Direct Mail: Cerqa’s Guide to a
Successful Campaign
www.cerqa.com
Why use direct mail?
Targeted
Tangible
Flexible
Measurable
Direct mail reaches out to new
customers as well as builds brand
loyalty with existing customers
www.cerqa.com
STEP 1
PLAN YOUR CAMPAIGN
PROCESS OVERVIEW, PLANNING YOUR BUDGET, ESTABLISHING YOUR BRAND,
INTEGRATING YOUR DIRECT MAIL WITH OTHER MARKETING EFFORTS
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Process overview
Print Process Send
Folding
Quantity
Match mailing First-Class
Size
Stamping Presorted
Stock
Addressing First-Class
Color
Labeling Standard/Bulk
Variable data
Ink jet
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Determine your budget: ask yourself…
What is the size of my mailer?
Am I creating my own mailing piece?
Do I need to do any sort of market testing?
Will I integrate my campaign with other
marketing efforts?
Do I need to rent a mailing list?
Renting a mailing list?
Prices are based on number of leads, which categories you
use, and how many times you plan on using the list
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Establish your brand
What is your company about?
What qualities do you want
customers and prospects to
associate with your company?
What are you offering to your
customers?
How do people already see
your company?
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Integrate mailing with other marketing efforts
How?
website landing pages
email marketing
social media pages
video demonstrations
blog
whitepapers
Why?
62% of online campaigns see an increase in return on investment when
integrated with offline marketing such as direct mail
42% of direct mail recipients prefer to respond online
78% of online consumers have provided a company with their mailing
address to receive direct mail
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STEP 2
DESIGN YOUR MAILING PIECE
DESIGN, MESSAGE, PERSONALIZATION, CROSS MEDIA MARKETING, ECO
FRIENDLY
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Design the perfect marketing piece
You are what you send out:
What you send out needs to represent what your business stands for
When selling high price items, use higher quality print materials
When selling items in bulk, you may be able to save by using more cost effective
printing materials
Choosing a medium:
Letter vs. Postcard
Postcards are effective for most products because consumers have to look at your
mailing piece in order to sort their mail. It gets in their hands 100% of the time.
Letters are better for high price items and financial services. Create a good
experience for the customer by using high quality marketing materials.
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Creating the perfect message
Direct mail is scanned, not read
Use language that is clear and to the point
Use headlines, subheadings, pictures, captions
Use limited time offers to create urgency
Keep offer simple
Call to action
Tell the consumer what you want them to do, where you want them to do it,
when you want them to do it and how you want them to do it.
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Personalization matters
“Current Resident” vs. [your name]
Personalize through variable
data printing:
– Addresses
– Message
– Images
– Offers
– pURLs
– QR codes
Personalization increases response rates from 1-2%
to 20-30% –Direct Marketing Association
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Cross Media Marketing
Combine your email, print, and web
marketing in a single campaign
Send email soon after mail out as a
follow up
Drive customers to pURLs to gather
more information
Direct customers to social media sites
to promote offers and join mailing lists
Use QR codes to make integration
effortless for the consumer
Tip: Create consistency and build brand
loyalty by keeping the look and feel the same
throughout all marketing efforts
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Be green with your direct mail
Lean out your lists
Use recycled paper
Use soy based inks whenever possible
Show your environmentally friendly by:
Including logos showing your environmentally responsible
Asking consumers to recycle your mailing
Adding the percentage of post-consumer content contained in the mailer
Cerqa’s Commitment:
FSC Certified
Eco Friendly Inks
Computer to Plate Technology
Waste Removal Systems
Aluminum Plate Recycling
ISO 14001 Certified
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STEP 3
PREPARE YOUR MAILING LIST
WHO TO TARGET AND HOW TO TARGET THEM
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Before acquiring a list, know your
customers and target them
Response rates are much higher when consumers are already familiar with
your company. Figure out who knows you and how to target them:
The demographics
The type of products they are buying
Their income levels
Where they live
How they pay for their products
What they value — thrift, status, convenience, luxury
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Acquiring a list
Categories of Mailing List Purchases
Consumer Lists
Find your best prospects from more than 135 million consumer households using the widest selection of
demographic, purchase behavior and lifestyle filters.
Business Lists
Identify the true decision makers from over 14 million businesses who need your product or service using
the most extensive selection criteria including company size, business type and executive title.
New Movers Lists
Find new movers, including new renters, in any area that are ready to buy from your company. More than
300,000 leads are added each week.
New Homeowners Lists
Find new homeowners in any area that are ready to buy from your company. More than 100,000 leads are
added each week.
Specialty Lists
Find more targeted consumers, professionals or industries with greater precision and selectivity than
traditional compiled databases. Some examples of specialty filers include Expectant Mothers, Newlyweds,
Voters, Fortune 1000 Companies and New Businesses.
Already have a list?
Upload it into Cerqa’s system and we will CASS Certify and Dedupe your list in order to save you money on
postage and undeliverable mail. All of our leads are privacy-compliant and current with USPS Move
Update standards.
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STEP 4
SEND IT
TRACKING RESULTS, POST OFFICE GUIDELINES, MISTAKES TO AVOID,
WAYS TO SAVE MONEY, CERQA’S COMPLETE SOLUTION
www.cerqa.com
Ways to Track Results
Customer codes
Coupons being used
Business reply cards (BRCs)
Trackable phone numbers
URLs
Who visited, how many times did they
visit, who converted
Emails
Which links were clicked, who clicked,
who forwarded
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Post Office guidelines
First-Class Mail® It’s quicker than most other large mailing options, and comes with an
advantage: Mail sent with bad addresses is returned to you so you can update your database.
Presorted First-Class Mail This option offers you a price savings over First-Class Mail. To
receive the discount, you must have 500 or more pieces in the mailing and sort (or group) the
mail by ZIP Code.™
Standard Mail® Formerly known as “bulk” mail, Standard Mail costs less than First-Class Mail,
although it doesn’t provide address correction services. A minimum of 200 pieces or 50
pounds of mail is required.
Sorting This can be as simple as categorizing by ZIP Code or as advanced as by carrier route.
The more you sort, the less postage you pay because you’re saving the Postal Service™ work.
Annual mailing fees These apply to marketers mailing at discounted rates. Each postage
category has its own fee, so if you mail both Presorted First-Class Mail and Standard Mail
from the same post office, you must pay two annual fees.
-Provided by Deliver Magazine
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Mistakes to avoid
Not targeting your audience correctly
Using outdated and inaccurate mailing lists
Not presenting a compelling offer
Leaving out a call to action
Not having an engaging marketing piece
Not tracking your results
Not following up
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Tips on saving money
Save on postage through: precanceled stamps,
postage meters and indicias
Be conscious of postcard size vs. letter size vs.
flat size
Have an accurate mailing list
Take advantage of what you are already
paying for (when paying to mail an ounce, use
the full ounce)
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Cerqa provides a complete solution
www.cerqa.com
Cerqa can provide a complete mailing fulfillment
solution. Contact us today to learn more.
sales@cerqa.com
(512)439-1281