Direct Mail Post Cards

Every business advertises in one way or another.  Whether it’s word of mouth, advertising in the paper, hanging a sign outside the business door, buying space on a billboard, or sending out mailers to everyone in the community that fits a certain demographic profile.  If a business doesn’t make the effort to advertise, chances are   good that their potential clientele will visit a competitor.  Sure, the proprietor will have the same loyal customers, for a time; but, the business is unlikely to grow and prosper. The key is to implement an ad campaign that costs less than the overall sales generated.  Because of its cost-effectiveness, more business owners are using postcards to reach people in the community. But, they will need to evaluate the direct mail postcards and the marketing response.

The statistical average for response to direct mail postcards is approximately 2.6 percent.  It doesn’t sound like much.  But, before getting discouraged, consider the ultimate goal.  If you sell more of your product or service than it cost to implement the campaign, you have achieved your goal and made a profit.

Conversely, if you spent more money on the campaign than you cleared, then something did not go right with your advertising.  It doesn’t mean that direct mail postcards are ineffective.  It simply means that something has to be changed, in order to attract the attention of the reader and motivate them to check out your offer, before they assume the card is just junk mail.

In truth, the statistical average of converting mail recipients into paying clients really has no bearing on your business.  The only numbers that really matter are your own.  The whole point is to learn from your successes and your mistakes.  Then, the next time you implement an ad campaign, you will have the opportunity to make changes for the better.  Hopefully, those changes will ultimately increase your sales and develop and even stronger loyal customer base.

Therefore, it’s essential to keep statistical information regarding your direct mail campaign.  For instance, what was the age and economic status of the recipients?  Was that the audience you really wanted to reach, or do you need to make some changes?  What was the return or your investment?  Did you end up in the hole, barely break even, or make a profit?  How would you change the postcard for next time, to better attract the attention of the reader in the first couple of seconds? Would you modify the call to action, in order to improve the chances of the recipient responding?

With each campaign, there will be a lot of questions to answer.  You will have a lot of statistics to analyze.  Some will be good; some will be bad.  But, all of the information you glean can be used to benefit the next direct mail postcard campaign.  Any improvements made should also increase your bottom line.

In business, chances are good that you are your worst critic.  Because you have so much of your time, talent, and self invested in its ultimate success, you are more likely to give yourself a hard time, if the business doesn’t grow as quickly as you envisioned at the beginning.

Likewise, you are also your most challenging competitor.  Although you will definitely be keeping an eye on a rival business, you will always be pushing the business to improve and grow.  Even if you are at the top of your game, it will be important to keep pushing forward.  You know the minute you sit back and take your business for granted, someone else will swoop in and entice your most valued customers away.

The same can be said for your direct mail postcard campaigns.  You will be your worst critic.  You will pour over the statistical information, hoping to find out what worked well and what you need to change.  Even if you last campaign was considered a resounding success, you will always be striving to make the next one better.

You might even want to poll your customers to ask them what they think are the strengths of your business, and how they feel it can be improved.  The information obtained can be used to better target your audience in future mailings. It will also give you insights into what matters most to your clientele.  Of course, don’t forget to offer them some kind of reward for taking the time to answer your questions.  It might be a free gift, a discount on their purchase, or some other incentive to make it worth their time and trouble.

In short, when you are measuring the success or failure of your direct mail postcards marketing campaign, the only statistics that really matter are the one’s directly related to your profit margin.  If you make a profit, no matter how small, the first campaign is a success.  The goal now is to analyze your responses, so the next marketing campaign will be even more profitable.