Because it’s data-driven and personalized, direct mail marketing works better than ever to engage customers and prospects with its tangible, physical presence and ability to integrate with digital channels.

Like any other effort, direct mail marketing works best with a well-thought-out plan of attack. Use this checklist of best practices to help make sure your campaign is built for success:

>> Related: Stats that Show Why Direct Mail ROI Still Dominates Remarketing <<

Strategize the who and what:

• Pinpoint your audience. Who are the intended recipients? What are their preferences and behaviors? Shoppers have different needs and expectations at each stage of the buyer journey, so segmentation  is key.
• Craft your messaging. What’s your objective? Is it clear and compelling? Think about what information your audience needs to move closer to a purchase.
• Include a clear call to action. What do you want your audience to do? Whether it’s scanning a QR code or visiting a specific product page on your website, make sure your CTAs are visible and accessible, driving to a very specific action.

Choose your channel and nail the timing:

• Narrow down the most effective channels. Keep in mind that the most responsive channels might work in tandem. For example, we’ve found that online buyers are highly receptive to retargeting direct mail postcards that drop within a few days of them taking an action on a website.
• Consider your timing. With the customer journey in mind, when is your audience most receptive to touchpoints? This is critical when it comes to locking down the all-important “second sale.”

Review and improve:

• Evaluate the messaging and optimize spend. What’s working? What’s not? Execute an “always be testing” approach across all channels to allocate the appropriate budget and drive the strongest results.
• Measure incrementality. The inclusion of holdout groups can help prove incremental ROAS. LS Direct’s dynamic marketing technology allows you to set up benchmarks to compare one program or offer over another, delivering insights to help enhance current — and future — campaigns.

Maintain the buyer connection:

• Determine what comes after the sale. Do you want to say thank you with a follow-up postcard? Or send out a survey to gain more customer insights? Keep the conversation going to nurture the relationship and build loyalty.

Need a hand checking all the boxes?

LS Direct is the leader in digitally driven direct mail marketing, helping marketers drive customer conversion and achieve proven incremental ROI at every stage of the buying journey. Let us serve as your trusted one-stop partner for predictive analytics, direct mail marketing solutions, creative services, printing, mailing and business intelligence.

Learn more by seeing LSdirect.com in action today!