When
it comes to landscaping, there’s no better resource for covering bare spots and
beautifying hillsides than ground cover.
Likewise, when it comes to creating a direct mail campaign, there’s no
better tool to organize and strategize than a direct mail plan.
Direct
mail plans, like ground covers, lay a foundation for your marketing
efforts. They lay out your goals, target
audience, list universe, budget, costs, and projected response rate for all to
see. They identify problem spots (rental
lists, deadlines, space restrictions, etc.) and address them. They help
stabilize steep areas and help remove the promotional life-draining weeds. And while they can’t necessarily conserve
water and energy, they can help marketers create maximum impact in an efficient
manner.
So
what should your direct mail plan include?
In short: everything. The more
detail you include, the more informed your decisions will be for this mailing
and for future mailings. Think in terms
of the three “Ds.”
Dates. Identify not only the production schedule and
mail date, but also the dates of prior mailings. You may find that your
sales/donations/renewals increase or decrease based on the timing.
Dollars. The mail plan should identify the budget, all
vendor bids, final costs, and the costs of comparable projects for benchmarking.
Details. Document the size, page count, source codes,
and specific contents of the mailpiece itself.
Note the formats, quantities, and response rates of any relevant or
similar mailings. Define the audience,
and include detailed information about all house and rental lists that are used
or were considered, including reasons why lists or list segments were or were
not used.
Every
mail plan covers an important part of your marketing landscape. Plant wisely.
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