When you receive mail, the first thing you look for is your name. If it’s not addressed to you, you’re not going to open it! Once you know the mail is for you, you begin to judge the graphics, wondering, “It’s addressed to me, but is it really for me?” This is why understanding the target audience of your direct mail campaign is so important; it ensures you have the right messaging that will drive customers to your business, increasing your ROI.

Understanding Your Target Audience 

In order to perfect your messaging, you have to first understand your target audience. You must know demographics like age, gender, income and marital status in combination with psychographics like personality, interests and shopping habits. You can use your own data on customer behavior as well. If you’ve run direct mail campaigns in the past, what was the response rate? Did one messaging tactic work better than another?

According to a recent survey, customers trust print advertising the most — so now is the time for you and your business to take advantage. Let’s walk through a few messaging tactics and see how you can use them to increase the ROI of your direct mail campaigns.

Messaging Tactics for Direct Mail Campaigns

1. Define your target audience.

The point of defining your target audience is to narrow the scope of your reach for maximum ROI within that group, so try to keep the ranges of your targets small. When it comes to demographics, take the time to create an ideal customer in your mind. 

For example, if you are a local pet shop looking to reach new customers in your area, your demographics might look like the following:

• Married or single
• Mothers 
• Aged 30 – 45
• Annual household income of $80,00 – $100,000

Building on your demographic, define your audience even further with psychographics. Psychographics include shopping habits and other personal details that explain why your target audience buys things. Continuing with the pet shop example, your psychographics would be the previously defined mothers who:

• Recently adopted their first family pet
• Need help determining the necessary pet supplies
• Prefer a personalized in-store experience where they can ask questions
• Live in the suburbs near a large metropolitan area

2. Know the goal of your campaign.

After you determine who your target audience is, it’s time to consider what results you want to achieve with your campaign. Are you looking for new customers, brand awareness or to promote a new product? This will inform what you do in terms of copy, design and format.

3. Choose the right format.

Based on your audience and campaign goal, you will need to decide which format to use. If your campaign requires a lot of information, you may need a catalog or booklet. If you are looking to advertise a weekend sale, you may want to consider direct mail postcards. Other formats include self-mailers and magazine and catalog cover wraps.

4. Create a compelling and strategic design.

Use color to your advantage! Direct mail campaigns put your brand into the hands of your customers. They get to interact with your business before entering your store or visiting your website. Maximize this first impression by using colors that complement your brand and images that convey your message. Above all, make sure to keep the design simple and easy to understand.

5. Include a strong CTA.

No campaign is complete without giving your customer explicit instructions about what to do next. Remember your campaign goals when writing your Call-to-Action. Again, ask yourself, “What do I want to accomplish?” The answer to this question will help you determine if you want to include a personalized URL, a phone number or a QR code in your CTA. You can create urgency by using phrases like “Act Now,” “Don’t Wait,” or “Visit Us Today!” You can also provide incentives for your customers to act by including discount codes, gifts, coupons, samples or exclusive programs. By telling your customers the next steps to take with your business, you will increase your ROI.

Your Expert Direct Mail Partner

Now that you know how to apply messaging tactics that will increase ROI for your direct mail campaigns, you will need to connect with a direct mail partner. 

Bring your direct mail campaign to life with McAdams Graphics. Our expert team has helped hundreds of businesses meet their campaign goals. Let’s chat about your goals and how we can make them possible today.