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Direct Mail Tracking Makes All The Difference

Credit: Pixabay by krzysztof-m

There are two kinds of tracking you should be doing with all your direct mail campaigns. The first is tracking your mail delivery, and the second is tracking your results. Did you know that the USPS changed their first-class delivery standards on Oct. 1, 2021? Depending on where your mail is entered and where it is going this can impact your in-home dates.

If you have critical in-home dates this can be a big change for you. Mail traveling the greatest distances will be the most impacted. Previously first-class mail was one to three days for delivery. Now it can be between two and five days depending on the distance between the origin and the destination. Tracking your direct mail delivery will not only help you know when your letters are delivered, but can also give you stats to use for better in-home date targeting of future campaigns. This is a low-cost service that your mail provider can do for you. The more data you have the better you are able to target.

Now let’s look at how you are tracking your direct mail performance. Focusing on what works best and spending your budget in the most effective way is key. Before you launch any direct mail campaign, set a system in place that will allow you to track the results.

Tracking your results means you can see what resonated best with your customers or prospects, what got the most interaction, and what led to the most sales, sign-ups, or other action. You then have the information you need to focus on the things that work, thereby preventing your business from losing money on the things that don’t.

Here are seven tips on ways to track your direct mail results:

  1. QR codes: The landing page for each scan should be created specifically for each campaign. You can easily track who is hitting the landing pages and what they do from there.
  2. URL or PURL: As with scanning the QR Codes, you need a unique landing page for each campaign.
  3. Coupons: Make sure to create a code on the coupons that you can use to track responses as people redeem them.
  4. Donation reply cards: Create a code for each campaign, imprint that code somewhere on the reply device so that if they return it with their check, you can track which campaign it came from.
  5. Phone Call: Use a special phone number for each campaign or if that is not possible, ask for a code you imprinted on the piece as part of your order intake.
  6. Text Messages: Many people find that text messaging it the easiest way to respond. When you setup your campaign either create a special text code or require that as part of the text message they need to enter a code from the mail piece.
  7. Mail piece: One of the easiest ways to track direct mail response is to require the recipient to bring the mailer with them in order to get a discount or some other special offer.

Creating effective direct mail is all about knowing what works and what does not. That knowledge can only be gained through tracking of your own campaign results and delivery. Trying to utilize general direct mail trends published by the DMA or others is not an effective method. What you don’t know in direct mail can hurt you. Give your direct mail campaigns the best chance of success by putting a tracking system in place so you can compare and contrast their effectiveness and return on investment. Are you ready to get started?


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