Little mistakes can quickly add up and can create major impacts on your ROI. 
Whether you’re in the middle of planning a campaign or if you have previously launched one with lackluster results, you should take the time to examine your collateral to see where you can improve. Sometimes, you’ve simply forgotten a crucial part of the process – but it could also mean that you’re doing too much.
Consider these pitfalls when looking at your direct mail efforts:
1. You’re Mail-Splaining
Overcomplicating your message can have the opposite effect on your business than what you intended. You know the ins and outs of every little thing in your business, but your audience doesn’t and usually doesn’t need to. Becoming so granular that your reader doesn’t understand what you’re offering (let alone why they would need it) is something to be avoided. Instead, shoot to keep things simple and straightforward.
2. Saying Too Much Without Saying Anything
Getting too deep into the weeds with marketing-speak can cause you to stop saying anything meaningful. Leaning too much into extraneous “fluff” with your writing will make it seem like you’re rambling on and on. Try to keep things concise while remaining punchy and active with your marketing language.
3. It’s Too Self-Centered
Do your mailers add value like educational content or discounts? If the language used is too focused on yourself, it becomes obvious that you’re not placing your customers first. Identify the most common pain points and address them by highlighting how you can help and serve your audience.
4. There’s No Call to Action
When launching a campaign, you have a goal in mind, whether it’s increased sales, greater foot traffic, more online orders or something else. If your mailers don’t contain a call to action that aligns with that goal, it’ll quickly become that much harder to achieve. Make sure you write your message with that goal in mind to drive your customers to engage the way you want them to.
5. You Forgot Your Contact Info
Sure, many people will simply go online and search for a company that they see and are engaged with – but you still need to include the most pertinent information about your business in your mailers. How do you want your customers to get in touch with you? Whether it’s through email, a phone call or your social media channels, make sure your preferred contact is made clear.
6. Mediocre media
If your imagery, graphics and photos are mediocre, then your mailers won’t be able to do you any justice. Working with a strong team of creatives to ensure that your direct mail pieces are visually appealing is critical to the success of your campaign. If it doesn’t stand out in someone’s mailbox, it won’t make the impression you want. You’ll also want to ensure that your mailers adhere to your existing brand standards and aren’t creating inconsistencies across your other marketing efforts.
Little mistakes can quickly add up and can create major impacts on your ROI. QCBN
By Shawn Powers
Shawn Powers is the president and owner of Allegra Marketing-Print-Mail. He can be reached at Shawn@AllegraPrescott.com.
For more information, visit www.AllegraPrescott.com.
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