Before you publish your next direct mail campaign, you should spend ample time planning, crafting, and strategizing your next steps. Doing so helps you better understand what your audience likes and dislikes, and it also allows you to build long-lasting relationships for sustained success.
Since 1986, Epsilon Individual Automotive has helped over 10,000 individual dealers better understand the importance of timing and frequency in direct mail. Work with us and you’ll join a growing list of dealerships reaching new heights!
Effective Strategies for Determining Mail Timing and Reach
Did you know direct mail campaigns have a higher response rate compared to email? According to the Direct Marketing Association, direct mail carries a 4.4% response rate, compared to the 0.12% email response rate.1
This means timing plays a vital role in direct mail reaching your intended targets. You can master your next campaign by working with Epsilon Individual Automotive to adapt these essential strategies. When you work with us, you’ll get a lending hand that understands exactly when to send your next campaign.
Know Your Mail Delivery Timeframes
Every direct mail campaign in the United States revolves around the national mail delivery timeframe. Localized First Class mail is sorted and delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS) between one to three days after it’s mailed. Non-local First-Class mail, however, will generally be delivered between two to five days.
Standard mail is processed after First Class mail. This means local delivery may take between four and eight days—and non-local standard mail may take between 10 and 14 days. Plan your campaign around these dates to avoid any surprises.
Send Direct Mail at the Right Times
Know which dates to send—and which to avoid. Mail delivered during peak summer months is less likely to pique an audience’s attention, due to vacation or time away from work or school. Your campaign may be better suited for a time of year with higher consumer attention, like the beginning of the school year.
Additionally, attentive planning is required for major holidays. Because mail volumes are higher during holidays like Christmas or Mother’s Day, you can choose to push the mail date out—or use these holidays to keep in touch with your audience.
Effective Strategies for Determining Direct Mail Frequency
Just as you master timing for your direct mailers, managing the right approach to direct mail frequency will help deliver results through research and knowledge. However, whereas timing strategies prioritize a broader reach, frequency allows for a more personalized approach.
Epsilon Individual Automotive assists in building a direct mail campaign that reaches your target audience. We’re eager to help further establish your footprint throughout the community through several key methods, some of which include:
Build and Follow a Yearly Calendar
Frequency and timing frequently cross paths—although they may both lead to different outcomes. When planning for direct mail frequency, it’s important to plan out the year ahead with a calendar that covers every essential component of your campaign.
From seasonality to key dates and events, this calendar should include relevant campaign launch dates that target your audience. This can include industry conferences and other important periods where your audience may be more likely to respond to your direct mail campaign.
Emphasize Personalized Content
The data doesn’t lie—people love personalized and relatable content.2 This approach breaks the barrier between traditional advertising practices and new-age marketing that emphasizes the perception of choice. This strategy can pave the way for a sustained relationship with you and your audience.
Rather than sending the same direct mail campaign with generic messaging, you can employ a personable approach by tailoring your messages based on demographics, preferences, and past interactions. In doing so, your audience may be more receptive to your direct mail campaigns.
Become the Direct Mail Jack of All Trades
A good direct mail campaign checks all the boxes. From understanding when and when not to deliver mail, to carefully planning your every move, the importance of timing and frequency in direct mail plays a vital role in ensuring a successful dealership campaign.
Your next step is as important as what came before it. Work with Epsilon Individual Automotive to create a plan of action that suits your dealership, complements your audience, and sets the stage for foundational success. Schedule a time to chat with our direct mail experts today to get started.
2 https://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/2015-04-05/why-consumers-crave-content-personalization
