Data-Driven Decision Making with Direct Mail

Every seasoned marketer will tell you – data drives decision-making. But what happens when that data is less than ideal?

Making important business decisions from faulty or misleading data is an inevitable path to failure. Surely the advances in digital technology have made it easier for marketers to understand their engaged customers… right?

Believe it or not, the consumer data your company receives online is still at risk of being wildly inaccurate. The plethora of scam ads, fake offers, and annoying robo calls have left customers fatigued and antagonistic towards most forms of digital advertising content.

If this data’s purpose is to track customer behavior and trends, then misleading user-generated data could have tremendous consequences on a business’s marketing strategy. 

Not only can customers fabricate their personal data, but past campaign performance data is harder to track for reasons outside of a marketer’s control.

Algorithm changes add extra variables to consider when comparing past successes. If two similar campaigns receive different conversion rates, a marketer must identify if the cause is a change in campaign quality, audience targeting, or algorithms. 

Decision-making requires the steady flow of consistent, reliable data typically seen in direct mail campaigns. With no algorithm changes or falsified information to sway data analytics, you can implement the right business strategies with confidence every time. 

Avoid FAKE Information

Since users can easily lie online and face no repercussions, many individuals feel no obligation to provide companies their real information. Fake emails, phone numbers, and VPNs are all available to the average internet user. These simple methods are used every day by those trying to protect their privacy from advertisers. 

With direct mail, you know your customers before you even send out your first campaign. Contact info such as names, addresses, and other public information cannot be faked, so every mailer you deliver will be linked to a real person. There are no bots, fake user-generated info, or location ambiguity. Any lead you receive is legitimate, and their information is easily verifiable. 

The validity of direct mail works to the customer’s benefit as well. By sending them a personal mailer with your company’s name and address, you instill confidence in your campaign. This additional authenticity links your identified company to a physical location rather than an ambiguous online website or ad. 

Related: How Internet Users Block Digital Advertising

Track REAL Responses

Decision-making data must be authentic – and reliable. It is not enough that the response data you receive is accurate, but you need to confirm that each response is a worthwhile lead. For a campaign to be considered “successful” it must receive a high response rate and meet sales goals. 

While digital marketing may initially have an acceptable response rate, not every user who clicks on an ad will become a lead. If the ad targets users based on falsified or inaccurate data points, ANY response from them is irrelevant to your campaign. 

Even if you achieve a high click-through rate, your actual sales conversions could be lower than expected. Because of this, you will not know if the poor sales rate is due to inaccurate audience targeting, a misleading campaign message, or an ineffective sales process. 

Since direct mail responses are tracked and monitored through physical addresses, there is virtually no risk that an unqualified lead will reply – because YOU control who sees your mailers. Response rates become a much more reliable metric of campaign success since every completed mailer will be from a high-quality prospect. 

Related: Direct Mail and Homeowners: The Hidden Audience

Comparing Past Campaign Strategies

Comparing past campaigns is an essential step when planning for future marketing endeavors. You can identify which aspects work – and which do not. However, each campaign must operate by similar rules and procedures if one wishes to analyze overall outcomes. 

Algorithm changes are a common headache for digital marketers for several reasons. When the inner mechanisms of an understood process change, it interferes with a campaign’s evaluation. Without standardization, there are too many variables to consider when determining the overall success of a campaign.

Fortunately, direct mail has no algorithm in place when comparing the success of previous campaign models. Companies can easily track and measure similar campaigns year after year with helpful insight.

Locations, mailer design, and timing are all easily identifiable with direct mail campaigns. Meaning it is much simpler to determine which strategies to use for future campaigns – since you can pinpoint specific changes that effect the ROI. 

Related: How Online Algorithms Hurt Small Businesses