When it comes to data-driven marketing, digital channels often grab the spotlight. But, direct mail might surprise you – it’s every bit as capable of harnessing data to drive decisions and measure success. By adopting the right measurement approach, you can craft targeted, data-informed campaigns that stand out from the sea of digital noise, and deliver you the results you need to grow your business. Let’s find out how.
Setting expectations for your direct mail campaigns
What should you expect from your direct mail efforts? What goals should your team set as north stars? Whether you’re reaching out to new people or re-activating existing customers, direct mail is flexible and effective for many stages of the marketing funnel:
- Customer acquisition: Create a memorable first impression. Smart customer acquisition strategies use targeted research to understand and connect with the right audience segment.
- Customer retention: Direct mail can keep the conversation going with your current customers – or reinvigorate one that’s gone quiet. It allows you to show you’re paying attention to what they need or like and send relevant offers for them.
- Cross-selling and upselling: This is your chance to share more about what your business can offer. You can highlight additional products or services that might be useful to your customers, in a way that feels personal and meaningful.
By understanding what direct mail can do, you can build the right kind of campaign, and turn each piece of mail into an opportunity for growth and connection.
Measuring success: Major metrics to track
The first step toward high-performing campaigns is figuring out what to measure. And luckily, direct mail isn’t the opaque channel it used to be. You can now track delivery, engagement, and even downstream revenue metrics, getting crucial insight into exactly what direct delivers as part of the marketing mix.
Here’s a look at some of the key metrics to track for each campaign:
Delivery metrics: Timely delivery is essential for your campaign's relevance and impact. Monitor how quickly and accurately your mail reaches its intended recipients, with:
- Delivery speed:
- What to measure: The number of days from the date a mail piece is sent to when it's marked as delivered by USPS.
- Why it matters: Helps direct mail marketers identify delivery bottlenecks and optimize the timing of future campaigns.
- Delivery distribution:
- What to measure: The distribution of mail pieces and the number that have processed for delivery, from a campaign perspective.
- Why it matters: Offers a campaign-level understanding of how mail gets delivered across geographic areas.
- Engagement metrics: Even more critical is understanding how recipients interact with your mail and understanding conversion across campaigns by tracking CTAs:
- QR code scans:
- What to measure: When and how many times recipients scan QR codes included on your mail pieces
- Why it matters: This provides immediate feedback on customer engagement and interest, reflecting how compelling and actionable your mail content is.
- Personalized URL visits:
- What to measure: Monitors the number of visits to URLs that are customized for specific mail campaigns.
- Why it matters: Offers insights into deeper engagement levels, revealing how effectively your mail drives recipients to online platforms and tracking their journey towards conversion.
Revenue-generating metrics: The ultimate test of direct mail effectiveness is its impact on your bottom line. Keep track of downstream metrics, including:
- Acquisition/ sign-ups:
- What to measure: Measures the number of new customers or subscribers who register through direct mail campaigns.
- Why it matters: This metric is crucial for determining the effectiveness of direct mail in attracting new users and expanding your customer base.
- Purchases:
- What to measure: Track the number of transactions or sales made as a direct result of the mail campaign.
- Why it matters: Provides a clear indication of immediate financial returns from the campaign.
- Customer lifetime value:
- What to measure: Monitor the customer’s long-term experience by looking at total purchase value or touchpoints with your brand.
- Why it matters: This metric helps assess customer loyalty and the long-term value of your direct mail strategy by showing how well your campaigns encourage ongoing engagement.
Direct mail is measurable. And at Lob, we’re making it easy.
Every mail piece is an opportunity – not just to communicate but to captivate and expand your customer base. We’re happy to share how our platform can help you do it. Contact us for a demo of Lob’s analytics capabilities or customized advice on your strategy.
By closely monitoring performance, you elevate your direct mail from simple communication to a strategic tool that drives revenue and growth.
