As we know, effective marketing utilizes multiple platforms and formats to engage potential clients who are looking for the services that you provide. In the insurance field, potential clients fit into a range of ages, socioeconomic statuses, and locations. To reach out to as many people as possible, a direct mail campaign can be very helpful. Assuming you have the data necessary to begin your campaign, here are 5 things to improve your campaign.
#1 Personalize Your Campaign: When you’re going through your mail, what do you keep and what do you toss in the trash? Personalizing your direct mail will help your potential clients look twice before tossing the information you’re sending them. We recommend adding the recipient’s name in the headline of your ad to make them feel like you are speaking directly to them. Tailor the message to the recipient as well, using location-specific language and community-specific photographs. Thank your clients with a personalized note at the bottom, recommending they give you a call or email you with questions.
#2 Build Your Integrated Campaign: You should expect to send about 4 waves of direct mail before you get responses from clients. Additionally, direct mail cannot be relied on in isolation. Make your direct mail campaign a part of a larger integrated marketing strategy that includes email blasts, website promotions, and other advertising strategies. How does direct mail factor in to the larger picture? Who responds to direct mail campaigns and who does not? How can you fill in the gaps one campaign leaves with another campaign?
#3 Time it Right: Direct mail marketing campaigns are not the quickest or most immediate marketing strategies, so timing is important. For a more detailed breakdown of the elements needed to time your campaign, we have found this article from Entrepreneur.com helpful in the past. In the most basic terms, you’ll want to time your waves of advertisements far enough apart that the recipient will feel reminded, not bombarded. There are a lot of steps to an effective direct mail campaign, so take into account printing time as well as mailing time.
#4 Make Necessary Adjustments: Test and optimize your campaign over time. This website goes in-depth about the algorithms needed to adjust your campaign based on positive responses to previous waves. Data-driven marketing is more accurate, cost-efficient, and effective, so put in the work necessary to test your direct-mail campaigns and make the necessary adjustments.
#5 Measure Success: You should be planning how to measure the success of your campaigns right from the get-go. You should know what success looks like from the design stage, and set up your integrated campaigns so you can easily measure results and forecast KPIs. Here are some metrics you can track to calculate the return on investment (ROI) of your direct mail campaign:
- Campaign audience size
- Cost per mailing
- Total campaign budget
- Response and Conversion rates
- Number of buyers
- Average revenue per buyer
- Revenue / Profit generated
