Direct mail,especially with postcards,can be extremely cost effective,with ROI as high as 700%. But NOT if you are making any of these common but expensive mistakes.
Direct Mail Mistake #1: A bad list or poor list selection criteria.
Why a bad list is a problem: You don’t reach your target audience.
How bad lists are expensive:
If your postcards aren’t delivered,you’re wasting money. If they are delivered to someone who doesn’t need your services,they’II end up in the recycle bin.
How Cactus eliminates bad lists:
Our mailing lists have guaranteed deliverability rates. We know all the available demographic selections and can help you choose a list of people who want what you’re selling!
Direct Mail Mistake #2: Not using a professional looking design.
Why an unprofessional design is a problem: Your design reflects on your business – for good or bad.
How a design that doesn’t look professional is expensive:
Ugly postcards end up in the recycle bin and you end up wasting money.
How Cactus Banishes Ugly Postcards:
Our professional designers know which elements will get the results you’re after.Their eye for design makes the finished product appealing and effective. (PS – design services start at just $ 150).
Direct Mail Mistake #3: Not following postal regulations.
The DMM (Domestic Mail Manual) is The Postal Services book of rules and regulations is over 1300 pages. Who wants to read that?!
Why ignoring postal regulations is a costly mistake:
You can end up with surcharges that double your postage cost, or your postcards may end up in the recycle bin before they ever leave the post office!
What are some common postal regulation violations involving direct mailings?
- Postcards in the wrong shape – they have to be the right KIND of rectangle!
- Return and recipient addresses in the wrong locations.
- Address area background color too dark.
- Address and barcode not the appropriate distance from the edge of the postcard.
- Mismatched name and address.
How cactus mailing keeps you in the good graces of the postal system:
we know the domestic mail manual and we’ll make sure your postcards get delivered for the postage price you set.
Direct Mail Mistake #4: The “Send it and forget it” approach.
Why this approach is a mistake: where is the ROI?!
While you will see results from the first mailing,results improve with each additional mailing. Get the most for your money with repeat mailings!
How Cactus helps you send the right number of mailings:
We know what works for your industry and your mailing list. We’ll help you save costs elsewhere (perhaps by tightly targeting your list), which will allow you to send multiple mailings and achieve success!
Direct Mail Mistake #5: Trying to do it all yourself.
Why trying to do it all yourself is a mistake: You are trying to run a business!
You’ll spend time designing a postcard,finding a mailing list, calculating and affixing postage and mailing labels and tracking resuIts, when your time is much better spent elsewhere!
How Cactus makes it so you don’t have to do it yourself:
We do this all day,every day.Our professionals make sure you get the most for your money and we can do it fast! Because of the processes we have in place,our rates make the DIY approach completely unnecessary!
Read More: How to Choose a Direct Mailing Service