In the digital world where smartphones, tablets, and mobile devices prevail, many are under the assumption that direct mail is antiquated and might not seem to fit with the high tech world. However, direct mail continues to be heavily relied on as an effective way to promote a message. With many companies implementing direct mail as part of their omnichannel campaigns, you could say that direct mail is the ultimate “comeback kid.” So how do you know if your direct mail efforts are worthwhile? Many of our customers gauge the effectiveness of their direct mail campaigns using:

1.       Gross Response Rate

Gross response rate measures the number of positive responses a direct mail campaign generates. These responses are usually in the form of a requested action such as an inbound call, visit to a landing page, or mail-back component such as a completed application or form.

2.       Net Response Rate

Commonly known as the conversion rate, the net response rate determines what percentage of your recipients responded to your mailing by actually completing a purchase. Net Response Rate is usually calculated using the total quantity mailed in a campaign.

3.       Cost Per Response

Considered one of the most useful metrics, measuring the cost per response helps account for the effectiveness of different costs associated with direct mail campaigns. Cost per response is calculated by dividing the amount of money spent on the campaign by the total responses.

Ways to Track the Effectiveness of Direct Mail

PURL’s

Giving recipients their own personalized landing page URL (PURL) may increase your response rate; curiosity about seeing their own website fosters engagement.  Additionally, it provides an effective means of collecting data on direct mail response and sales.  In fact, PURLs allow you to track individual, person-by-person response rates, which can lead to other targeted marketing opportunities.

QR Codes

A QR Code provides a bridge to link direct to digital. They are especially useful when communicating to mobile users by avoiding the need for recipients to visit your site or type in a long (and perhaps complicated) URL.  You can have everyone go to the same landing page, and count page impressions, or you can create personalized landing pages for every recipient and monitor individualized response rates.

Specific 800 numbers

Providing a provisioned phone number for each direct mail campaign enables recipients to call for additional information, while enabling a company to trace these calls to the specific campaign. Knowing which campaigns generate more calls and interest enables companies to plan future campaigns accordingly.

So how did your last campaign stack up? A smart direct mail program can put new customers in your database and sales in your pipeline—it’s important to get it right. From your stand-alone mailer to a component that serves as a part of a multi-channel approach, let the experts at Redi-Mail manage your program from start to finish with the latest in equipment and technology.

Redi-Mail…Delivering Exceptional Value