Contrary to popular belief, direct mail, when done correctly, can yield impressive results. When successful direct mail is carried out with precision and creativity, the opportunities to drive customer engagement and sales are endless. Whether it be through leaflets, postcards or mailshots, direct mail can be put together to perfectly align with brand image and consequently act as an effective tool for delivering a campaign. Keep reading as we explore case studies of successful direct mail campaigns and delve into the strategies used to execute them.

• What makes a successful direct mail campaign? 

• Direct mail marketing campaign for success 

• Case studies of successful direct mail campaigns 

• Strategies for direct mail campaign success 

• Create strategic and successful direct mail campaigns with DMS 

What Makes a Successful Direct Mail Campaign? 

Before we look at some specific examples of successful direct mail campaigns and tier strategies, it is useful to understand the key components that contribute towards successful direct mail campaigns. Here are our top four tips: 

1. Targeted Audience 

A basic but crucial step of creating a successful direct mail campaign is identifying and subsequently targeting the correct target audience. Once you know your audience, understanding demographic, behavioural and geographic factors will help you tailor the information sent out in your campaign to ensure it is well received by recipients. 

2. Call to Action (CTA)

A key component of a successful direct mail campaign will include a clearly stated CTA. These are what will drive immediate action by the recipient. Whether this is purchasing your product, engaging with your online platform or responding to a survey, CTAs are crucial. This is supported by findings that 43​​% of customer mail drives a commercial action.

3. Compelling Copy 

It is what is on your campaign that counts! A well-crafted message makes all the difference. Think carefully about the message you are communicating in your direct mail. It should grab the attention of recipients, communicate your value proposition, drive action and be tailored to pique the interest of your target audience. 

4. Creative Design 

Ensuring your design is eye-catching is a further easy way to make your direct mail campaign a success. We recommend getting creative with colour, shape and size to ensure your campaign stands out from the crowd. But don’t forget, always keep your design in line with your brand's image and objectives. 

5. Personalisation 

Personalising your direct mail is a sure way to improve success rates. Relatability and engagement go hand in hand and if your audience feels like the content is personalised to them. Findings show that personalised direct mail is read an average of 4.5 times. 

Direct Mail Marketing Campaigns for Success

There are several different strategies and objectives that direct mail marketing campaigns can have. Some of the most common of these include: 

• Product launch - These campaigns focus on creating excitement and driving initial sales around newly released products or services.
• Event promotion - Direct mail campaigns can be used to promote events and encourage guests to attend through exclusive invites.
• Drive eCommerce sales - Another objective of direct mail is encouraging e-commerce sales. Direct mail campaigns can be used to offer special online discounts or showcase new online products and create a purposeful link between offline and online.
• Encourage competition entries - Through CTAs on mailing campaigns, companies can encourage recipients to engage with competitions and other online schemes. 

Case Studies of Successful Direct Mail Campaigns

We have put together a few examples of some successful direct mail campaigns, looking specifically at their objectives and the strategies they used to carry them out. 

Subway: A localised campaign to bring back in-store purchasing 

Subway’s direct mail campaign set out to bring people back to in-store purchasing, rather than through third parties which had become the go-to mode of ordering post-pandemic. Subway knew that past generic campaigns had not performed as well as they had hoped so realised they had to approach this campaign with a different strategy. 

Objectives: 

• Create a localised campaign to promote individual stores and feedback given its franchise structure. 
• Increase customer footfall, drive voucher redemptions and rewards engagement with the Subway app.

Strategies: 

• Subway utilised partially addressed mailing campaigns to target those living within a ten-minute walk of the store. 
• They included offers and content specifically related to the individual outlet, closest to the recipient's store. 
• Subway included a QR code as a CTA, rewarding app downloads with free food that could be claimed in-store. 

This nationwide campaign delivered on a localised level successfully tripled voucher-driven sales, and the weekly sign-up to their app saw an increase of 200%. 

People’s Postcode Lottery: A story of sustainability 

The People's Postcode Lottery served not only as a lottery but also as a charitable organisation, giving millions of pounds to charities over the years. After seeing a successful gold foil poly-wrapped mail campaign in the Netherlands, the people’s postcode lottery wanted to give it a go for themselves, but in a socially responsible manner to reflect their charitable nature. 

Objectives:

• Find a sustainable solution to the huge carbon footprint associated with this mailing campaign. 
• Make an eye-catching and engaging mailing campaign. 

Strategies: 

• Used a sustainable sourced and recyclable mailing pack that retained the CSR principles associated with the organisation. 

The People’s Postcode Lottery successfully produced a fully sustainable eco-friendly pack. This campaign not only managed to uphold CSR principles but also delivered a 57.2% increase in response rate. 

Sky: Recalling customers through eye-catching direct mail 

Sky’s ongoing struggle with keeping customers, especially in times like the cost of living crisis, meant they were keen to create mailing campaigns that caught the eye of and re-engaged ex-customers.

Objectives:

• Deliver contextually relevant content to recipients driving re-engagement with Sky.
• Creative undeniably engaging and creative campaigns.

Strategies: 

• Compelling copy was used to pique the interests of recipients and stand out from other campaigns.
• Unique Design - Their King’s coronation mailing pack caught the eye of all due to its unique gold envelope. 
• Personalisation was used to address recipients in an invitation-style campaign to celebrate the easing of wedding restrictions after the COVID lockdown. 

This is a great example in which Sky has created a creative mailing campaign to drive customer sales and re-engagement with their brand, whilst working with current trends and societal events.  

Strategies for Direct Mail Campaign Success

To create and carry out a successful direct mail campaign, it is always important to consider your objectives and target audience to ensure reliability and engagement. To create a successful mailing campaign, you should be looking to include the following: 

• Personalisation 
• Creative design 
• Clear call-to-action 
• Compelling copy

Create Strategic & Success Direct Mail Campaigns with DMS 

At DMS, we can help you create a successful direct mail campaign. From the very start of the process, from printing to mailing and tracking, DMS can help. As a trusted provider, with years of experience, our expertise will ensure you a strategic and successful direct mail marketing campaign. To enquire about our services, click here.