7 Direct Mail Marketing Mistakes Startups Should Avoid

By Author: Martha Smith
Total Articles: 28
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direct mailing house Surrey can be an effective way of promoting your business. A promotional technique that involves sending marketing materials directly to a consumer's home. It is effective and quite well-used today—especially by startups in need to get a leg up in the competition—as it is the complete anti-thesis of online marketing that’s very ubiquitous today. Direct mailing is personalized, tangible, highly trackable—and very real. Used effectively, it can facilitate a great boost in your business.

But the keyword there, of course, is effective usage—while it can create great benefits, direct mailing house in Surrey can also yield substandard results if done poorly.

To make sure your direct mailing campaign works the well as it could, here are mistakes you should avoid as a startup:

Having no call to action

Perhaps the most common mistake of direct mailing house in Surrey campaigns—though it is a common mistake in most marketing campaigns—is having no call to action. This means your direct mail material does not indicate directly what it wants the receiver to do and how to do ...
... it after reading the promotional information. Marketing is not just creating awareness; it’s about pointing consumers in the direction you want them to that. For instance, your direct mail promo should not just tell people about the product you are selling; it must also indicate how and where they can buy your item, as well as all pertinent information that could help them make that decision (for instance: website URLs, social media accounts, phone numbers, QR codes).

Not testing the material

When using direct mailing house Surrey techniques, make sure you test the response to a specific campaign so you know beforehand if it will work—and, if it won’t be based on initial reactions, how you can fix it.

Being too focused on your perspective

Like any campaign, direct mailing isn’t just about what you want to tell your consumers—although that is part of it. It’s also about telling them what they want and need to know. This should translate in the language your materials use; talk to the consumer directly, avoid jargon, be creative but make sure your point is clear.

Not thinking about the format

There are several formats you can use for direct mailing—coupons, brochures, as well as different sizes—so make sure you consider what best ones to use depending on your market and objective.

Not using data

Another direct mailing mistake is not using data. While how you use it can vary, there has to be a degree of research on your market that has to be done before you fully commit to a campaign—whether that research involves who you sent your mail to or what kind of mail you send to them.

Sending mail to ‘everyone’

Direct mailing house Surrey has to be targeted—again, this is why data is important. Sending materials to as many houses as possible won’t work since you won’t get to customize your communications.

Not having a clear objective

Lastly, your direct mail campaign needs to have a very clear and attainable objective. This will dictate the specifics of your campaign. For instance, if you want your campaign to just promote awareness, there are specific tactics for that. If you want to promote online sales, use QR codes in your mail. Your objective, naturally, will determine your call to action.