When we talk about advertising strategies for a brand, it is very common that the focus is always more intense on the planning and execution of that specific action than on the measurement of results. And when it comes to direct mail, it’s no different: we always think about what to communicate, about design, to whom we would like to send that material…

It turns out that it is necessary to track and measure results to understand if the strategy is working. That is, to understand whether the investment is being successful or not. If you still have doubts about how to do this, we have prepared a guide with some methods that can help you understand if your direct mail is being effective.

How to Track Direct Mail Results?

Let’s start this article with good news: measuring and tracking the results of a direct mail strategy today can be simple! Also, there are a number of different ways to do this, you can either use more than one per campaign or switch between them to understand how your audience best interacts with the material. Check out some suggestions below.

1. Trackable URL

One of the simplest ways to measure results is through a trackable URL. That is, in your direct mail you will direct your audience to a landing page or a specific section of your website. That way, you can check the clicks via Google Analytics.

You can even make different URLs and send different printed materials to two regions of the country or city, for example – so you can even test which area was most impacted by the strategy.

2. Discount Coupon

This type of strategy is often very successful – recipients are happy they got a discount and you can track how many times a coupon has been used. It is very useful for online stores, but it can also be done in person (the person takes the material received to your store) or even over the phone.

In that case, remember to offer a discount that is attractive to the customer and still viable for you.

3. QR Codes

Want an even easier way to drive the direct mail audience to your website? Include a QR Code that takes them to a specific page. It works the same way as the URL, but people can just point their phone camera at the code and check out your page.

4. Service via WhatsApp

If you use corporate WhatsApp at your company, you can also include a phone number in the material. If you use customer service bots, you can include a question about the mailing so you know who got there through the mailed material.

And How to Collect and Analyze the Direct Mailing Data?

Through the above methods, you are able to collect a series of data. These are: response data (i.e. how many people accessed the link or QR code), qualified response data (people who not only accessed your website, but showed real interest in the purchase – added products to the cart, for example) and sales data.

In this way, you can calculate three types of cost:

1. Cost per response (total campaign spend / total responses).
2. Cost per qualified response (total campaign spend / total qualified responses)
3. Cost per sale (total campaign spend / total sales).

With this data in hand, you can compare your company’s revenue and profit before and after the campaign and understand if it made sense for you.

Canada Post Direct Mailers

And if you would like to run a direct mail campaign for your business in Canada, we can help you with that mission. Here you will find all the necessary information, but you can also contact us directly to ask questions and we will help you find a suitable solution for your company.