5 Tips for Choosing the Right Promotions for Your Direct Mail Campaign

Have you ever found yourself stuck when designing a direct mail campaign because you're not sure what offer or promotion to include? You're not alone; we've all been there.

The promotion you choose should ultimately depend on what you're trying to achieve — e.g., increased sales, lead generation, awareness, etc. It should also reflect the particular product, service or event you're advertising. What can you offer your customers and prospects to get them to take the action you want?

Here are five guidelines to keep in mind when choosing the right promotion for your direct mail campaigns:

1. Don't go too high or too low. Pricing affects a person’s perception of an item’s value. Furthermore, you don't want to price yourself out of the market or lose too much money in margin if many people respond.
2. Anticipate response. Think about best-case scenario, and staff your store accordingly. In addition, have a backup plan for the worst-case scenario of little to no response. It can take between eight to 12 campaigns to reach a prospect for the first time, so it's important to remain patient.
3. Consider customer lifetime value (CLV). You should easily recoup what you lose on a promotion or discount if it helps you attain and retain more customers. Use your promotion to get customers in the door now, and then look for ways to cross-sell or upsell later.
4. The right promotion depends on the customer. How much incentive do they need to inspire action? Current customers might not need as much of a push as a prospect who has never heard of your brand before. For those that aren't as familiar with your brand, a promotion reduces the perceived risk of trying something new.
5. Think about intangible offers. Your promotion doesn't have to be a discount on a product or necessarily a tangible or physical offer. It can be whatever converts a consumer from a lead and gets them into your customer database. Examples of intangible offers include:
   • free shipping/delivery/in-store pickup;
   • BOGO;
   • online vs. in-store offers; and
   • free registration or download.

The next time you find yourself stuck trying to figure out what promotion to include in an upcoming direct mail campaign, think about what it is that you're trying to achieve and how much of an incentive your audience needs to take that action.

Allison Jensen is a marketing coordinator for Compu-Mail, a data-driven marketing solutions provider.