5 Steps to a Successful Mail Campaign

by Krista Scarlett | May 4, 2015

Master the Fundamentals

The most effectual campaigns are targeted, cost effective, and, naturally, arrive on time. Graphcom suggests these five steps for mailing success.

Use Market Research to Your Advantage

What audience are you trying to reach, and what do they need to hear? How can you give them what they want? What action do you want them to take? Segment your audience and tailor your message to their needs. Designing your mailing to a specific audience will secure stronger engagement and make them more likely to take action.

Take Advantage of Logistics Solutions

Need 2,500 postcards printed and delivered by next week? Have to print, compile, and deliver 50 copies of your fundraising packet by 10:00 a.m.? Sometimes what’s needed in short order is no small feat. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of logistics solutions for larger projects that demand complex oversight. Seeking out a professional to compile materials, manage details, and supervise distribution for lofty projects can pay off.

Give Yourself Enough Time

What good is an event invitation that arrives two days prior to the event, or a donor solicitation letter that doesn’t hit mailboxes the correct week? At present, it has come to our attention that mailings are arriving late due to United States Postal Service delays – up to a week past expected delivery dates. We suggest that you plan for an extra seven days when you create your mailing timeline to avoid any delays, or build extra room in your budget to send via Priority Mail^®.

Measure + Analyze

What do you want to achieve? What will make this mailing campaign a success? Clearly document what measurements define your success. Incorporate key success metrics into your project and monitor the results throughout your campaign. Would multiple touches increase the impact of your message? Consider adding additional waves to compliment your campaign – like emails, direct phone calls, and ads geared toward your audience. Post-mailing, assess the results your campaign produced.

Adjust Your Approach

The most important part of any project is what you learned to make it better next time around. What worked? What didn’t? How can we apply our successes to our next project and learn from our shortcomings? Design an actionable plan to optimize your next mailing using what you learned this time around.