Letterbox Advertising

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Why is Letterbox Marketing Important and How Can You Ensure Its Success?

There are two things that marketers in all industry verticals always find challenging. One is finding new potential customers for their business, and the other is engaging with a cold lead. What if we told you that both these problems have a simple solution?

Yes, by using a letterbox marketing campaign, you can tip the scale of the existing balance and get noticed by your target audience. Not sure what is letterbox advertising or how it can help your business? Well, you need not worry about that because we will give you the answer to that question as you read on.

What is Letterbox Advertising?

A letterbox or mailbox is used in private residences or businesses to receive incoming mail. Letterbox advertising involves delivering printed marketing materials such as flyers and brochures by dropping them in the letterbox.

However, it is not the same as direct mail advertising because it does not require you to have a highly targeted mailing list. Your marketing materials do not require an address at all. But that’s not even the best part! It is significantly cheaper to send this type of marketing mailer.

Furthermore, Royal Mail offers a unique postal service called Royal Mail Door to Door service, which lets your business quickly implement letterbox advertising. We even have a detailed article on how you can use the Door to Door service efficiently for your business.

 Also Read: Door to Door Mail Delivery Service

Why Is Direct Letterbox Marketing So Effective?

Some of you might think Royal Mail Door to Door service is an outdated way of marketing your products and services. And you wouldn’t be wrong to some extent. But, in actuality, you overlook many aspects when you say offline marketing methods like letterbox advertising are outdated.

For instance, the digital marketing spectrum has become so mainstream that it is practically impossible for a new player to get noticed. Offline marketing, on the other hand, is less competitive. Furthermore, it is not so easy to ignore, like how you can leave a text or email unread forever.

Here are some of the reasons why direct letterbox marketing is so effective for marketing your products or services:

They Are More Personal:

The feasible nature of mailers makes it more personal than seeing your marketing message on a screen. You can use the demographic trend to offer relevant marketing content to the target. Using a smaller demographic or area can run even more personalised marketing campaigns.

Targeting Based On Demographics and Cold Lead:

As we mentioned above, when sending unaddressed marketing mailers, you can target audiences based on their demographics. But, more importantly, you can use letterbox marketing to target your cold leads, and there aren’t many effective marketing strategies that can do this.

They Offer No Distractions:

The thing with online marketing campaigns, especially on mobile devices, is that the audience gets easily distracted. No notifications pop up on a printed flyer that could take the recipient’s attention away.

How to Ensure The Success of Your Letterbox Marketing Campaigns?

You can take several steps to ensure that your letterbox marketing campaigns are successful. Below we discuss some of these steps and how they can help your marketing efforts harness the desired results.

1. Keep Your Marketing Material Simple

Simplicity goes a long way in Door to Door marketing materials like flyers. You can follow a rule of thumb to ensure the marketing material remains simple: pick a clear objective and stick to it. Never have cluttered information in your marketing material. However, you can use bold colours, compelling headlines, and aesthetic images to grab the audience’s attention.

2. Highlight The Benefits of Your Product/Service

Your marketing material should highlight the significant benefits of the product or service you want to sell. Make sure you don’t mistake the benefits with the features of the product or service you are selling. A good letterbox marketing campaign focuses on the customer’s benefits rather than the product/service features.

3. Use Quality Content

Quality content implies that your marketing message should be powerful enough to grab the prospective customer’s attention. But, merely grabbing the prospect’s attention is not enough. The content must be engaging, maintain a consistent flow, and ultimately generate the desired response from the candidate.

4. Ensure An Attractive CTA

CTA or Call-To-Action is a crucial part of direct letterbox marketing. Simply showcasing your contact details is not enough to make a great CTA. Ideally, it would be best if you offered discount coupons or some other incentive to the prospect to encourage them to take action.

5. Be Consistent In Your Marketing Efforts

The one thing that separates a good marketer from the average and below-average ones is consistency. The chances are that your first letterbox marketing campaign will not yield the desired results. Some marketers may give up and move to a different marketing strategy. But, an experienced marketer will know better and use multiple correspondences to get a response from the target audience.

6. Target Your Most Promising Leads/Prospects

Suppose you are an insurance service provider and already have a list of promising leads for your business. In that case, it might be a good idea to pitch them with a flyer or similar marketing materials. Why? Because it reinforces your brand in their minds. Finally, when they are ready to purchase, they will automatically think of your company first.

7. Regularly Evaluate Your Letterbox Marketing Campaign

Like every other marketing strategy, regular scrutiny is necessary to build a successful letterbox marketing campaign. Only then can you ensure a profitable ROI for your marketing efforts. You can also run AB testing to find the best offer, design, marketing message, etc., for your campaigns.

8. Ensure The Timing Is Perfect

Timing of your letterbox marketing campaigns can often be a game-changer. You can increase your chance of success by understanding customer habits relevant to the product/service you are selling. Hence, you can ensure your campaign catches the audience’s attention and boosts customer engagements, leads, and sales.

How to Use PostGrid to Improve Your Letterbox Marketing Campaigns?

PostGrid is a direct mail automation tool that enables you to automate your entire direct mail process. It means you can conveniently execute letterbox marketing campaigns for your business without doing any manual work. You can simply set up your campaign using PostGrid and sit back while the system does all the job for you.

As a result, you can save valuable time, energy, and resources on your offline marketing campaigns. Furthermore, PostGrid offers advanced personalisation capability if you want to run highly targeted direct mail campaigns. It means you can send personalised marketing materials to your existing and prospective customers with a button.

Conclusion

As one of the most cost-effective ways to reach a broad audience, letterbox marketing is perfect for businesses of all sizes. It helps you save time and money with a simple marketing strategy. It even lets you target prospects based on their demographics and other influencing factors.

Make your marketing efforts even more effective by using a direct mail automation system like PostGrid. You can print and deliver marketing materials to your target audience using a convenient software solution.

You can even use features like geocoding to target your letterbox marketing campaigns. Hence, every business must consider using a tool like PostGrid to access the full potential of letterbox advertising.

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The post Letterbox Advertising appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/letterbox-advertising/

Mailing House

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What is a Mailhouse and How Can It Help Your Business Grow?

70% of UK customers say that direct mail makes them feel appreciated and valued. Also, a survey stated that 56% of all mail pieces remain in the recipients’ houses even after 28 days.

These figures show that direct mail is the most popular marketing channel. It is also a commonly-used media for sending compliance and transactional items. Naturally, it gets more attention and generates higher responses.

However, some companies still believe that offline mailing is expensive, untrackable, and daunting. Yes, traditionally, conducting a mailing campaign posed several challenges. But, businesses can outsource their tasks to a mailhouse and get rid of these problems!

Thankfully, a mail house is fully-equipped to handle every mailing-related task. Ensure to choose the right vendor that works in close collaboration with your brand and meets your expectations. 

Mailing houses are also known as direct mail houses, mailing companies, or mailing service providers. They offer expert solutions to help you send any number of mail items to your customers or clients. Personalisation, inkjet printing, mailing, reporting, etc., are some popular features you should consider when choosing a mailhouse. 

This article throws light on the meaning and significance of mailing houses. Keep reading to know the features, benefits, use cases, etc., of such vendors.

Let’s dive in!

What is a Mailing House?

Mailhouses are companies or agencies that take over the offline mailing efforts of other organisations. They complete all the tasks involved in a mailing campaign, from design to despatch, on behalf of their clients.

If you are a company looking to send direct mail items but lacking the required experience and resources, hiring a mailhouse like PostGrid is your best bet. 

Earlier, mailhouse services were only used for shipping mail pieces locally, nationally, and internationally. But, now, the scope of their services has increased considerably. 

Hence, you don’t need to do anything—just draft a marketing plan, find a mailhouse, and let it complete all your jobs. 

What Features Does a Mailhouse Provide?

The features a mailing house offers vary from company to company. For instance, PostGrid’s direct mail fulfilment services provide end-to-end solutions covering every process from start to finish. Most vendors expect you to upload a mailing list of your own, but PostGrid helps you build them from scratch!

Below, we have put together some features that a mailhouse is likely to offer:

Personalisation

Direct mail personalisation contributes to a campaign’s success significantly. Nearly 50% of customers avoid brands that reach out to them with poorly personalised messages. 

A recipient may not pay heed to a generic marketing postcard. But, they would engage with a personalised item. Thus, incorporating variable data printing (VDP) into your mailing strategies is a must! 

Using VDP, you can print targeted messages on every mail piece without disrupting the printing process. Though it is hard to employ VDP in-house, direct mail houses can help you with it effortlessly. 

A mailhouse like PostGrid has an extensive network of print partners nationally. Hence, it already has the means to incorporate VDP into your direct mail advertising campaigns. 

Print Finishing

Print finishing refers to all the improvements made to printed items. It comprises folding, laminating, coating, laminating, die-cutting, overprinting, embossing, etc. 

You may be unable to set up such specialist print solutions in-house. But, a mailhouse can undertake any or all of the above tasks with ease. Like VDP, print finishing is also an integral step of the production process. 

Another step is to inkjet mailing addresses on the outer covers of your mail items. It replaces the traditional address labels and gives your mail a sophisticated look. 

Ensure to discuss your requirements with your mailhouse beforehand as it may or may not have the features you need. 

Stuffing and Assembling

Most direct mail houses also stuff letters and bills into envelopes. Hence, you don’t need to instruct your staff to complete such manual duties by dedicating days and weeks of their time. 

Plus, manual efforts are prone to mistakes that may result in your campaign failure. Imagine sending a postcard addressed to Mr Bailey to Mr Morgan. Such errors are more common than you may think and can lead to huge losses. 

Thankfully, a mailhouse takes care of jobs like stuffing and assembling envelopes. It helps you ensure accuracy at every stage of your campaign. 

Following Postal Guidelines

Businesses need to comply with the Royal Mail guidelines to send bulk mail. If you are a regular mailer, you should follow the postal size and weight specifications to qualify for the standard rates. This way, you can avoid paying any surcharges and ensure smooth deliveries. 

Furthermore, a mailhouse like PostGrid verifies your mailing addresses against the Royal Mail’s Postal Address File (PAF), allowing you to maximise savings. 

There are two benefits of cross-checking your mailing data:

• You can guarantee that your mail items reach the correct recipients with zero wastage. 
• You can presort your mail and grab bulk postage rates. 

Despatch

An efficient mailhouse prepares and despatches your mail systematically. It completes all tasks, like affixing stamps and posting items at the Post Office. Manually, this process would require you to calculate postage and stand in the Post Office queues. 

But, direct mail houses ensure that everything is done without you having to go anywhere. Thus, you can print and mail your items at the convenience of your home or office. There are also no limits to the number of mail pieces you need to send out to your customers. Isn’t that the best solution to your requirements?

Reporting

Real-time reporting of your sent mail helps you plan your next steps accordingly. It also allows you to stay updated and draft accurate insights. If you send items in-house, it is nearly impossible to gather all the information you need. 

Even if you succeed, it can cost you a lot of your precious time and resources. Thus, PostGrid’s print and mail house helps you track your mail pieces altogether. You can log into your PostGrid account and access the mail statuses through your dashboard. 

It gives you a consolidated view of every sent mail piece. This step is especially advantageous for businesses conducting a multi-channel marketing strategy. For example, if your plan dictates that you need to launch an email campaign after delivering your offline mail, you need to stay informed. Otherwise, your efforts would be misguided and lead to your campaign failure. useful 

Direct mail houses help you know about your campaign performance in-depth. Thus, you can access precise reports and plan your future campaigns more effectively. 

Design

Design is the foremost step in launching a direct mail campaign. But, we didn’t mention it as the first feature because most mailhouses don’t offer it. 

This step includes the creation of an artwork, customisation, branding, etc. PostGrid’s mailhouse offers pre-built design templates to allow you to save on design costs. It also enables you to edit as many times as you need and save templates for future uses. 

Unlike designers that charge hourly, PostGrid offers these templates free of cost. It is part of our all-inclusive automated solutions to help you forego the trouble of hiring designers. 

Data Management

Data management is another uncommon feature that a few direct mail houses offer their clients. Undoubtedly, customer data is your most valuable asset, and you would like to keep it updated. But, updating databases from time to time is hectic and time-consuming. It can restrict you from launching effective direct mail campaigns. 

Here are some stages of data management that you should look for in a mailhouse:

Data Compilation

Imagine you want to launch a different line of products for a specific age group. Or, suppose you want to connect with a particular group of people, say, interior designers. In such cases, you need custom mailing lists that only some mail houses like PostGrid provide. 

PostGrid helps you compile targeted mailing lists to boost your campaign results. Also, our Zapier integration enables you to connect with 1600+ apps and expand your database. 

Deduplicating

It is advisable to select direct mail houses that can de-duplicate your mailing lists regularly. We are sure you know how it can be chaotic for your sales staff to manage customer data files. Sometimes, they may have a list filled with hundreds of duplicate entries. 

If you proceed to send mail to an outdated list, there are chances that you will send mail pieces to the same people again and again. It can annoy your recipients and cause wastage. 

Therefore, PostGrid’s bulk mailing house processes your lists and eliminates all duplicate entries. It also checks whether your list contains more than one prospect living at the same address. This practice lets you optimise your mailings and save costs!

Address Verification

Perhaps, address verification is a crucial stage of a mailing campaign. You need to confirm the accuracy of every delivery address. Otherwise, your mail items might be lost, delayed, misplaced, or returned to you. 

If your mailhouse does not provide address validation, you may need to cross-check your lists yourself. Luckily, PostGrid’s address verification API allows you to standardise and validate your mailing lists—ensuring accurate deliveries. You can also avail of this feature with our print and mail solutions. 

Who Needs to Employ Mailhouse Services?

Usually, those who realise they require expert logistics, mailing processes, additional capacity, print and mail fulfilment machinery, etc., approach a mailhouse. Perhaps, they cannot manage their mailing tasks internally because of budget, timescale, and authorisation constraints. 

However, some businesses need a mailing house simply because they wish to save money and increase efficiency. Here are some examples:

Marketing Agencies

Marketing companies are experts in helping businesses drive more visibility and conversions. They do so using numerous ways, like direct mail, email marketing, PPC, display ads, etc. 

Most of their operations are completed by their full-time employees, but they also outsource other activities. For example, they can prepare a social media calendar for their clients in-house. But, they cannot print a thousand postcards for their campaigns. 

Thus, they hire a mailhouse to do the heavy lifting on their behalf. This way, they can spend more time completing tasks that require their direct intervention. 

Internal Marketing Departments

Most medium and large-sized businesses have an internal marketing team. This department is committed to increasing brand awareness and helping the sales staff convert more leads. Again, remember that they are not experts in direct mailing. 

Their duties include planning and overlooking a campaign. But, they cannot indulge in specialised tasks like ink-jetting and large-scale despatch. 

Hence, they use the services of direct mail houses to get things done properly. It also helps them expand their capabilities and send any number of mail pieces simultaneously. 

Small Businesses

Small businesses might not hire a marketing agency or create an internal marketing team. But, they can outsource their offline marketing tasks to a print and mail house like PostGrid. Thus, they can connect with their target audience and strengthen customer relationships without draining their budgets. 

The good news is that most direct mail houses have flexible price plans. So, small businesses can select a plan that best fits their requirements. 

Benefits of Incorporating a Mailhouse Into Your Marketing Plans?

A mailing house allows you to convert rough marketing drafts to result-driving mail items. It ensures that this intricate process falls into place and you can avail of the expected results. 

Below, we have mentioned the prime advantages of using mail house services:

1. Mailing Expertise

Quality mailing houses have years of mailing experience and expertise, which they can share with you. It allows you to expand your knowledge of how direct mail campaigns work and methods to boost performance. 

Furthermore, a mailhouse also helps you gather insights into what can work best for your business. It can also suggest you modify a few aspects resulting in better campaign execution. 

So, direct mail houses can be of great help if you want to explore more possibilities and launch a well-curated campaign. 

Along with that, they also have expertise in several print and mail processes. Hence, they can better guide you on factors like tracking barcodes, labelling options, mail enclosing, etc. 

2. Reduce Overheads and Save Time

Mailing processes are complicated and technical. They also cost a lot of investment and time. One of the main reasons businesses outsource their duties to a mailhouse is to control costs and save time. 

A bulk mailing house like PostGrid can help you revise your direct mail design or use other postal processes—allowing you to save overhead costs. Also, it lets you conduct successful mail marketing campaigns without bringing about crucial structural changes in your organisation. 

3. Avoid Buying Latest Equipment

If you want to print and mail internally, you need to buy and maintain several types of equipment. Poly wrappers, binders, sorting machines, cutters, etc., are a few examples of the necessary equipment that you need for completing mailing processes. 

Moreover, you need to purchase insurance, complete leasing formalities, and deal with safety agreements. You would agree that it is unreasonable to go through so much trouble when you can outsource all the tasks to a mailhouse. PostGrid helps you save up to 75% of your mailing costs and get everything done five times more efficiently!

4. Prevent Hiring Additional Staff

There are many individuals involved in launching a mail campaign. An in-house campaign needs you to hire additional staff members to fulfil the extra duties. 

But, you can avoid that by outsourcing to a mailhouse and using the services of an extended team. Hence, you get all the benefits without the inconvenience of managing employee contracts and paying extra. 

5. Sign a Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Always choose direct mail houses that sign an SLA with your company. It guarantees that your direct mail tasks get completed within a specified time. 

Thus, you can rely on your mailhouse and conduct flexible campaigns. It lets you launch on-demand and bulk campaigns with the same speed and accuracy. 

PostGrid offers a two-business day SLA—helping you make faster business decisions and conduct campaigns promptly. 

How to Assess Whether a Mailhouse is Right For You?

A quality mailhouse would offer all the features we discussed above. From data management to personalisation, it should provide everything you need. 

Obviously, prices play a huge role in determining the effectiveness of a print and mail house. Always check whether their prices are all-inclusive or vary according to the features you use.

If a vendor does not offer list compilation and design services, enquire how you can proceed with the process.

PostGrid’s direct mail API provides many useful benefits, like:

• Per-piece tracking
• API integration
• Easy to navigate dashboard
• Industry-best pricing
• Timely analytics
• A vast range of collateral options, etc.

Thus, you can integrate our API into your CRM and start mailing from your system. Unlike most direct mail houses, PostGrid allows you to be in control of your mailing efforts. You can send any type of direct mail to any address as needed. 

Conclusion

We hope this blog helps you know the meaning and functions of a mailhouse. There are several factors in this article to help you choose the correct vendor that lets you achieve your mailing objectives. Therefore, you can better decide whether to outsource your mailing tasks or complete them in-house.

As said earlier, our automated solutions allow you to enjoy the benefits of a mailhouse at the most affordable costs. PostGrid strives to help its clients send transactional, compliance, and marketing mail smoothly.

Using our API, you can send:

• Postcards
• Letters
• Invoices
• Flyers
• Statements
• Cheques
• Newsletters, etc.

Talk to our sales team now to know more about how our mailhouse can help you increase mailing efficiency!

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The post Mailing House appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/what-is-mailing-house/

Best Direct Mail CRM

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Direct Mail And CRM: All You Need To Know For Achieving Effective Communication

Direct mail is infamous for being slow. Everything from personalising, printing, and delivering it takes time. Or does it? With advanced direct mail automation solutions available, it has become significantly easier and faster to send direct mail.

But what really makes the mailing process easy and convenient for your business is the direct mail CRM integration. Today, we will take a peek at the CRM integration for direct mail and how it can help you speed up your direct mail communications.

What is Direct Mail CRM Integration?

As you know, a CRM integration connects an application with your CRM platform. The main goal of CRM integration is to ensure a secure and accurate flow of data between the connected application and the CRM software.

A direct mail CRM integration is nothing but connecting a direct mail software with your CRM. It is like the CRM integration you probably already have for your email system. In other words, the CRM integration for direct mail makes personalising your direct mail as easy as personalising your email.

How Does The CRM And Direct Mail Integration Work?

As we have briefly mentioned above, the CRM integration for your direct mail works similar to your email CRM integration. The integration process itself is pretty straightforward. Once you install the plugin or API, a new workflow should appear in your CRM.

Of course, for the direct mail CRM to work, you first need an advanced direct mail software like PostGrid. And even though tools like PostGrid offer full direct mail automation capabilities, you would still need to do some work to set it up. 

For starters, you need a design for your direct mail. However, you can always use a template for this if you want the easy way out. Apart from the initial set-up, you can use the CRM integration with your direct mail software to carry out the rest of the work.

• Easy Personalisation:
  Personalisation is one of the best parts of connecting your CRM and direct mail software. Instead of going through each mailer personalising one after the other, you can use CRM integration to do it for you automatically.

• Set Up Triggers:
  You can use the CRM integration for direct mail to set up triggers and automatically send postcards and other mailers. The trigger for this can be any event or action from the customer. For example, you can send a thank you postcard every time a customer purchases from your website.

Direct Mail CRM Integration And Automation

We know that the primary function of CRM integration is to take the customer data and relay it to the other software. This action alone can help you automate various business processes, effectively speeding up complex operations.

For example, let’s say you are a healthcare provider and you want to send a postcard to your patients inviting them to a health seminar. Here, you can use the direct mail CRM integration to personalise your invitation.

You can have the patient’s name printed on the invitation which makes the mailer look more personal. Furthermore, you can choose specific patient groups for your invitation. For instance, if the seminar is on heart disease prevention, you can select the patients with cardiac history or target a specific age group.

How To Make Your Communications More Efficient Using Direct Mail CRM Integration?

Connecting your direct mail and CRM software has numerous benefits, and listing every single one of them is not easy. However, here is a list of things that CRM integration can do for your business.

Save Valuable Time

Automation is often synonymous with time-saving. Hence, it is no wonder that direct mail marketing is a whole lot faster when it is connected with your CRM software. For a business organisation without direct mail CRM integration, there needs to be constant communication with the printer throughout the entire direct mail process. 

Everything from product configuration, uploading the mailing list, choosing the artwork, and more may require separate communication. Now, compare this with a single direct mail process you get with an automated system like PostGrid’s. Isn’t your life a whole lot easier with the latter option?  

Save Money

What’s one thing better than saving time? As far as a business is concerned, that one thing is saving money and the direct mail CRM integration lets you do just that. For one thing, direct mail automation tools like PostGrid are affordable. We provide direct mail packages that can fit your business’s budget regardless of its size, and you can check them out here.

Apart from the affordable nature of the direct mail solutions like PostGrid, there are other ways you can save money. Automated direct mail systems have practically no scope of error, which means there is no wastage either. So, you also get to save money on your direct mail campaigns and drag in a higher ROI.

Track Your Campaigns and Get Detailed Reports

Tracking your direct mail campaigns is a whole lot easier when you connect your CRM and direct mail automation system. You get timely updates on every stage of the direct mail campaign, including the printing and delivery of your mailers. 

Furthermore, you also get a detailed report on your marketing campaigns from the direct mail service provider. The report usually contains valuable insights that can help you optimise your campaigns and even help you better understand your audience. 

Easily Send Bulk Mail

Bulk mail can be a handful for your business. And executing it manually when you can automate is possibly the biggest mistake you can make. When tools like PostGrid are combined with Direct mail CRM, it is fully equipped to handle bulk mail requirements.

We keep helping our clients by integrating our Restful API with their existing systems or CRMs. So, they can significantly reduce manual errors throughout the direct mail process and elevate their postcard marketing campaign programmatically. As a result, most of our clients can easily send 1,000- 3,000 mailings a month. 

We have even created an all-in-one guide that explains how you can boost response rate with bulk mail, and you can find it here.

Conclusion

If you want to optimise the postal mail communication for your business, the direct mail CRM integration is a must-have. Without CRM integration, you can not get the full potential of automation in direct mail.

Furthermore, it would be best if you also had a tool like PostGrid equipped with advanced features and tracking ability. As long as you have a software solution like PostGrid and a sound CRM system, you can easily send bulk mail. In addition to this, it also lets you optimise your direct mail marketing campaigns based on factual data.

Hence, if you don’t already have an advanced direct mail automation tool in place, it is high time that you did. Only with an advanced tool and direct mail CRM integration can you hope to get the desired results for your direct mail campaigns.

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The post Best Direct Mail CRM appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/direct-mail-crm/

Reach vs. Frequency in Direct Mail Campaigns

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Direct Mail Frequency: Is It Better Than Reach to Optimise Your Direct Mail Campaigns?

Do you have difficulties planning the ideal direct mail campaign for your brand? Perhaps, the planning stage is the most daunting one because there are numerous factors to consider. Marketers need to settle on the design, mailing list, copy, CTA, mail format, etc.

Direct mail is one of the best marketing channels, with an average response rate of 9%, but it needs meticulous efforts. Most businesses plan the physical aspects of their mailing tasks but miss out on other factors like direct mail frequency and reach. 

How many times should you mail a prospect?

Is there any specific time frame that you should follow?

Such questions help you draft an excellent strategy that fits well with your marketing funnels. 

Today’s blog will help you grasp the concepts of direct mail frequency, timing, and reach. Also, we will walk you through the differences between reach vs. frequency to allow you to understand them in-depth. 

Let’s begin!

What Does Direct Mail Frequency and Reach Mean?

Frequency and reach are crucial aspects of a mailing campaign. They also decide whether your campaign will succeed or fail. It is common for marketers to get these concepts wrong initially but learn with time.

Reach refers to the number of people you target under your campaign. It also implies the number of mailing addresses on your lists. For instance, if you plan to distribute your marketing items, like postcards, flyers, etc., to 5,000 people, your reach is 5,000.

Usually, newly-established companies with a huge marketing budget to spare focus on marketing reach.

Direct mail frequency has nothing to do with the number of people you mail. It covers the number of times you send items to the same prospects. Imagine your mission is to convert 100 top-ticket clients by the end of the year. Then, you will keep mailing them back-to-back to get their attention and push them to respond.

Here’s when mailing frequency is essential—instead of giving up, you keep in touch with the same prospects, build rapport, and then convert!

Imagine you decide to send them five mailings spread across the year in this example. Thus, your direct mail frequency will be five.

Now, frequency also means another thing in direct mail—the number of times you send the exact same mail item to a prospect. Though some marketers practice this type of frequency mailing, it is better to mix it up a little and send unique items. We will discuss more on that in a bit!

When Should You Use Direct Mail Frequency and Reach?

We know how it can be hard for you to figure out when to prioritise reach and frequency. Remember, you can also use both simultaneously—as long as you know to create a balance.

Direct mail frequency and reach have an inverse relationship. You cannot increase mail frequency and reach together as it can drain your marketing budget completely. Imagine mailing 50 times to 5,000 people each! Exhausting and expensive, right?

To maintain a proportionate balance, you first need to understand when to use reach and frequency. Here are some circumstances where focusing on direct mail frequency is your best bet:

• You want to target a niche audience
• You want to push prospects to the bottom marketing funnel from the top or middle

In either case, these potential customers are already on the lookout for products or services similar to yours. Thus, direct mail frequency allows you to connect with them time and again, making them remember you and complete the CTA at some point.

On the other hand, reach is better for businesses having a generic audience, like restaurants. They can also prioritise mailing reach when:

• They have the required marketing budget
• They want to increase brand visibility

Reach Vs. Frequency: Which One Should You Select?

Only 2% of conversions happen after the first meeting! The other 98% of prospects buy from a business only after building good relationships and trust. 

It isn’t surprising that you may need multiple touchpoints before finally converting a lead. People take time to know you, understand your products and services, compare with your competitors, and select one brand. But, you can help them choose you by being consistent. 

Direct mail frequency gives people the time they need to decide. It also allows you to establish emotional bonds and boost brand recognition. 

On the contrary, reach does not give you this opportunity. It promotes a once-and-done marketing strategy that rarely works. You cannot mail an item to a potential customer and then forget about them. Being in constant touch is the key to pushing prospects ahead of their customer journey.

In simple words, direct mail frequency is better than reach and can drive better results!

Fortunately, PostGrid’s direct mail services allow companies to conduct any type of mailing campaign at any time! You can integrate our API into your CRM and start sending:

• One-off mailings
• Recurring mailings
• Triggered mailings
• Bulk mailings, etc.

Thus, you don’t need to favour direct mail frequency for every campaign; you can also focus on reach, depending on your objectives. Our address verification services also ensure that you mail to the correct mailing addresses, helping you save loads of time and costs.

Direct Mail Frequency Best Practices

Here, we have mentioned some tips you can use while planning campaigns focused on direct mail frequency.

Time Your Campaigns Well

Always select an ideal timeframe for your marketing campaigns. Most businesses only mail a few months a year. For example, companies selling school stationery items might start sending promotional materials to parents in Mid-August as the first term begins in September.

Also, most roofing companies advertise more proactively before monsoon. Similarly, you can also time your mailings properly to ensure maximum results. Suppose your direct mail frequency is four. Plan how you want to spread these four campaigns over your selected timeframe.

If you are busy with other operations and don’t have time to launch a campaign, use PostGrid automated direct mail solutions. One of our clients offering senior living assistance for senior citizens is now sending 10,000 personalised mail pieces every month. They are also able to segment their audience based on different factors, like healthcare, personal care, etc., using our custom mailing lists. 

Employ Direct Mail Frequency Capping

You cannot keep sending mail to your prospects every second day. This practice can annoy them and create a tarnished company impression. Therefore, fix an upper limit—the maximum number of times you can mail a prospect. It allows you to plan your campaigns more thoughtfully and effectively. 

Segment Your Audience and Test Everything

Try dividing your prospects into targeted mailing lists. It allows you to conduct location-based marketing, preference-based marketing, etc. 

Also, test your mailings from time to time. The best way is to send two different types of mail pieces to a small group of prospects. Thus, you can figure out what works best for your business. If needed, you can also use such A/B testing plans to see which one is better- reach vs. frequency. 

Consider Other Marketing Channels

Your direct mail campaign might be a part of a broader multi-channel marketing strategy. Hence, take care to consider other touchpoints as well while planning your direct mail frequency.

Conclusion

Understanding the differences between reach vs. frequency helps companies manage their budget better and execute well-designed campaigns. We hope this article helps you learn the significance of frequency in direct mailings.

To better optimise your campaigns and accelerate response levels, use PostGrid’s direct mail API. It makes conducting offline mailing campaigns a breeze. Request a demo now to see how our services help you with direct mail frequency to launch campaigns with assured results!

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source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/reach-vs-frequency-in-direct-mail/