The magic moment in direct marketing is when your message arrives at exactly the moment the customer decides they want to find out about — or buy — your product or service. Of course, at your end, this isn’t really magic at all. It’s using a high quality list frequently enough so that the customer remembers you. No one has the resources to do repeat mailings of an elaborate package, but keeping in touch by way of reminders, teasers, and lightweight direct mail pieces can ensure that when the customer is ready, they feel like your offer is right there.
Analysts refer to the size of the audience that receives your communication as “reach.” The number of times you communicate is, of course, the “frequency.” To achieve that magic moment in which the customer heeds your call to action, you must have frequency. Consider scaling back on the heft and complexity of the communication that you send — even refining your reach by tightly targeting your lists — and focusing resources on the critical frequency factor.
If you already have a marketing communication and a list that is generating decent results, don’t re-invent a perfectly good wheel. Just put more mileage on it. Individuals and businesses that were perfectly happy with a competitor’s product or service when they got last month’s mailing are the ones now finding that it no longer meets their needs; they’re thinking about something new — very possibly what you’re selling. Your postcard or email will seem like magic.