Track Your Direct Mail Campaigns With These 4 Hacks

Like it or not, data-driven campaigns are the answer to your future success – and 2015 is all about diving in, taking chances, and making smarter, data-driven decisions that increase your bottom line. Below we’ve listed four great ways to retrieve powerful analytics from your direct mail campaign so you can gain visibility like you’ve never seen before!

#1: Discount Codes – Because who doesn’t love ‘em?

Everyone loves a good deal, so why not offer a discount or coupon code on your direct mail piece? By creating a unique, campaign-specific discount code, you can track your direct mail campaign’s ROI by analyzing the number of coupon codes that are redeemed. You can even take it a step further by looking at the geographic locations that produced the best results. Then, use those numbers to help you decide where to target your next direct mail campaign. You can track your offline marketing campaigns by creating a special property in your CRM (or any other data tracking software you use) to help you keep tabs on who used what code and when. You can also use Google Analytics to track coupon and promotional codes.

#2: Uncovering Data With Unique URLs

Ok, this one might seem counterintuitive… but trust us, it will work! Instead of including your business’ URL on your direct mail flyers or brochures, try giving out a unique URL. You don’t have to do this for every single campaign; just try it once. This can help you potentially discover whether your direct mail piece was a success or a flop. You can easily redirect the URL to your normal website or create a landing page that only direct mail recipients will land on. This is especially helpful if customers can purchase your product or service via a unique URL or landing page because it will display the conversion rate of your direct mail campaign.

Using unique URLs and landing pages will also help you perform A/B tests of new/existing direct mail campaigns. In order to determine which one performs better, you’ll need to have a controlled environment that can track each version. Try using software like LeadPages to create custom landing pages that look great and can be tailored to fit your brand.

#3 – Recapture Leads With Google Remarketing

So, Jane receives your postcard in the mail, likes what she reads, types in your unique URL… gets distracted and clicks away. You’re thinking you’ve lost her for good, right? Well, not so fast. You can get her back with Google Remarketing! It’s really easy: just add the Google Remarketing Code to your website and whenever a prospective customer leaves your site before completing a transaction, Google will display follow-up advertising that reminds the prospect to return to your site. You won’t have to pay unless your prospect clicks on the ad – and if they do, hopefully you’ll score a sale.

#4 – Measure Your Campaign Success with Call Tracking

You can also measure your direct mail ROI by including a call tracking number on your direct mail piece. You can use analytic tools like RingDNA to find out which campaigns elicit the greatest response.

Ready to test it out?

The best way to grow your business is to understand how to reach your target audience. Once you’ve got their attention, it’s time to learn what does and doesn’t work. Gone are the days of just guessing if a campaign was successful. Now you can track your campaigns with everything from a mobile app to SaaS products. Try some of the tools we’ve mentioned above and let us know how they work.