For direct mail, the right time is important. Even the most original, convincing, and well-designed mail piece won’t work if it doesn’t get there on time.
This is the reason why when you ask about hiring custom mailing services, a lot of people will answer a mail sent at the right time.
Let’s look at the most important parts of timing a direct mail program. The right time to drop off mail increases ROI.
When Should I Send?
When you send direct mail, time is very important. Send your mails to clients at times when they are most likely to answer.
Direct mails that are sent around holidays, back-to-school, and tax time usually do better.
Similarly, in the mail around Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day, gift, flower, jewelry, and other advertising items do very well.
Since people are spending more due to the best time to send email campaign, in direct mail, holiday ads and coupons help boost sales.
People who sell school materials, clothes for kids, laptops, and furniture for dorm rooms also do very well during back-to-school season. Deals and coupons help parents who are busy with back-to-school shopping.
During tax season, people who do tax preparation, accounting, mortgages, loans, and financial consulting can talk to people who are thinking about their tax returns.
Direct mail that is sent around important events, when people are most interested, gets more responses.
The Weekday
There is disagreement among direct mail marketers about the best day to send mailers.
Some like Wednesday better than Monday!!!
Some people say Monday mail is better because it comes when people are fresh and ready to start new things. People get mail as they plan their week.
On Mondays, there isn’t as much mail to deal with.
Others like Wednesday because by midweek, people are used to their routines.
The mail on Wednesday is different from the mail on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday have higher reaction rates than the beginning of the week, according to research.
It’s not necessary for the day to be either/or. Find out which days work best for your audience and offer by trying Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday. The type of mailer, population, and time of year all affect the best day.
Find the best time by keeping an eye on the open and answer rates.
Data-driven methods can help you figure out which days are best for sending direct mail. It depends on your goals and users what the “best day” is.
Make several attempts on various days and times to get to their mailboxes.
Mailing Time In Month
For direct letter advertising, the monthly time frame is very important. It’s better to mail at the beginning and end of the month than in the middle.
Deals and sales at the beginning of the month are good for many homes after payday. People who get paid may spend more. A lot of people start the month with hope and new budgets.
Similarly, business-to-business sales at the end of the month are strong to meet quarterly or monthly goals. A business might need sales or leads at the last minute to end the month.
Consumption and business demand are both lower in the middle of the month.
Due to smaller budgets, businesses and customers may not be as motivated to react to direct mail in the middle of the month.
To get the most out of your audience, you should try sending at the beginning, middle, and end of the month.
Tradition says that answer rates are higher at the beginning and end of the month than in the middle.
How Often: One Touch vs. Multiple Touches Is Important
A study found that multiple direct mail programs work better than one-time campaigns.
Sending coordinated mailings keeps you in the minds of prospects, teaches them on your offers, and builds relationships with them.
According to the DMA Response Rate Report, people respond better to more direct mail:
- One-time mailing: 2.1% of people who get it respond.
- Two send-outs: 2.9%
- 3.6% for three mailings
- With six packages, 4.4%
Direct marketing needs to be seen over and over again. Prospects need to talk to a few people before they buy. Most of the time, prospects act after 6 to 8 views.
Studies show that sending mail to leads every 4 to 6 weeks is the best way to keep them interested. This gives prospects time to read your last email before getting your next one.
By trying different mailing frequencies, you can find the best time to reach your audience. More often is better as long as your messages are useful.
Test of Time
A/B testing is a great way to improve the time of direct mail. You can find the best time to send mail by sending a small group of mailers on different days or times of the month. Most people who work with direct mail suggest testing:
- Thursday vs. Tuesday
- Month (1st vs. 3rd)
- Month’s start, middle, or end
- Month every year
To find the best time, look at response rates, conversion rates, and other signs.
Make sure that the test batches are big enough to give you useful information. Instead of making broad assumptions, testing lets you make changes that work best for your audience.
Change the time over a number of A/B tests to get better. Optimizing the time of direct mail based on data can bring big benefits.
Managing Across Multiple Channels
Using direct mail along with other kinds of marketing can help get better results.
Channel synergy works best when a direct mail piece with the same offer is sent out before a TV, internet, or print ad campaign with the same offer.
People see your brand message in the ad, and then direct mail makes it easier and stronger for them to respond.
People might get a bunch of direct mail, emails, social media posts, and ads about the same thing or offer around the time that new content on your website goes live. This makes customer communications stronger across all platforms.
Don’t send your direct mail by itself. Use them in cross-channel campaigns and time them right for the most effect. When it’s done right, the whole is bigger than the parts.
Conclusion
When and how you send direct mail are very important to its success. Marketers can make the most of high open rates and reaction spikes by thinking about the day of the week, the time of month, and the frequency of the email. You can find the best schedule for your group by trying out different ones.
