Direct Mail Through-out The Year Infographic

Direct mail throughout the year Considering when to send your campaign Which month is best? Direct mailing tends to follow annual trends with Sept to peak mailing volumes in Nov Mailing volumes throughout the year 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec I 2013 I 2014 The average time advertising mail is kept in the home is 17 dayš so your direct mail results may not be instant Consider this when planning when to send your direct mail Which day is best? Does the day that direct mail lands on the consumers' doormats play a big part in its success? Mail Media Centre assessed this for financial direct mail: Mail received (mil) Direct mail response rates (%) Sat Sat Fri Fri Thu Thu Wed Wed Tue Tue Mon Mon 200 400 600 800 10 15 20 25 Consumers receive far fewer items of direct mail on Saturday and this study found financial mailings that arrive at the weekend achieve the Saturday greatest uplift in response rates Mailing frequency You'll rarely get the best results from a one-off direct mailing, but the right mailing frequency will depend on a variety of factors and be specific to your own audience. Test this for your customers or prospects using these simple steps: 1. Split your mailing list in two Identify your follow-up steps (e.g. postcard followed by catalogue followed by offer) 2. Set a week's interval for one 3. group, and a different interval for the other Examine the data and look for 4. the group that generated the most value What's right for you? If your business doesn't usually peak during the holiday season, Sept-Nov might not be the best time to maximize your direct mailing efforts 1. 2. Find your business' natural peaks Make sure that you plan ahead 3. 4. By doing this you could Drop your direct mail maximise sales campaign shortly before a peak Get your timing right Once you've determined the right timing for a direct mail campaign, make sure things stay on track. Delays in the process could affect your final send date so plan with this in mind. processing time Consider Then add on a little extra for unforeseen delays! What else can you do to maximise direct mail response rates? USE A NON-TRADITIONAL SIZE MAKE IT UNIQUE DON'T OVER SELL qup "TT Size matters The physical size of the direct mailing piece affects response: Direct Mailing Size Response Rate Large Letter 6.2% Packets 4.8% Standard Letter 4.5% So does format Direct Mailing Format Response Rate Oversized envelopes 5.0% Postcards 4.25% Dimensional 4.0% Catalogues 3.9% Letter-sized envelopes 3.5% Most importantly Plan Test Learn Refine Repeat! Sources: www.printinemix.com www.iwco.com www.directmailmanager.com www.info.tmrdirect.com www.abacusalliance.com CITIPOST MAIL www.mailmen.co.uk Smart mail management pesign time Printing time Shipping time