According to Patrick Donahoe, every direct marketer should be prepared to face four challenges in order to make their direct mailing campaigns successful. Since the multi-channel marketing environment gives the consumers more options, it also makes it more difficult for the direct marketers to attract customers to pay attention to their mails.
Following are the four challenges as pointed out by Donahoe:
1 Personalization
Donahoe stresses that direct mails should be more personalized to the extent that your “mails should know you as well as your spouse does”. He said that mailers are not using data intelligently enough. If someone searches something online but doesn’t continue with the order, the direct mailer should take this opportunity to send a direct mail to that customer with the quick code of continuing with the order etc. The goal is not that easy to pursue as it sounds, but with modern tools and technology, anything is possible.
2 Actionable
The smarter you make your direct mail, the better the chance of your customer completing their order or purchase. Reduce the effort by eliminating steps through the use of a direct mail. In order to promote this idea, USPS is encouraging marketers with incentives on using mobile technologies in their direct mail pieces.
3 Functional
Making your direct mails more functional will result in an increase of customer interest in them. A direct mail from any business should help the customer to get an easy access to place an order or to make a reservation. With the introduction of apps like the MyPost app that allows users to keep a track of their mails is of great interest to businessmen and those who are investing a lot of money in their direct marketing campaigns.
4 Creative
Being creative is the key if you want your mail to be noticed and picked up by your target customer. According to Donahoe, your single mail piece has to compete with the hundreds of others in your target’s mailbox, so keeping things interesting would definitely benefit you.
Donahoe stresses that direct mail is still a strong marketing medium, just that a little more flexibility in the delivery model and a few changes at the ends of mailers could strengthen this industry so that the costs of direct mail can be reduced even more.