Are you a growing MSP looking for new ways to appeal to your prospects? Do you need some practical ideas to help get your feet wet with direct mail marketing?
Well, in today’s digital age, it’s easy for MSP marketers to discount good ol’ fashioned direct mail as “ineffective” “passé” or “just something else to be tossed into the trash.” They often think it’s Facebook ads, Google ads, LinkedIn ads, etc. that they should be focused on.
But truth is, while those channels can and do yield results, they are nowhere as effective as direct mail.
Direct mail response rates are higher compared to other digital marketing channels. Postalytics estimates the response rates to be 5x to 9x higher than those of paid search email, social media, and email. So, when done right, direct mail can be a powerful weapon in your marketing arsenal.
But as with all things marketing, there are a few things you need set up or for your direct mail to be successful.
So how do you set up an effective direct mail marketing program?
Setting the stage for an Effective Direct Mail Marketing program
1. Start by creating an ideal customer profile
When creating a direct mail program, start by creating an ideal customer profile.
What is an ideal customer profile (ICP)?
It is a detailed description of your target audience, much similar to a buyer persona, not a fictional representation of your customers.
An ideal customer includes factual information about your customer’s demographics, buying behaviors, and much more.
Creating your ideal customer profile helps you understand who the customer is and what they care about. To help you come up with an ideal customer profile, here are some key customer characteristics you should consider:
- Your customer’s geography
- The industry they are in
- Employee headcount – for (organizations and companies)
- Your customer’s revenue
- Budget
- The technology they use, and,
- Their level of technological maturity
2. Create a list of target companies
Once you have your ideal customer profile fleshed out, now create a list of companies that strictly align with that profile.
Within the list, identify individuals involved with the buying process and who are most likely to be receptive to marketing mailings.
Yes, this might be a little bit tricky, but some research on social media or on their companies website can help.
Once you’ve identified the key individuals in the companies, add them to your direct mailing list. This list should be super-specific mailing to help avoid wasting your time and marketing budget.
3. Monitor your progress
Before your first direct mail is shipped off, set up a system to monitor your progress. Monitoring your progress helps you keep track of your customer’s interactions and leads.
One of the best ways to do this is by using relationship management software, like a basic CRM. This will help you keep track of what was sent to whom and any results obtained. And since direct mail offers a pretty low volume yet high impact campaign, tracking and monitoring your progress and results won’t be a major undertaking.
4. Schedule follow-ups
One of the biggest and most ignored direct mail tips is using follow-ups. Follow-ups are easy to create and can snag huge sales in a very short amount of time. So make sure to always send follow-up mails to all your prospects.
When setting up a follow-up schedule, consider using the same program or spreadsheet you’ve set up for monitoring progress. This allows you to plan out points at which you will check in with your direct mail recipients, including emails, phone calls, secondary emails or any other actions that help empower your marketing campaign.
Elite Ideas to Make Your Direct Mail Marketing Campaigns Work
There’s no doubt that direct mail is the most effective way to market your MSP. But, you must be relevant when drafting your promotional materials.
What you put in your promotional materials will affect the effectiveness of your direct mail marketing campaign. Remember, you are competing with thousands of marketers using the same marketing strategy to get noticed and attract more returns.
The only thing that can put you ahead of the rest is your creativity and relevance of your marketing materials.
Some tactics for you!
1. Customize it
Make your prospects curious by personalizing your mail marketing pieces. Make them feel as if you know them – even if you don’t.
In your search for your target audience, you’ll come across some useful information about them – things like their favorite food, favorite TV shows, favorite songs, and many more. Get creative with such information and use it to craft appealing mail pieces.
However, you need to be careful when personalizing your mail marketing materials. Here are some things you should avoid;
- Do not over-personalize your materials. Some people don’t like it when you reveal too much information about them. Again, do not rely on every piece of information you find on social media posts like Facebook and Instagram.
- You don’t have to put your business logo on everything. For instance, if you are sending something that your target audience likes, perhaps a T-shirt, you can accompany it with a well-customized note. Also, if you’re not very sure about the size, you’d rather not send that over-sized personalized T-shirt than make the whole thing look offensive.
- Shy away from sending fragile materials.
- Don’t forget about the cost – shipping and logistics.
2. Popularize your contact
At least try to make your contact ‘the topic for discussion’ in their office or workplace. They will be happy to share the piece with others, and that’s how you increase your brand awareness – “Killing two birds with the same stone, right?”
For this to happen, here is how your promotional material should appear;
- Palatable items – the items must be customized and shareable such as candies
- Local edible items – the items you send must be from within.
- The material should be custom-branded and engaging.
3. Make your materials family-friendly
It would help if you also tried to make your recipient a gallant at home. Gift them things that they can easily share with their children.
Make the whole family happy, and you’ll receive a positive response rate to your direct mail. And you don’t have to buy them expensive gifts, things like toys will cost you less but will have a positive impact on your mail marketing campaign.
However, you must be careful when sending out kid-friendly gifts. Do not send ill-suited items to children – try to consider their age. Be wary of hazardous items that could harm your recipient or their children.
4. Make the material worth of display
Your promotional material(s) should look good – good enough to warrant a worthy display. The material should be eye-catching to guarantee a long-term memory of the same.
For instance, desk accessories like pen cups, stress balls, business card holders, pens and many more can have a great impact on your mail marketing campaign.
Also, coffee mugs, tumblers, coasters and other drinkware and accessories can be excellent promotional materials for your MSP mail marketing campaign.
These are just some of the tactics and promotional materials that could make your MSP marketing work. However, some or all may not work for you. This is why you need to learn how to create a direct mail program.
How to Mold Your Direct Mail Campaign Program to Make it Relevant to Your Needs
How you tailor your direct mail program depends on your MSP business and how you value marketing.
Remember, a direct mail marketing campaign is only effective if you can handle it well.
Here are some tips to help you mold your direct mail campaign to your means;
Starting Your Marketing Program
The beginning is always the hardest and especially if you have no support from anyone.
However, if you are determined in what you want, you can easily grow and quickly rise through ranks in a short period.
You should spare some time, perhaps a day, to focus on your marketing campaign. And when you’re just starting, don’t focus on the “mail” part.
If you have a few target companies to deal with, it will be best to drop by in person.
When greeting the office manager, make sure you start by introducing yourself well. Tell them the company you work for and why you are there. Your speech should be short but informative. Once you give them your promotional materials, tell them to check your mail in the box. Finish by giving out your card, in case they are interested in what you’re offering, they will contact you.
You will definitely try out different promotional materials and once you get one with a high response rate, that is it – start investing in packaging and shipping.
Your Marketing Program is Ready to Work; What Next
If you have much time to spend on marketing and business development, choose a few target accounts, preferably 10 to 20, and launch a small direct mail campaign.
The campaign should include additional, non-mail touchpoints.
All your contacts should receive the same promotional material, but you can add some personalized notes and your logo, especially on custom printed cards.
Ensure you have a way of tracking your progress and results.
Your direct mail marketing program is up and running; How do you make it better?
Once your program is fully up and runny, this is the time you need to get those dedicated employees to help you market your MSP.
Here you need to focus on three things;
- Optimization
- Cost reduction
- Efficiency
Also, don’t forget to send out your promotional materials to those in discrete phases of the sales cycle.
And that’s how you market your MSP business through direct mail.
Wrapping up
With your marketing goals and these strategies to consider, you are now set and ready to create a unique direct mail plan to reach your customers and prospects. Follow these steps, and in no time, you will be able to create a viable marketing channel, stand out from the competition, and generate an excellent ROI for your MSP.
