3 Steps to Direct Mail Targeting: Who, When and How

Your direct mail campaign shouldn't be a shot in the dark. Here are three introductory steps to an effective, targeted campaign, and a way to pass them on to the clients your shop mails for.

1. Identify your current customers: the "who"

Knowing your current customers is good business in general, and it plays a huge role in effective marketing. Identifying who you already serve tells you who the right potential customers are. It helps you keep existing clients coming back and understand who to bring in next.

A database artist can use reverse analytics to zero in on who is already making you money, then use that profile to target the right audience for new revenue.

2. Add dimension: the "when, where and why"

Once you know who's active, add dimension. How old are they? What's their household income? Do they travel, read, exercise? Are they outdoor adventurers, or maybe gamblers?

A credible data provider can dial in the demographics that fit. Combining what you learned about current customers with targeted demographics tells you when to connect, where their interests are and why they'll come to you.

3. Engage and personalize: the "how"

With your audience defined, engage them with a message designed just for them, and a clear call to action. A few ways to create action:

Offer a coupon or discount on products or services
Hold a raffle and give something away free
Tie your message to an event

An example

A casino mails postcards to three segments it identified as its target audience:

55 and older, household income over $60,000: a weekday brunch coupon plus $10 of free play, with a photo of a couple at the slots and an appealing meal.
27–45, income $45,000–$60,000: friends on the gaming floor and a Saturday-morning giveaway, plus $10 of free play.
18–25, income under $35,000: a nightclub event or concert, a photo of friends out front, and a QR code to claim $10 of free play with ticket purchase.

Same casino, same week, three different reasons to walk in the door. That's variable data personalization at work.

Create urgency

The last piece of "how" is urgency. Event dates and coupon expirations give people a reason to act now instead of someday.

The short version

Know who you serve now and who you want to reach.
Add dimension: when, where and why.
Design creative, engaging, personalized messages with a reason to act now.

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3, and even easier when the segmentation, versioning and mailing are automated.

3 Steps to Direct Mail Targeting