Have you got the measure of mail?

Over the past few weeks I’ve talked about valued mail making consumers know, think, feel and do. Now I want to tackle how this impact can be measured.

In the past it’s been fairly easy to calculate the value of mail campaigns; an analysis of costs and response rates provides an ROI. But these days the media landscape is more complex than ever, which makes attributing direct and indirect action to specific channels a lot more complicated.

So how should we be evaluating the value of mail? There are four areas to bear in mind.

1. EXTENDED VALUE

Mail is considered and retained for purchases that are planned for the future, so its effects can be far reaching.

2. INTEGRATED ACTIONS

Some actions are hard to measure. Like going online as a result of getting direct mail, or visiting a shop or event. These won’t immediately be recognised as having been triggered by a mailing, but the incremental value of them needs to be considered.

3. BRAND BUILDING

Mail can evoke strong emotions that influence how consumers think about a brand. Even mail that may not ask them to respond to anything – a statement or a newsletter – has a brand building effect. Part of this can be measured by researching how valued mail effects brand salience, engagement and by asking who they talked to about the mailing.

4. ATTRIBUTION AND ECONOMETRICS

We believe that many brands, even with econometric modeling, are finding precise attribution of channel and effect difficult to track or model. But our research has shown that mail has a significant impact on both the consumer and the brand. Plus, the media multiplier effects of other channels can clearly be seen.

Download your free copy of our new research report This Time It's Personal atwww.mailmen.co.uk