Being Ahead of the Direct Mailing Game in the New Year

After a few glasses of good cheer and a rowdy chorus of Auld Lang Syne, New Year’s resolutions made at midnight on December 31st are almost bound to fail. Statistics show that only 8% of these resolutions are kept for more than a few days, and, as we all know, statistics are always 100% right…

NOW is a better time to be planning your direct mail marketing campaign for next year so that we can all start January 2018 with a bang and not a whimper — especially bearing in mind that it’s only going to be a few short months until May 25th, the day that GDPR swings into action.

Certainly, for us here at Mailing Expert, our resolutions list always has this at the top: helping even more customers get the best possible results from their direct marketing. We’re keen to talk to anyone who’s interested in planning ahead, both long-standing clients, and brand new ones for whom 2018 heralds a first venture into the delights of direct marketing.

Here are some things which could go on your todo list:

Prepare for GDPR

How is your GDPR strategy progressing, to make sure your company will be compliant by May 25th, meeting the new privacy law’s strict data protection principles? A case of, “Don’t, for goodness’ sake, leave this until the last minute!’ While it’s a straightforward process, clearly denoted in the legislation, it takes time to organise more comprehensive privacy notices and to enact the rules on obtaining marketing consent.

Analyse your ROI

There are a number of forms of direct mailing, such as postcard mailing and international direct mailing, and it’s important to know which method provides the best ROI for your business when targeting a certain demographic. Implementing up-to-date analytics tools would be a great way to start this process, so that in 2018 you’ll know how and where to invest your marketing budget. Segmentation — discarding the one-size-fits-all approach and pinpointing the best way to reach individual customers — will help to optimise your returns in the coming year.

Be consistent across platforms and marketing channels

In this cyber-enabled era, people may use many ways to access information about your products and services. It’s crucial to ensure that the brand experience is consistent on a mobile phone, a tablet or PC, in emails and in flyers, letters and brochures for direct mailing. Is your messaging and imagery cohesive?

Analyse your competitors

While your main focus should be on creating unique, personalised direct mail campaigns, it’s still useful to analyse what your competitors are doing. This could determine if there’s a new opportunity for you to seize which will help you to achieve your marketing and sales objectives for 2018.

And finally, …rest and be thankful

If you’re taking a few days off over Christmas and the New Year, make the most of it. Reflect on your achievements in the past year and gear yourself up for new challenges in 2018. If you’ve taken time to plan ahead, you’ll be able to enjoy yourselves, secure in the knowledge that when you’re back at work, everything’s set up for a smooth transition into another busy and, we hope, successful year.

Mailing Expert