Direct marketing is an effective way to communicate directly with your clients without any intermediaries. It can form a crucial part of a customer engagement strategy, with targeted and personalised messaging reaching those most likely to need your product or service.
What is direct marketing?
Unlike other methods, direct marketing relies on your list of potential clients as opposed to wider promotion through channels like social media or public relations. Its aim is to encourage your audience to take a specific action, which could be to visit your website, make a purchase or take advantage of an offer.
Types of direct marketing include:
It’s worth noting that direct mail has an average response rate of around nine per cent, according to the Data & Marketing Association (DMA). A significant portion of direct mail recipients go on to engage with a business online, with 92 per cent taking action.
Creative direct marketing examples
By looking at some of the most creative direct marketing examples from the industry, you can see what’s possible. It’s a good opportunity to get inspiration for innovative marketing strategies of your own.
The Theatre Academy’s Macbeth
Tapping into the recognition sparked by familiar branding, the Theatre Academy used fast food bags to market its production of Macbeth. Serving as an invitation to the performance, the bags were emblazoned with the iconic golden arches popularised by McDonald’s but turned red in a bloody twist.
Direct marketing campaigns that at first seem like one thing but require a second look can be particularly effective. The Theatre Academy’s use of everyday items helped to bring the relevance of the play to a whole new audience.
Nike’s stadium shoebox
Nike used limited edition shoeboxes to encourage those buying its footwear to take up sport. Not only were customers greeted by the image of a stadium printed onto the inside of the box when they lifted out the shoes, but there was an auditory element too.
Upon opening the shoebox, the excited sounds of a roaring crowd were emitted. If nothing compares to the feeling of stepping onto the pitch, Nike aimed to offer its customers a small taste of what an exercise-led lifestyle could lead to.
Ant-sized press releases by Marvel
Marvel leaned into the diminutive size of its superheroes Ant-Man and The Wasp when promoting their inclusion in the Content of Champions. Full press releases featuring all the usual information you’d expect were shrunk down to miniature size and presented to the media with a pair of tweezers and a magnifying glass.
This simple yet successful marketing campaign was so memorable because of its novelty and the association with the size of the insects. Modern direct advertising that relies on ingenuity can have a lasting impact.
Hell Pizza’s mis-fortune cookies
The messages found inside the cookies served to customers at the end of a meal at one establishment are a far cry from the usual tried and tested mottoes. That’s because Hell Pizza gives clients mis-fortune cookies bearing uncomfortable missives like “Help! I’m being held in a Chinese bakery!”
This campaign was so successful that the mis-fortune cookies became a permanent feature at the restaurant. They’re the type of marketing material people are likely to pass on to friends and family for their sheer novelty, spreading the word even further.
Zoominfo’s personalised video cards
A good example of ROI-driven marketing is when Zoominfo sent out 200 personalised videos. Despite costing more than any other campaign, these videos, which mentioned prospects by name, gave the brand the best ROI of any direct marketing it tried.
Fun and quirky, the videos explained Zoominfo’s production process directly to the client in a way they’re unlikely to forget. Resulting in a conversion rate of 20 per cent and generating more than £300,000 in revenue, it was worth the initial £9,000 spend.
Benefits of direct marketing
Targeted marketing techniques like those outlined above demonstrate how direct marketing can be impactful. The benefits of these types of campaign are far-reaching, often including:
Precise targeting
Utilising a well-maintained mailing list means you have the data to send out direct marketing campaigns to the clients most likely to respond to them. These lists can be segmented and A/B tested to help you achieve the best possible outcomes.
ROI tracking
Identifiable, unique elements like coupon codes, landing pages and trackable phone numbers with direct marketing campaigns facilitate accurate tracking. This ability to see exactly what’s working and what isn’t is invaluable.
A personal touch
Direct marketing allows a level of personalisation not achievable with other channels. Speaking to clients in a way that feels more one-on-one is much more effective than when you talk to them as if they’re simply part of the masses.
Opportunities to delight
Creativity is crucial and as a number of the above examples demonstrate, direct marketing lets you unleash this side of your brand in unparalleled ways. Direct mail marketing can be particularly powerful, with simple yet innovative ideas being delivered to a client’s doorstep.
Common direct marketing mistakes to avoid
While direct marketing campaigns have the potential to be a big success, there are some common pitfalls that can negatively impact their results. Failure to properly segment your audience can lead to marketing spend that doesn’t hit the mark and a lack of personalisation can mean clients don’t feel like they’re being spoken to directly.
Every campaign can bring insights to demonstrate what works, but ignoring the metrics and failing to act on customer feedback is an opportunity lost. Without these, you won’t be able to build better next time and the same mistakes will lead to repeated inefficiencies.
How to get started with direct mail marketing
To get started with your direct mail marketing campaigns, get in touch with The Mailing People. From there, you can start to plan the design, creative, marketing copy, personalisation and formatting options for your materials. Using a mailing house to guide you through the process will not only ensure everything runs smoothly, but also save time and money.
Lessons from the best
Always be on the lookout for examples of direct marketing to see how you can use them as inspiration for your own innovative campaigns. Personalised marketing that grabs your attention will have a similar impact on your audience, so it’s worth seeing what your competitors are doing.
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