I wanted some clever way of introducing how important time – and timing – is to a Direct Mail campaign. I mean, if you think about it, timing can seriously strengthen or drastically weaken whatever it is you’re trying to tell your prospect. Right?
You’re not going to send a postcard for that epic St. Patty’s Day BLOWOUT on March 18th. You wouldn’t tell people to show up to your Grand Opening the day after. And you 100% shouldn’t ask a prospect to give you a call a week after your ‘First-Timer’ promotion expires. You know better than that.
And so I wanted a great way to explain the concept of timing, and looked to the Internet for inspiration. The very first items from my Google search were: a YouTube video by someone I’d never heard of; a website for some odd ‘organizational theorist’; and the link to the podcast for the venerable Tony Robbins. So, people get ‘it’ – they understand the importance of timing. But I couldn’t find what I wanted where Direct Mail is concerned. So I created my own.
I’m giving you the 3 important ‘timing considerations’ to think about when creating your Direct Mail campaign:
- Busy Time of the Year – That means different things to different people, right? To you, it should mean that any Direct Mail campaign you put out, and expect great things from, should be one that you can handle. New business is always fantastic. But it’s even MORE fantastic when you have the capacity, the resources, and the TIME to handle it. Ensure that you’re setting yourself up for an influx of business before your busy season so you have the ability to schedule, adjust, and take advantage of it.
- Time-Sensitive Information – Like I mentioned above, you’ll want to take care to formulate your Direct Mail campaigns to give your prospects the absolute BEST chance of taking you up on your offer. Start with the end in mind: the date of the store opening, the night of the fundraising gala, or the expiration of your promotion. Working backward, understand the steps required to come up with the postcard idea, identify your target market, execute the design and mailing, and give some cushion for the prospects to mark their own calendars.
- Vacation Days – Believe it or not, but the use of vacation days in America is on the rise. People have turned a corner and are realizing the benefits of taking time off. What does that mean for you? If your business is seasonal, or you depend on tourist dollars, it is critical that you have a firm grasp on the calendar, both locally and nationally. When is school out? Are there industries in your area (e.g., furniture manufacturing) prone to taking the entire week of July 4th off? A Direct Mail campaign timed to drop when those people aren’t at work, or aren’t thinking about work, will essentially fall on deaf ears.
You’re never going to catch each and every prospect on your mailing list. But you should do what you can to ensure you maximize the outreach every time you put a postcard in the mail. Return on Investment is a real consideration. And doing a little bit of homework on the front end can help you in ways you might not have imagined.
At Opportunity Knocks, we eat, sleep, and breathe timing of Direct Mail campaigns. We know calendars backward and forward, and we can ensure you achieve the best exposure at the right times. Give us a call at 1 (866) 319-7109 and let’s talk about what you want to accomplish, and when you need it done.