One of the most important things to understand about direct mail campaigns is that ultimately your efforts are only as successful as your messaging. You’ve got a limited amount of time to show somebody that not only do you understand the problem they’re trying to solve or the goal they’re trying to accomplish, but that you and you alone can help with it. This is especially true when you’re talking about something like buying a new car, which is a purchase that is usually larger than most.

To that end, if you truly want to optimize your automotive direct mail campaign, there are a few key things you’ll need to keep in mind.

Optimizing Your Direct Mail Campaign: Breaking Things Down

Targeted mailing lists are always essential, but they’re especially so when you’re going after a very precise target like automotive buyers. For the best results, try to segment your lists down into a few smaller groups of people. You could target one audience who is ready to buy a car, for example, and another filled with people who have purchased in the past who may be looking for an upgrade. Be sure to segment your current first party data with third party information whenever possible.

Then, craft more specific and more compelling collateral based on the unique makeup of the list you’re targeting today. You could even use techniques like A/B testing to help make things even more effective. Send direct mail postcards to a smaller group first and make any changes based on the feedback you receive. That way, when you roll out that same collateral to the larger list, you’ll have the confidence that comes with knowing you’re using the best design possible.

Finally, make sure that your content is optimized in a way that takes advantage of a full 360 degree customer view. If you know that someone has had their current car in the shop multiple times over the last 90 days for maintenance issues, this is absolutely the type of thing you should be speaking to. Not only can you help someone “get ready” for a significant purchase like a new car… but if you do things right, you can make sure they buy that car from YOU.

If you’d like to find out more information about how to optimize your automotive direct mail campaign to generate the results you’re after, or if you have any additional questions you’d like to discuss in a bit more detail, please don’t delay – contact us today.