Whether good or bad, timing plays a crucial part in the success of any direct mail.
3. Creative - Just because creative comes third, this doesn't mean it won't have a major impact on your direct mail campaigns. We have seen creative SAVE brands. It's all too easy to blame other factors such as the product you're selling, or competitors, for your campaign's lackluster performance. Improve the creative and you can see response rates double or more. A little (literally) example: We wrote some adwords copy for a Google campaign and tested it against the company's best performing copy. Response rates rose 30%, but sales doubled.
We understand direct mail. In fact we live and breathe direct mail everyday. Because Candy Apple Creative® is always about response, profit, improvement. And that's what gets us out of bed in the morning. We know how to make direct mail work for you. We've done it hundreds of times before...we've tested , improved, profited. So now we have a thousand learnings to apply to your business.
