The Power of Personalisation in Direct Mail Campaigns

Have you ever thought about personalisation in direct mail campaigns? Sending your target something with their name on it can create some interesting (and beneficial) psychological reactions. 

Everything is personalised these days. From what we see on social media feeds to Netflix’s recommendations to what your shopping app thinks you’ll like, everything caters just for you. 

Why shouldn’t direct mail be the same? Whether you’re targeting middle-aged homeowners or new-age millennials, personalisation could be the missing ingredient in your campaigns. Here’s why. 

The Psychology of Personalisation in Direct Mail

Interestingly, personalising your direct mail gives the receiver a false sense of being in control. If you pair this little psychological trick with an excellent and helpful offer, it’s not a stretch to see why conversion rates are high. 

Personalisation also creates a feeling of being personally selected for this thing they’re reading about! It’s an excellent way to begin building trust and cultivating a feeling of partnership. 

According to the Direct Marketing Association, direct mail with some personalisation has a 3x better response rate of non-personalised mail! Make them feel like they’re receiving a letter from a friend, and you can expect better engagement. 

Personalisation Drives Action 

Imagine a random stranger stops you on the street and tries to give you a slice of cake. Chances are you’re going to say no thanks. But if a friend comes past and says, “Hey John/Bob/Tina/insert name here, I brought you this cake”, you’re naturally going to be more inclined to take it, if not eat it there and then! 

Personalisation creates comfort. And when you’re comfortable with someone (or some company), you’re far more likely to take them up on their offers (if they’re good, of course!). 

According to the 2017 State of Personalisation Report (page 3, Key Finding 3), about half of customers who received a personalised recommendation for a product ended up making an impulse buy! 

There’s no doubt about it – personalisation drives buying action. 

It Helps You Stand Out 

Receiving a personalised piece of advertising is like standing in a crowd of people you don’t know and hearing someone call out your name. You can’t help but check it out! 

Personalising your direct mail campaigns will help you stand out from the crowd. It creates a sense of familiarity and connection that many other pieces of mail aren’t going to have. 

Consider Your Target’s Privacy 

You do need to be careful with personalisation, though. If you collect the customer’s data yourself, it’s totally okay to use it to personalise their mail. If you got it through a third party, however, you may be at risk of breaching privacy laws. 

How to Personalise Your Mail 

Sure, adding someone’s name to your pitch is a form of personalisation in direct mail campaigns. It’s probably the easiest and most common. But if you truly want to stand out and impress your customer, here are some other options for personalisation: 

• Create an offer specifically for those in their age group. eg. sporting apparel for 30-somethings, dental care for over 60s, etc 
• Add a customised map from their home to your nearest location 
• Fill out their basic information on forms, so they don’t need to fill out the basics 
• Include QR codes in mail for the internet generations