How to streamline and optimise a direct marketing campaign

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To hit the right audience and convert them to customers, you need to know who you’re speaking to, how to speak to them and what will make them take your offer.

What is direct marketing?

Direct marketing is about targeting potential customers and providing them with a call-to-action, rather than placing an advert that anyone could see and that is simply about brand awareness. There are a number of different channels through which marketers can execute a direct marketing campaign. Previously, one of the only options was traditional post, known as a direct mail campaign. Now marketers can opt for email campaigns or use social media to reach their audience. With so many channels available, it pays to know how optimisation can help your campaign succeed.

Optimising your campaign

A direct mail campaign needs to avoid being swept into the bin.

How do you go about direct marketing campaign optimisation? A social media or email campaign needs to stand out from all the other inbox items and social posts your recipients see every day. A direct mail campaign needs to avoid being swept into the bin.

There are some tried and tested ways for marketers to make sure potential customers not only read the campaign, but take up the offer too.

1. Target the right people – Ensure your campaign reaches the customers who are most likely to convert into a sale. Decide who needs your offer, and work out what would make them buy in. Tailor every aspect of your campaign to them, from copy and images to which marketing channel you use. Unless you opt for a direct mail campaign, make sure you know what time of day your customers are online and schedule your campaign to allow for the highest level of interaction.

2. Include a call-to-action – Your call-to-action needs to be enticing and easy to spot. Include it throughout your content so that the customer can take your offer whenever they’re ready. Don’t make them wait until the end or you could lose them. On social media, call-to-actions include asking for re-tweets or comments. Make it easy for your readers to decide what to do next.

In email marketing, don’t forget that your email subject line is like a call-to-action. It is what tempts the recipient to open the email in the first place, rather than hit delete. Appeal to their likely stress points or concerns, and make sure they know what you are going to present them with, for example, a ‘how to’ or a downloadable guide. Let them know they’ll benefit from opening your email.

3. Align your social media platforms – When you launch a campaign, your whole brand needs to be consistent. Whatever a customer sees, whether it be a Facebook profiles, Twitter profile or Instagram feed, they should all look the same. Even if your campaign is direct mail based, your potential customer’s first move could be to Google your online presence.

However you send your campaign, make sure it scales down for mobiles.

4. Make it easy to read – More than half of all emails are now opened on a mobile device, report Return Path, while around 60 per cent of social media use is on mobile phones, say Business Insider. However you send your campaign, make sure it scales down for mobiles, and consider your content length for those scrolling. Direct mail campaigns also need to be visually appealing and easy to read or skim through.

5. Ensure your campaign is measurable – It’s all very well making a good-looking campaign, but if you can’t measure your response rate, you may have wasted company time and money. When using email marketing, make sure you track open rates and click-through rates. For any kind of campaign, including direct mail, you need to be able to track how a customer arrives at a landing page or finds that phone number. Consider URL shorteners and analytics software to help with tracking.

For more information about how our email and direct mail lists can help your optimise your campaign, contact Lead Lists today.

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