Six Tips for Maximizing Direct Mail Results

Get The Tools You Need

Make sure you have all the right and best tools for the job including high quality lead lists, batches of toll free numbers, and high quality content. Without all three of these tools, you cannot expect to run consistently profitable and successful direct mail campaigns. It doesn’t matter whether you have a great list of prospects, if the message isn’t right. And it doesn’t matter how great your mail piece looks if your business phone number doesn’t close the deal and enable you to track results.

Ensure Correct Mailing

Unfortunately, as with any other industry, any type of marketing mistake can be made or your requests may just not be completed competently. You must keep a close eye on your direct mail, ensure that you receive the lead lists you requested, oversee that your mail is sent out at the right time, and make certain everything goes out. Check all the way through your mailing lists to doublecheck that everything is in order – not just the first sheet. A reputable mailing firm should not only be able to offer toll free numbers as a part of its package but also provide you with proof that your campaign was sent out on time and in its entirety.

Call Capture

Using toll free numbers on your direct mail pieces not only increases response rates and closing ratios but also enables you to capture the number of prospects who have called in but not left numbers or who got disconnected.

Test

Before you launch a full campaign, you must test. Testing in smaller batches allows you to compare the advertising effectiveness of the content of your mail piece, the quality of your mailing list, and whether you are sending at the right times. However, do not be too cautious; you must use tests that are big enough to assess results accurately. Any small batch of a few hundred pieces can either be a huge hit or miss. You should be testing at least 2,500 pieces per run in order to  determine future profitability in a realistic manner.

Monitor Call Metrics

Do not judge the success of your direct mail campaign based solely upon how much you think your phone is ringing or what your phone reps are saying. Closely monitor your call metrics to determine the real results and where improvements can be made. Monitoring goes beyond just counting calls. Your toll free number provider ought to give you online access to call details. This information will enable you to see how long your agents spoke with prospects so you can tell whether there are issues with your script and which of your team members are performing the best.

Recalibrate

After reviewing your toll free number statistics and actually closing numbers, adjust and hone your direct mail campaigns for maximum ROI. Then continue to test new factors in order to improve constantly your revenues and profit margins.

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