When running a busy SME, it’s easy to focus on your online presence and overlook other aspects of your marketing and business strategies.

One area that’s easy to forget about is direct mail. This includes all forms of physical post that your company sends out, including marketing materials and any packages it sends containing products or promotional materials.

Direct mail might seem less interesting than high-tech marketing alternatives, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has seen a resurgence, particularly among younger consumers. As a result, many companies are now embracing it and introducing it into their marketing and communications practices.

If yours is one of them, then you need to remember that direct mail is more laborious to produce and manage than digital marketing. While digital marketing will never fully replace direct mail, you need to remember that sending out printed items and packages takes longer and requires more resources.

As such, you need to be more prepared to spend more time, energy and, as a result, money on your direct mail campaigns and on sending out physical products to your customers. These tactics can provide a strong return on your investment, but only if done right. Keep reading for some practical tips on how to streamline and effectively manage your direct mail strategy.

Create A Clear Process

The first step in streamlining any aspect of your business is to create a clear process. It can be easy to think that you don’t need one for direct mail: everyone knows how to send letters, right?

Well, direct mail is about more than just posting parcels and letters. It’s a marketing strategy in itself, and requires careful planning, preparation and ongoing reviews. So, you need to treat it like any other aspect of your business if you want to get the best possible results and return on your investment.

Have Labels Made In Advance

Making labels in your office might work for some of the ones you need, like address labels for individuals who don’t order often. However, if you send in bulk to a pre-determined mailing list, or you regularly receive orders from the same client, then it pays to have your labels made in advance.

To save time and effort, consider using professional printed label providers like Sticky Labels. They provide a great value service with same or next-day turnarounds for most orders. The company also uses biodegradable materials, so you can reduce your company’s impact on the environment. There’s an extensive array of sticky labels to choose from, including durable vinyl or polypropylene labels that are ideal for packages that have to travel long distances. So, you can choose the perfect labels and ensure that you save time and effort by collaborating with a supplier like this.

Train Your Staff

It’s easy to think of direct mail as a small admin job that doesn’t require much skill, but to make the process effective you need to have the right people undertaking the packaging and management of your packages and letters. If you don’t, then mistakes will be made, which could affect your efficiency and potentially lead to costly errors.

So, you should host regular training meetings to discuss how you manage your direct mail and what you and your team can do to make the process easier. If new tech is introduced, make sure your team is shown how to use it and given the support they need to make the most of cutting-edge tools.

Make The Most Of The Latest Tech

Direct mail might seem low-tech and analogue, and to an extent, it is and always will be. However, there are technological tools you can use behind the scenes to make it easier to manage and to track the response rate from your direct marketing materials.

When used correctly, technology can enhance your direct mail strategy and make it easier for you to use fewer staff to manage more work. So, you should explore automation tools and software products designed to make direct mail easier. Many of these tools offer free trials or explainer videos, so make the most of these before you commit to paying for a premium tool. That way, you’ll be able to make the most of your direct marketing budget and get the most from your existing resources.

Keep Adapting And Exploring New Options

As well as new technologies, you also need to work out innovative ways to make the most of the tools you already have, and find simple ways to streamline your direct mail. As such, you need to keep experimenting and trying new things so that you’re always able to adapt.

Adapting and continuously improving your direct mail strategy will allow you to make the most of the resources you have at your disposal. The tips listed in this guide should act as a useful jumping-off point, but you need to continue innovating moving forward.