Direct mail is a traditional marketing channel that is still very effective in reaching potential customers. However, to ensure you’re investing in the right places, tracking the success of your direct mail marketing campaign is essential. But, how do you measure the success of your campaign?
What is direct mail marketing?
Direct mail marketing uses the postal service to deliver your business’s printed promotional material to target customers. Anything from brochures and catalogues, to newsletters and special discounts can be used. This allows you to communicate one-on-one with your target customers and control who receives your marketing message.
Methods for tracking direct mail marketing success
Gathering and analyzing data is the best way to test the success of your direct mail campaign. Here are some ways to collect this information:
- Add a URL to your website
Including your URL on the print materials mailed is a great way to track the amount of traffic to your website before, during, and after the campaign.
- Add unique offer IDs
Consider adding unique offer IDs to your print materials. If your campaign is promoting a product for the customer to purchase, provide a unique code for them to enter online or in-store for a discount. This will enable you to monitor who responded to the marketing and provide insight into buying behavior and the success of the campaign.
- Add QR Codes
QR codes are an even quicker and easier way to get customers onto your website. Adding a QR code to your direct mail material allows consumers receiving it to use their smartphones to scan the code and be directed straight to your website.
- Add a phone number
Including a phone number is a traditional way of tracking the success of your campaign. Setting up a dedicated toll-free phone number exclusive to this campaign will help you track the number of calls received.
Indicators of success
Measuring the success of your campaign against specific and measurable goals is essential. Here are different measures of success you can use:
- Qualified response rate This is the percentage of people who responded to your campaign by making a purchase.
- Cost per response This figure indicates the number of people who took the action instructed.
- Cost per sale To determine the cost per sale, you divide the cost of the mailing by the number of sales that resulted.
- Revenue per order This figure indicates the amount of revenue earned for each sale generated by the campaign.
- Incremental sales You can determine how much the campaign has increased your sales volume by comparing the amount of sales generated by the campaign with historical sales figures.
- ROI Ultimately, the biggest indicator of success is the return on investment.
- Other measurements Other indicators of success include figures relating to special coupon use, phone call volume, foot traffic, and the number of emails received during the campaign.
Start measuring your success
Direct mail can be a profitable marketing strategy for your business. Tracking the success of your direct mail campaign will help determine whether you are earning a return on your investment. To learn more about creating a successful direct mail marketing campaign, contact IVE.