How to Sell Direct Mail To—and Create Great Campaigns for—Your Clients

Are you trying to incorporate direct mail marketing for your clients? 

With the modern marketing campaign focused on the digital, like social media, internet advertising and email marketing, it can be difficult to convince your clients to move forward with direct mail.

It might be seen as an old, traditional marketing channel, but direct marketing has many benefits, like increased ROI, better personalization and reach that can deliver maximum impact and reach customers through a personal touch.

In this article, we’ll learn how to face common client objections and share 13 surefire ways to create successful direct mail campaigns. After all, nothing convinces a client more than powerful results, and that’s what we’ll help you achieve.

What We’ll Cover:

• Align Direct Mail to the Client’s Objectives
• 13 Ideas on How to Create Effective Direct Mail Campaigns for Your Clients
• How to Overcome Common Client Objections With Direct Mail?
• How to use Postalytics to Design and Send Effective Campaigns?

Align Direct Mail to the Client’s Objectives

One of the best ways to convince your client to try direct mail services is to showcase how it can help them achieve their business goals. These could be to increase brand awareness, boost sales, and nurture customer relationships. 

Direct mail’s tangible nature can make a lasting impression on recipients, boosting brand recognition. For example, a well-designed postcard or brochure can leave a memorable impact that digital ads might not achieve, helping to solidify the brand in the minds of consumers.

Direct mail marketing also drives sales by targeting specific audiences with personalized offers. Agencies can showcase case studies where businesses saw significant ROI from direct mail campaigns. For example, sending special promotions to high-value customers or targeting abandoned carts with exclusive discounts. 

If you don’t have your own case studies to show, hop on to direct mail automation tools like Postalytics’ website. You’ll find direct mail success stories that you can present to your clients as a way of convincing them to try direct marketing.

13 Ideas on How to Create Effective Direct Mail Campaigns for Your Clients

Whether you’re trying to increase sales or brand awareness, here are 13 direct mail marketing strategies to create effective campaigns for your clients.

1. Focusing on the ‘Why’ Rather Than the ‘What’

When presenting to clients, agencies should focus on highlighting the benefits of direct mail rather than just listing features. Clients care more about how a direct mail campaign will impact their business than just the technical aspects. For example, instead of saying, “Our direct mail platform offers advanced variable data printing,” an agency could explain, “With personalized messages, your customer will feel valued, leading to stronger relationships and higher response rates.”

By focusing on the tangible outcomes—such as increased customer loyalty, higher sales, or better engagement—agencies can make direct mail marketing more appealing. Benefits resonate with clients because they directly address their goals and needs, making the service feel more relevant and impactful.

2. Creating Compelling Offers and Messaging

As an agency, the focus should be on creating offers that are clear, valuable, and aligned with the customer’s needs. For example, instead of a generic discount, an agency could suggest offering a limited-time, personalized promotion based on previous purchase behavior.

Messaging should be concise and emphasize the benefit to the recipient. If a client targets loyal customers, the message could be: “As a valued customer, enjoy an exclusive 20% discount on your next purchase.” This helps clients achieve a higher response rate and build stronger connections with their audience.

3. Experiment With Different Campaigns

Agencies should experiment with different direct mail campaigns to find what resonates best with the target audience. For example, they can run a welcome campaign that sends personalized postcards to new customers, introducing them to the brand and offering a discount on their next purchase.

Another successful direct mail campaign idea is cart abandonment, where a follow-up mail piece with a special offer can encourage customers to complete their purchases.

Agencies can also try a direct mail advertising campaign that ties into holidays or events, offering limited-time deals. By testing these different campaigns, agencies can discover which strategies yield the best results for their clients. It will help determine what the most effective direct mail format is to deliver the client’s message. 

4. Stay Relevant With Personalization

Personalization in direct mail marketing makes each piece more relevant and engaging. By using tools like Postalytics’ variable data feature, agencies can create personalized mailings tailored to individual recipients. You can also buy targeted mailing lists to improve results. 

For example, a client can send postcards with the recipient’s name, personalized offers, or content based on past purchases. Here’s an example postcard created in Postalytics.

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Agencies can also segment audiences based on demographics or behavior. This ensures each group receives targeted messaging that meets their specific needs or interests. 

This level of personalization not only increases the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns but also helps build stronger customer relationships.

5. Include Links and QR Codes

Agencies can enhance their clients’ direct mail campaigns by incorporating Personalized URLs (PURLs) and QR codes, using Postalytics’ built-in features. 

PURLs direct each recipient to a unique landing page tailored to them, creating a personalized online experience. For example, a mailer could invite a recipient to visit their own personalized landing page to claim a special offer.

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Similarly, QR codes simplify the customer journey by allowing recipients to access online content, such as promotional videos or product details. These interactive elements not only make direct mail more engaging but also help track responses. This tracking offers agencies valuable insights into campaign effectiveness and customer behavior.

6. Experiment With EDDM Campaign

Agencies can utilize USPS’s Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) campaigns for their clients to reach a broader audience at a lower cost. EDDM allows businesses to target entire neighborhoods without needing a mailing list, making it ideal for local promotions. 

For example, a restaurant can send promotional flyers to every household within a certain radius to promote a new menu or special offer.

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Agencies can test different messages and designs to see what resonates most with local customers. EDDM’s cost-effectiveness allows for more frequent campaigns, enabling businesses to stay top-of-mind. It’s a great way for agencies to help their clients build local awareness and drive foot traffic without breaking the bank.

7. Highlight Online Channels on Direct Mail Pieces

Agencies can help clients maximize their direct mail campaigns by highlighting their online and social media channels. For example, including social media handles or QR codes that link directly to a client’s Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter page. This encourages recipients to engage online.

A local boutique could include a QR code on direct mail letters that leads to their Instagram profile, offering a discount to customers who follow them.

This integration helps bridge offline and online marketing efforts, driving traffic to social channels where clients can continue the conversation with their audience. It’s an effective way to increase brand visibility across multiple platforms.

8. Create Interactive Mail

Agencies can make targeted direct mail campaigns more engaging by creating interactive pieces for their clients. For example, they could design a mailer with tear-off coupons, scratch-off offers, or foldable elements encouraging recipient participation. A restaurant might send out a scratch-off postcard offering a mystery discount, prompting recipients to visit the restaurant to redeem their prize.

These interactive elements capture attention and encourage action, making the direct mail piece stand out. They also make your clients’ direct mail pieces memorable, boosting visibility and awareness.

9. Feature UGC or Testimonials

Featuring real customer stories or reviews in direct mail marketing can build trust and authenticity. For example, an agency working with a fitness brand could include before-and-after photos from satisfied customers alongside their testimonials on postcards. 

Another option is to showcase social media posts from happy customers using the product. Agencies can highlight this UGC to demonstrate the brand’s impact and authenticity, creating a personal connection with the audience. By including testimonials and real customer content, agencies can make their clients’ direct mail pieces more relatable and persuasive.

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10. Include Attractive Visuals

Through direct mail marketing, agencies can incorporate eye-catching visuals that capture attention and reinforce their clients’ brand messaging. For example, an agency working with a travel company could use stunning, high-resolution images of popular destinations on postcards or brochures. These visuals evoke emotion and inspire recipients to take action.

In retail campaigns, agencies might send out direct mail brochures. With bold colors and striking product photos to showcase seasonal collections, it makes offers more appealing. Attractive visuals not only enhance the overall look of the mail piece but also make it more memorable. By using professional imagery and design elements, agencies can help clients stand out in the mailbox.

11. Highlight CTAs and Important Offers

If you do not see good conversions from your direct marketing campaigns, you might want to focus on highlighting your CTAs and offers. For example, a real estate agency’s direct mail could feature a bold CTA like “Call Today for a Free Home Evaluation,” placed prominently to encourage immediate action.

For an e-commerce client, agencies might use offers such as “Shop Now and Save 20% with Code” with an easy-to-read discount code on direct mail postcards. Highlighting the CTA and the offer in bold fonts, contrasting colors, or a button-like design can increase visibility. By ensuring that CTAs and offers are noticeable and irresistible, agencies help clients maximize conversions.

12. Use Clear Metrics and KPIs to Measure Success

It’s impossible to understand if your marketing strategy is working without data. Agencies can use clear metrics and KPIs to track the success of their clients’ direct mail marketing campaigns, ensuring their marketing efforts are delivering measurable results. 

For instance, they can monitor response rates by including unique coupon codes or personalized URLs (PURLs) in each mail piece. This allows them to track how many recipients took action based on the offer. 

Here’s how direct mail marketing companies like Postalytics allows you to track metrics.

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Additionally, agencies can measure conversion rates by analyzing how many leads or sales were generated from the campaign. Tracking metrics like cost per acquisition (CPA) helps clients understand the campaign results.

For example, an agency could show clients how many new leads were acquired for every 1,000 mailers sent. Using these KPIs allows agencies to demonstrate the effectiveness of direct marketing strategy.

13. Position Direct Mail As a Part of an Integrated Strategy

Agencies can use direct mail marketing to reinforce messages seen in email or social media campaigns, ensuring consistency across channels. A campaign might start with an email and follow up with a personalized postcard, creating multiple touchpoints for greater engagement. It’s a comprehensive approach that reaches potential customers, and current, wherever they are. 

By combining direct mail with online tools like QR codes, agencies can drive recipients to landing pages, generating digital interactions. This integrated approach allows businesses to reach their audience both offline and online. This improves brand visibility and overall campaign effectiveness.

How to Overcome Common Client Objections With Direct Mail?

It’s normal for your clients to be wary of adopting a different strategy. Here are some common client objections and how you can resolve them.

• Cost concerns: Emphasize that direct mail can be highly cost-effective, especially when targeting specific audiences. Highlight the strong return on investment (ROI) achieved through personalized and well-targeted campaigns.
• Tracking concerns: Explain that modern direct mail marketing offers tracking features such as QR codes and personalized URLs (PURLs). Mention how they allow clients to measure engagement and monitor campaign performance accurately.
• Effectiveness concerns: Share case studies and examples demonstrating how direct mail successfully boosts brand awareness, generates leads, and drives conversions.
• Complexity concerns: Reassure clients that direct mail platforms like Postalytics simplify the entire process, making it easy to execute campaigns without overwhelming their team. With customizable templates and a user-friendly creator, direct mail can be created in minutes. 
• Proof of success: Provide data and examples showing how direct mail has delivered strong results for similar businesses, whether that be marketing goals, lead generation or better reaching their target audience. 

How to use Postalytics to Design and Send Effective Campaigns?

The Postalytics Agency Plan offers robust tools and direct mail service to help agencies streamline direct mail campaigns for their clients. With this plan, agencies can manage multiple client accounts in one platform, ensuring ease of use and organization. 

It allows for seamless integration with CRM and marketing automation tools, enhancing personalized campaigns with variable data printing. Agencies can also leverage real-time tracking and analytics to monitor campaign performance and optimize results for their clients.

Additionally, the plan offers white-label features and customization options, enabling agencies to brand the platform as their own. This adds a professional touch to your client communications and reporting.

Now that you know how to effectively sell direct mail to agencies, use these 13 tips listed above. But first, get started with a free Postalytics account to test different features and create impactful direct mail campaigns. Try it today!