3 Easy Ways to Add Personalization to Your Direct Mailing

Original blog published November 11, 2019

According to a survey from the Direct Marketing Association, 70% of Americans feel postal mail is more personal than the internet. Mailing campaigns are efficient at keeping, maintaining, or winning new customers. Up to 39% of new customers tried a new business based on direct mail, according to a DMA study. 

Plan for an individual then target your message to that specific persona. Personalization will lead to more effective and even more affordable work. To learn more about personalization and the reasons to use it, click here.

Keep reading to learn more about the ways that you can apply subtle shifts to make your mailing campaigns more personalized. 

3 Easy Ways to Personalize Your Direct Mail

The following are three areas you can personalize your direct mail to easily connect with your audience:

Copy

Personalize the message to the individual by using their name. This is a simple step but an extremely effective one. We recommend using any other information you have, within reason, available to deepen that connection with the consumer. For example, your consumer may come from a small rural area and be more prone to supporting small businesses than they are corporate businesses. Keep these things in mind when direct mail marketing to specific markets. 

Additionally, make sure to balance your message and your pitch with a consideration of their time. You don’t want to overload your consumers with too much information or text because it will come across as not caring for their time—there’s nothing worse than having your clients ignore your marketing messages.

Images

Set the mood of your content with a visual that will draw in your reader. Images will need to appeal to each individual in your mailing so keep your location in mind. Try to use imagery, when possible, from the area that would immediately be recognized and have that feeling of connection. It can be as broad as a museum or theater or a popular lake or historical landmark.

Choosing proper imagery will help increase your ROI and build brand loyalty and recognition.

Offer

Use your data to understand your audience’s needs, then supply that need. The more aligned the offer is to the audience, the more traction it will get. You wouldn’t want to advertise a steakhouse restaurant to a household full of vegetarians, for example. Be aware of your audience and what it is your marketing and to whom.

Use a QR Code

When consumers see a QR code on a piece of direct mail, it almost feels like a special invitation. By scanning the code with their phone, your consumers will be able to open a personalized landing page. Incorporating a QR code into your direct mail marketing strategy will allow customers to not only have your direct advertisement in their hands, but on their phone as well, making it easier to share with friends and family.

Final Thoughts on Personalization

Create a positive message that connects to individuals instead of trying to engage everyone. Make sure to keep the message accurate or you will turn off your customer. Private information is awkward, insensitive, and possibly a privacy breach—avoid that. 

The team at Progressive Data Services has experience leading mailing campaigns and building mailing lists. We can help your organization hone its focus and marketing approaches to best meet your leads where they currently are then converting them into customers.

Give us a call today at (248) 313-9120 today to begin building your mailing list.