Yesterday’s post was all about how direct mail is still a viable marketing tool. If you missed it, check it out here and then come back.

Today, I wanted to follow up on that concept. Because there is one thing you can do to make direct mail even more effective. And it doesn’t add much to the cost.

It’s Email!

Email used in conjunction with direct mail could be a deadly weapon in a marketer’s arsenal. Try one or all of these three strategies to improve your direct mail response:

1. The “check your mailbox” email comes before the direct mail piece is received and makes the person aware that something interesting was mailed to them.
    
2. The “reminder” email comes around the same time as the direct mail piece is received and essentially repeats what was mailed. This helps reach people who didn’t get or didn’t see the postal mail piece.
    
3. The “deadline” email comes directly before the expiration of the offer made in the direct mail piece (assuming there is one). This serves as a final reminder to those people who ignored everything that came before.

These emails should resemble the look and feel of the direct mail piece. This helps the reader associate the message in their email with what they see in their physical mail. And that cohesiveness makes the campaign more effective.

If you’re already using direct mail, try adding email to it. If you’re not using direct mail, give it a better chance of working for you by testing it in conjunction with an email follow up.

Best of luck!