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Direct mail marketing involves plenty of moving parts. Besides content planning and creation, you must send out, test, and analyze the results of each campaign. Timing plays an essential part in direct mail. Here are things to keep in mind about when to send out your marketing mail.

The Buyer’s Journey Matters

When sending triggered direct mail, you need to account for where the prospect is in the buyer’s journey. Each element should be tailored for each stage and support the others before and after it.

Stage One: Awareness

At this stage, the goal is to make the buyer realize who you are, so you need to stick to brand awareness. Refrain from pushing your product. Instead, soft calls to action like visiting your website or Blogs will work. When doing direct marketing, make the transition from the physical to the virtual easier—for example, print a QR code that recipients can use to jump to your website.

Stage Two: Consideration

At this stage, the buyer looks for options to solve a problem or address a current need. After brand awareness nurture the connection by presenting your product as a solution. What matters at this point is specificity. Provide details about your offering that are relevant to their needs. Personalize it too—put their name on the mail or add a map to your local store. Doing this improves response rates. At this stage, nurturing the connection matters the most.

Stage Three: Decision

When the buyer is at the Decision stage, they have all the research they need. Often, when they’re at this point, it’s a matter of choosing between brands. As such, your job is to convince them that your brand is the best option.

Send them an offer that lets you stand out, like an exclusive discount, or a limited-time offer. In direct mail marketing, social proof matters, so you could include testimonials and reviews from current buyers to persuade them further.

After the Purchase

Increasing the chances of repeat business and earn their business again by creating incentives like loyalty rewards and referral programs that give them a complimentary item or service when they hit specific benchmarks.

Focus on Holidays and Busy Seasons

People are more receptive to checking their mail during the holidays since they’re probably looking for gift ideas. Increase the odds of closing a sale by sending specialized mail. Christmas, Mother’s Day, and other culturally significant dates are your best bet.

There are also industry-dependent busy seasons, so you’d want to factor that into your mailing considerations. For example, if you have a roof repair business, you’re probably at your busiest in autumn and spring, right before the rainy or snowy season. Meanwhile, a fitness subscription provider would want to note that people are more eager to jump into a new workout regimen during the start of a new year.

Don’t Forget Their Birthday

Everyone appreciates birthday greetings, and sending birthday mail to your customers ensures their goodwill toward your brand. Sweeten the message with a freebie or limited offer, especially for people celebrating their birthday. If nothing else, they’ll appreciate your thoughtfulness.

What Day to Send Direct Mail

Generally speaking, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the best days to send direct mail to your audience. Mid-week days are when people are at their most productive, and they’ll likely be sorting through mail on these days. Fridays and Mondays aren’t ideal. On Fridays, they will probably be thinking of the weekend. Meanwhile, "Monday blues" might prevent them from opening your mail at all.

Conclusion

Direct mail marketing is both an art and a science. You have to consider how your materials align with the buyer’s journey, but you must also ensure that your brand comes across as human, relatable, and trustworthy. Teaming up with direct mail specialists will ensure your marketing campaign’s success.

Trust KTS to bring your brand to your customers. We are a direct mail marketing agency in Edmonton with more than 18 years of experience, providing everything from design solutions to mail preparation and integration with digital marketing. Request a quote today!