In the current marketing world in the mid-2020s (scary, isn’t it?!), where digital platforms often dominate the conversation, direct mail can feel like an old-school tactic. But seasoned marketing professionals know that direct mail offers unique advantages, especially when it comes to creating tangible, personalized connections with customers and prospects alike. 

 

Measuring the success of a direct mail initiative is crucial for understanding its impact and optimizing future efforts. There is a common misconception that you can only track digital campaigns. In fact, you can often track the success of a print and direct mail campaign more effectively than digital; you need to know the right way to approach the campaign. 

 

Many believe that direct mail is difficult to measure compared to digital, which can provide instant metrics (i.e., click-through rates, page views, and conversions). However, newer tracking techniques have made it possible to gather rich, actionable data from direct mail campaigns that provide far better data than you can get from digital. Understanding how your audience interacts with your mailers enables you to:

 

• Justify your budget spend by demonstrating concrete results.
• Finetune future campaigns for higher ROI
• Personalize future direct mail and digital campaigns based on behavioral insights (see previous Kirkwood blogs for more on this topic ;))

Read on as we take less than 5 minutes of your time to explore the most effective methods to track and measure the success of your direct mail campaigns, ensuring that your print efforts deliver maximum results.

 

1.Use Unique Promotional Codes

One simplest yet most effective way to track responses is by incorporating unique promotional codes in your direct mail pieces for sales, giveaways, exclusive content, or pre-sales. These codes can be per recipient, campaign, demographic, geo, or mailer and can provide insights into:

• The specific mailer that prompted a response (if you did an A/B split test or if you provide offers that are not date-driven)
• The demographics or geographic regions that respond best
• Usage rates to gauge the appeal of your offer(s)

 

2.Personalized URLs (PURLs)

Personalized URLs (PURLs) have been around for a long time but are set to make a resurgence as the age of personalization is back on the horizon. They are a great way to blend the tangible nature of direct mail with the digital world. A PURL is a unique, trackable web address customized for each recipient. When they visit their PURL, they are directed to a personalized landing page with tailored content or offers. By tracking the visits and actions taken on these personalized landing pages, you can see which audience segments are most engaged and adapt your messaging accordingly going forward.

 

Benefits of PURLs:

• Insight into user engagement (who visited, time spent, actions taken, what page users exit from most often)
• A seamless way to collect contact information and drive conversions without requiring much (or any) data input

 

3. QR Codes: Bridging Print and Digital Experiences

QR codes are another method of linking the physical and digital worlds that have surged in popularity since the pandemic. With smartphone scanning now ubiquitous, including a QR code on your direct mail piece can quickly and conveniently drive recipients to your website, directly to a product page, or to a special offer.

 

The beauty of QR codes lies in their versatility:

• You can see how many people scanned the code
• If you use A/B split testing or have multiple campaigns going at a time, you can understand which mailers generated the most engagement
• In-depth site monitoring allows you to see how far users proceed after scanning, giving insight into conversion paths or better URLs to take them to on the next campaign
• Make changes on the fly! Do you have an active QR code out, but a special offer has ended? Change it up, and it will become new again without bringing people to a dreaded “not found” page.

Kirkwood tip: Make sure your landing page is mobile-friendly, as QR codes generally are always scanned with smartphones, and a poor user experience once landing on the page will make most leave the site immediately 

 

4. Call Tracking Numbers

Incorporating dedicated phone numbers is an “old school” simple but effective way to track responses from direct mail campaigns, especially if your business is call-driven. You can assign unique numbers to different mailers, regions, or demographic groups to gauge the success of specific campaigns.

By analyzing incoming calls, you can:

• Track call volume and associate it with particular mailings
• Measure lead quality through call recordings or CRM integrations
• Identify which geographic areas or customer segments respond best

Call tracking software can also provide in-depth analytics, such as the amount of time spent on calls and call conversion rates, offering even more insights into your campaign’s effectiveness.

 

5. Trackable Coupon Codes

Offering a trackable coupon or promotional code can encourage recipients to take immediate action while also allowing you to track who redeemed the offer. Whether the coupon is for an in-store purchase or an online discount, tying the code back to the direct mail campaign helps you quantify its effectiveness.

A trackable coupon code is ideal for driving immediate conversions while providing valuable data on how many people followed through. Be sure the promotion is worth enough to your customers or prospects, and consider offering different codes to current customers vs. prospects so you can see what is most effective with each group. 

 

6. Survey or Feedback Forms

Sometimes, the most straightforward methods are the most effective. Including a survey or feedback form—whether physical or digital—can drive engagement and provide first-hand insights into customer preferences. Ask specific questions that will help you understand:

• What motivated the recipient to respond?
• How satisfied they are with the offer or experience
• Suggestions for future offers or improvements

Feedback forms can offer invaluable qualitative data, supplementing the quantitative data gathered through other tracking methods.

 

7.Analyze Response Rates and ROI

Ultimately, the success of your direct mail campaign boils down to hard data: response rates and the return on your investment (ROI). By comparing the cost of your direct mail campaign (design, printing, and mailing costs) to the revenue generated from it, you can calculate the overall ROI. 

Here’s a simple formula to illustrate the point: ROI = (Revenue – Campaign Cost) / Campaign Cost x 100

This formula will give you a clear picture of whether your campaign generated profit and help you assess how to improve future campaigns. Beyond ROI, also dig deep into the demographics that engaged with you, compare A/B tests, and prepare for your next campaign.

 

Final Thoughts

Tracking and measuring the success of your direct mail campaigns is not just about gathering data; it’s about turning that data into actionable insights that improve your marketing strategy. By incorporating methods like unique promo codes, PURLs, QR codes, and call tracking, you can gather comprehensive data that helps you understand how your audience interacts with your direct mail campaigns. Whether your goal is to increase engagement, drive conversions, or raise brand awareness, these tracking methods will ensure that your direct mail campaigns deliver measurable results. Have you tried any of these tracking methods in your direct mail campaigns? What has worked best for you? Haven’t tried any of these and want to test one? Let our team at Kirkwood help get you on the path to trackable success.