Direct mail mistakes

It may seem like an old fashioned practice, but direct mail still holds sway in today’s marketing landscape. Businesses sometimes need a little reminder that actually print and direct mail aren’t dead and can yield impressive marketing results – but only if the practice is undertaken professionally and given the detailed attention it deserves. If not, direct mail can be highly ineffective – not because of its nature, but because of poor business execution.

This is why we’ve taken it upon ourselves as print experts to detail some of the worst mistakes businesses looking to invest in direct mail can make, drawing inspiration from recent B2C and Entrepreneur articles:

Failing to create a universal campaign.

If a business doesn’t appreciate the value of a universal campaign – aka one that is the same both via print and digital – then it is unlikely to get the best response. Print and digital content should be similar for the same campaign; treating the two departments as separate will cause confusion among internal teams and external customers. Do not force print to appear as a standalone element but part of the campaign as a whole.

Failing to make print personal.

Good marketing is dependent on forging good relationships, and this can be achieved quite easily with print – but only if it’s personal. With social media posts, customers will forgive if the tweet or status update isn’t directed to them personally – the site and profile is a social one and will have numerous followers, after all. But with print, as it is traditionally sent direct to a customer, it should be personal to them otherwise they may take offence or ignore the printed material altogether.

Finally, with print and direct mail practices there are different regulations to take into account. By failing to abide by the Domestic Mail Manual, businesses can incur substantial fines and risk the ire of their customers and stakeholders.

Were you aware of these common direct mail mistakes? Will you be readdressing your print marketing campaigns to ensure they are as effective as they can be?