A lot of what creates a successful mailing campaign is the frequency in which you send out mailers to re-engage with your audience. The frequency depends on a lot of factors including who you are mailing to, what you’re advertising, holidays surrounding your campaign and more.

What is direct mail frequency?

Direct mail frequency is the amount of times that a prospect is exposed to your marketing. With more exposure the more likely a prospect is to recognize your brand and follow through with your call to action. 

People get bombarded with advertisements and campaigns everyday through social media, email, text, tv, radio, etc. However, because print is tactile, you have already began to stand out from the clutter. 

While utilizing a physical communication technique already sets you apart from the crowd, you still must repeat your message in order for a consumer to take action. In fact, a consumer must see a message anywhere from 3 to 20 times before the they are ready to pay attention and take action.

finding your frequency balance

According to survey data from the Direct Marketing Association, 21 days is the optimum length of time between mailings. Of course, this is a general rule of thumb and not the perfect strategy for every campaign. 

The timing of your mailing may depend on holidays or relevant events/dates surrounding your campaign. For example, if you are selling back-to-school items  you may want to schedule your mailing to go out twice throughout the summer and once after schools have started. Or, if you are doing a direct mail and email combo campaign, you may want to send out a mailer, three weeks later an email, and then follow up with another mailer. Each campaign can be unique in ot’s timing and frequency.

All wrapped up

When it comes down to it, what is most important is that you are willing to test out different timing strategies and see what works best for your campaign. In addition, be patient with your campaign. You may not see immediate results with your first mailer but possibly two or three in you’ll see results skyrocket! It all depends on your audience, frequency, campaign structure, etc. 

When it comes down to it, utilizing any form of direct mail has already put your company at an advantage in comparison to those only utilizing digital platforms. So have fun with it, experiment and see what works best for you!

Still have some questions? Feel free to reach out to one of our mailing experts today or contact us here.

One of the most basic ways to increase the success of your mailing campaign is to segment your audience. Segmenting your audience is when instead of sending a mail piece to everyone, you focus on a specific audience and tailor the mail piece to them.

So why is audience segmentation helpful?

First off, by segmenting your audience, you are able to choose to send your mail to people who are more likely to buy your product or use your service. You can limit the amount of mail pieces that get sent to people who would have no interest and just throw the piece in the trash. In addition, you can tailor the message, images, or design of the piece based on what will catch the interest of certain segments. 

For example, if you are a retailer that sells all sorts of electronics, you could split your mail campaign into two segments, one being people/companies that typically buy phones and one that typically buys computers. You can then create one mail piece that focuses on the newest phones and accessories while the other shows off the newest models of computers and accompanying accessories. This way you aren’t wasting time and money advertising the wrong product or service to an otherwise interested customer. 

Four ways to segment your audience

1. Geographic: The first way you can segment your audience i through their geographic location. This can mean by state, city, zip code, or even by street and neighborhood. By choosing to segment through area, you can target your audience based on wants or needs shared in that location.

2. Behavior: This is one of the most reliable ways to segment and often gets the most responses. This way of segmenting is determined by what current customers and prospects have done in the past. Based on their past spending, how often they use your products/services, and how recently they have purchased from you. Tasking all of these factors you can cater your mail piece to each group for maximum response.

3. Demographic: This segmentation strategy includes a vast array of variables such as gender, age,ethnicity, income, occupation, and education level. By using this information you can target a product or service to these audiences based on their wants and needs.

4. Psychographics: This looks at the attitudes and values as well as interests. This is information that can be a little harder to find on an average list but can have positive results with successful mail campaigns. 

All wrapped up

Creating a direct mail campaign with targeted audiences can increase your sales, brand recognition, and overall campaign success! Need some help finding mailing lists or designing your perfect direct mail campaign? No worries, just ask some of our mail or design experts!