Measuring the success of your direct mail

A common argument against the use of direct mail is the supposed inability to measure its success.  This perception is largely due to the comparison with digital tactics, where reporting and measurement are much easier to access.

While this is true, it’s not impossible, or difficult to measure your direct mail campaigns.

There are a number of simple methods you can employ to track the effectiveness of your direct mail.

Promo/QR codes:

Promotional codes and QR (Quick Response Codes) can be used to track individual campaigns. Begin by creating a specific landing page that will be associated with your code. Then, print the code on your direct mail piece. When a recipient visits that page, you’ll know they came directly from that campaign by using reporting tools such as Google Analytics.

Call Tracking:

Another way to measure your campaign is Call Tracking. This allows you to assign a unique and trackable phone number to a campaign in order to discover which lead is coming from where. Call tracking software is also available for this purpose and can usually be integrated into CRM systems where you can move leads through the sales funnel and follow up as needed.

Business Reply:

By adding a pre-paid envelope or card, your recipients can reply directly to your campaign. It’s an easy and effective way of enabling potential customers to respond to your efforts. This gives you the ability to measure the direct response rate of your campaign and gain valuable information about your audience.

Social Media and Website Traffic:

Keep an eye on both your website and social media accounts during your campaign, especially if your direct mail drives recipients to these areas. Using analytics tools, you can track any spikes in visitors, impressions and engagement to determine how your campaign affected these metrics.

JICMAIL:

JICMAIL is a new collaboration between representatives of the Royal Mail, Whistl, the DMA, IBA and IBSA. The overall aim is to provide a standard measurement system for direct mail. This will align mail with other marketing tactics that already have an audience insight system in place, effectively levelling the playing field. Find out more about JICMAIL here.

For more advice and tips on how to measure the success of your direct mail campaigns, call us on 01747 820960 or email sales@mailandprint.co.uk.