Personalization Boosts Direct Mail Response Rates (and Sales) with Letters, Postcards – Self-Mailers

Seven in ten consumers want you to personalize the direct mail you send them. Are you giving them what they want?

According to Cap Ventures’ 2003 study of personalization, more than 69% of consumers prefer highly personalized direct mail offers over non-personalized offers.

Smart direct mail marketers personalize their mailings because personalization works. Personalization boosts response rates, sometimes by double digits. And it boosts orders.

Personalization works because it tells your clients that you know them and recognize their uniqueness. If I have to sales letters on my desk, one addressed to “Dear Homeowner” and the other addressed to “Dear Alan,” I know which letter will receive more of my attention.

Here are some ways to boost your response rates and orders with personalization:

1. At the very least, personalize the salutation on letters

2. Personalize the salutation on postcards and self-mailers

3. Refer to the customer’s last purchase, and name the product

4. Refer to the customer’s last purchase, and name the date of purchase

5. Mention the date that the customer’s subscription expires

6. Mention the product or service or problem that your reader mentioned in a previous transaction (web form or phone call, for example)

7. Handwrite your lift notes

8. Give readers the name and phone number of their area sales representative

A word of warning

Personalization works. But only if you do it well. If your mail merge misses one field, you might call Bob, Betty, which breaks trust, or tell Customer A about Customer B’s confidential buying history, which breaks the law. So, if you are new to direct mail
personalization, proceed cautiously.