Don’t feel discouraged if your direct mail campaign is failing. With an ever-growing audience, many organizations struggle with sending direct mail that is intriguing to all receivers. Sometimes you’re faced with a failing direct mail campaign because you’re using an outdated mailing list. On other occasions, a direct mail campaign fails because it didn’t undergo a rigorous quality check.
Organizations need to focus on many areas to ensure a campaign is successful. After checking your mailing lists and verifying pristine quality, make sure you are personalizing the content and adding new messages. Your direct mail campaign can succeed if you focus on updating and providing engaging content to your prospective and current members.
Here are several ways to make direct mail more effective in the midst of struggling campaigns.
Update Your Mailing Lists
You need to update your prospect list and in-house list before each campaign. Updating this information is critical to ensure the correct audience receives your message. If you aren’t updating your mail lists frequently, you may experience response rates that decrease over time.
Prospect List
Your prospect list is always evolving. It includes potential people who may be interested in your organization and its mission. Keeping your prospect list up to date helps your organization continue establishing a solid member base. The goal of your prospect list is to turn prospects into active members. If you aren’t seeing many prospects converting into members, re-think your prospect list and make sure you are targeting the right audience. Reaching the right audience will help your organization gain a stronger member base after a direct mail campaign.
In-House List
Your in-house list needs to remain updated, as well. Just like your prospect list, you don’t want to let a campaign’s mailers go out if the contacts are not current. The house list includes individuals who have previously expressed interest in your organization and existing members. If your campaign isn’t performing well, you can check your in-house list to see if you are targeting the right group of members, whether they are leads still thinking about joining, inactive members, or active members. The message needs to be relevant to the group you are contacting. For instance, you don’t need to send the same information to someone who is a current member and someone who hasn’t joined yet. The content should cater to each audience.
Quality Check
Don’t forget to quality check your materials! If you send content with misspelled words or incorrect grammar, it may turn away many people. If your mailing lists are current but you’re not getting great responses, have quality checkers examine the images and text. Having additional eyes on your materials will help your campaigns be as perfect as possible.
Add More Personalized Details
Your message may not come across as very personal if you continue to use the same information with each campaign. You can personalize the message to your audience by using authentic testimonials. Testimonials are a great way to keep your message fresh while educating mail recipients on your organization’s mission and what goals you reached. Focus on what you think your audience most want to hear regarding your mission and progress.
Change Your Messaging
The wrong messaging may cause readers to look away. Change your messaging if you don’t think your message is clear. Use clear, attractive images that draw the eye. Incorporate graphics and text that mesh with your brand and convey the right message about your organization. Focus on your prospective and current members’ needs while developing your direct mail messaging. If you use the same message each time, the intrigue wears off on the reader very quickly, which results in a failing campaign.
Improving a Failing Direct Mail Campaign with Valtim
If you don’t see the responses you desire during a direct mail campaign, reach out to Valtim to see what you can change. Valtim can assist your organization in improving your direct mail’s messaging and the quality of content. We can also help you update your important mailing lists, including your prospect and in-house list. Don’t let a failing campaign discourage you. There are many ways to improve your direct mail, which will help boost the success of your campaigns.
