What We Learned from Sending 27,000 Direct Mail Boxes

September 28, 2022

Last year we shipped over 27,000 boxes on behalf of our clients. and learned a few lessons along the way. In this article, we’ll lay it all out for you.

Account-Based Marketing campaigns are at the heart of what we do for our clients. Using an offline channel like direct mail allows us to reach and engage decision makers from target enterprise accounts, and to break through the noise of emails and cold calls.  Last year we shipped over 27,000 boxes on behalf of our clients, and learned a few lessons along the way. In this article, we’ll lay it all out for you. 

·  We’ll tell you why we chose direct mail in the first place

·  We’ll review some of the most popular use cases for direct mail

·  We’ll let you in on 12 lessons we learned along the way

·  And finally, we’ll give you a few recommendations on how you can fuel growth in your businesses using our techniques

First though, a little about who we are and why we are discussing this space. Our focus at SaaSMQL is Account-Based Marketing, a B2B strategy that targets accounts within a desired market and focuses marketing resources on specific stakeholders within those businesses. Put simply, we help SaaS start-ups build demand generation campaigns that are targeted, multi-channel in scope, and ultimately, scalable. Much of our client base is venture-funded SaaS companies that we help with lead gen strategies. One of those strategies is direct-mail marketing. Let’s dig into more about why we chose this particular method of delivery.

 

Why Direct Mail for B2B

For our business, we came upon SaaS direct mail as an option to reach specific companies and specific decision-makers within those companies.

We had tried cold calls, LinkedIn, and other forms of B2B marketing strategies that have worked for companies in the past. We found there just wasn’t enough engagement to produce viable leads for our sales team to pursue.

This is when SaaS direct-mail marketing became an option. Within a few weeks of our first mailing, we could already see an improved response. We had valid leads and actual appointments, with top decision-makers of our targeted accounts, some of which we had been pursuing for a while.

But beyond our results, there are even more reasons direct mail is a beneficial strategy for B2B lead-gen strategies. Here are a few we’ve come up with:

·  Channel Diversification: When lead-gen strategies are stale or have been used ad nauseam, it is good to introduce a little diversity. Direct-Mail gives you that little bit of change to refresh tired campaigns.

·  Better Attention: If you want a sure way to stand out from the noise of advertisements business stakeholders see daily, you must do something out of the ordinary. Mainly because of its flexibility in design, direct mail is a great way to accomplish this.

·  Engage Specific Stakeholders: Investing money in direct mail forces you to look carefully at what you are sending, and to whom. Where it may not matter how many one-pagers you send to a business, larger direct mail pieces require a little more forethought.

·  A Personal Touch: When you send pieces that are more expensive than postcards, we mentioned you tend to take more care to whom you send them. This accomplishes an important step in the customer buying cycle, namely the “know”. By personalizing your outreach, you have a better chance of capturing the attention you need.

·  Great First Impression: We have already spoken about the impact of personalization, but there is another ripple effect that happens with this form of mail. You end up making a great first impression. When it comes to nailing the first impression with a business you are trying to work with, direct mail is your best calling card.

·  Nurturing Step: Direct mail also helps you remain a top contender for their business mainly because you will stay in their mind. To prove this, think about your own experience with outreach. How many times did you get an email or LinkedIn message this past week? Compare that to how many times you’ve received a personally addressed direct mail package. Which one would you remember longer?

Now that we’ve peeked behind the curtain at our reasons for choosing a direct-mail strategy, let’s explore some of the ways this strategy can be put to good use.

Direct Mail Use Cases

As we touched on earlier, a direct-mail campaign is not going to be your cheapest endeavor, so it’s best to save it for important uses. Here are a few we think are worth your effort and investment.

ABM Multi-Channel Campaigns

This one is obvious, in that it is the one method we have been discussing at length. One of the best use cases for direct mail is as part of a multi-channel campaign where there is a form of lead-in and follow-up included. The idea that the mailer is one of many touchpoints is a valuable way of controlling your investment. You can control when the piece is received and provide personalized follow-up that can garner your sales team qualified, pre-vetted leads that are easier to convert.

 

New Accounts

When we touched on the idea that direct mail was a great first impression, we also mentioned it was a great way to stand out. When trying to win a new client or account, they are still in the awareness phase of their journey. Something memorable and tangible like a personalized mail piece is likely to remain at the top of their minds for a while. In fact, An ANA/DMA Response Report indicated that 70% of consumers preferred traditional mailers for unsolicited offers. This is your sweet spot. It is where you want to be when looking to sign new accounts.

 

Lead Nurturing

Much the same way direct mail serves to give a great first impression, it can also serve to nurture leads you have already collected. According to Infosys, nearly 80% of consumers will only engage with offers that are personalized and that relate to their previous interactions with the business. Lead nurturing is an important part of the buyer cycle and movement through the funnel to an eventual conversion is aided through a good direct mail strategy.

 

Lead Retargeting

Lead Retargeting is a great way to get in front of customers who may not have had a lasting impression with one of your other touchpoints.  By re-introducing something more personalized you will likely have better results. According to Fundera, you actually have a 70% chance of capturing the engagement you’re looking for through direct mail, by using a personalized outreach like direct mail.

 

Lead Re-Engagement

Lead re-engagement is another use for direct mail campaigns, as it adds that wow factor to your sales pitch, which could be just the thing to transform a cold lead into a warm one again. Never underestimate a second chance to make a first impression. It could be that your former efforts weren’t enough to capture their attention. With a cleverly-timed and curated direct mail piece, you could get that meeting you’ve been after.

 

A follow-up to Sales Meeting

Another, more popular use for direct mail, is the after-sales meeting follow-up. It is important to let your desired clients know you appreciate the time they spent reviewing your product. Not only does it leave a great impression, but as we mentioned earlier, you are now in the forefront of their mind again. Also, B2B direct mail campaigns are meant to be followed up with another touchpoint like email, so it is very likely these multiple touchpoints combined with a personal meeting could help close the deal.

 

Accelerate Movement through Pipeline

As we mentioned before, direct mail helps move a customer through the buyer’s pipeline, leading to conversion. If it means helping a client move closer to signing a deal, what price would you pay? It’s all about leveraging different touchpoints, like direct mail, to keep your name on their tongue and a good impression in their mind.

 

The follow-up to an Event

This use case is like the sales meeting follow-up. Remember each touchpoint is about creating awareness and trust, and according to Tax Marketing HQ, there’s a 46% chance that familiarity with your company leads to conversion.

 

New Product Launch

Finally, a new product launch is a great way to re-engage cold leads and help grease the wheels of your sales funnel. In fact, almost 60% of consumers responding to an Epsilon study, said they enjoyed getting a mailing about new products. It could be a B2B direct mail piece is the missing link between a sale and a formerly cold lead from your list.

Now that we’ve exhausted some uses for a direct mail campaign, it’s on to the lessons. As you can well imagine, with 27,000 direct mail deliveries in the past year, we have some insights to share. Let’s review the top 12 lessons we learned from our SaaS direct mail campaigns.

 

12 Lessons Learned from Direct Mail Campaigns

1. Don’t run direct mail campaigns in a silo. Avoid the one-off attempts at direct-mail marketing. You need buy-in from stakeholders and that takes the finesse of a multi-level marketing campaign with numerous touchpoints.

2. Use boxes, not paper for conversion. If you want to convert, boxes are the answer. People are less likely to toss aside a box than they are a postcard.

3. Keep the box value low. Aim for a value between $20 and $50 for better ROI and to stay below the radar of any package-value policies.

4. List and data accuracy are Vital. To make sure you are getting the best ROI, you need to narrow down the playing field. Look for key decision-makers only. The sweet spot lies somewhere between the C-level executives and the lower levels of management.

5. Don’t send junk. Now that you are finally getting the engagement and individual you are looking for, nothing can kill the sale more than a piece of junk with your company logo slapped on it. Invest in something like an edible or a decent quality useful item.

6. Integrate with other marketing channels. Much to the point, we made about avoiding a siloed campaign, making sure the supporting components of your marketing strategy align cohesively and naturally.

7. Size and quantity matter. We found the larger the box, the better the conversion. Also, in larger companies, we had better results by sending 10-12 boxes to different decision-makers within the same business.

8. Plan ahead. Make sure you do the numbers. Once you know your goals, you can reverse engineer your campaign volume based on those goals.

9. Track, track and track again. How will you know what works and what needs tweaking if you aren’t tracking your results? Figure out your KPIs and be relentless in your tracking.

10.  Follow-up aggressively. You can’t make a bigger mistake than sending a valuable box that grabs instant attention and then letting the lead grow cold. Follow-up aggressively using a mix of touchpoints. It could be the difference between a new customer and a failed marketing strategy.

11.  Make it Personal. Every touch point in the campaign should be person-to-person in nature. There shouldn’t be a form email or anything that looks like sales. It should just be a person requesting a meeting with another person from your target accounts.

12.  Best Performer: Our absolute best-performing box concept included branded swag with a food item. To take it up a notch, partner with a local business to provide the edible, you’ll earn credibility and extra points for supporting local businesses.

 

A Few Recommendations to Get Started

The bottom line is – direct mail if done correctly, is an exceptional way to turn the right heads at the right companies. Our key takeaways?

·  If you’ve never done a campaign like this, start small. You can always scale later

·  Work on refining your targeted client accounts FIRST, then think about your deliverable.

·  Organize your supporting content before you design your piece.

·  Track, tweak, and repeat.

 

If you’ve been struggling with getting the attention of key stakeholders from your targeted accounts, give us a call. Let us build a B2B direct mail program for you. If you are a small business, or just want to start small, ask us about our Pilot program that grows with you.

 

Whatever your B2B Marketing concerns, trust SaasMQL to help scale and grow your business with ease.

Looking to scale demand generation?

CONTACT US

Join our Demand Generation community

DEMAND GENERATION CLUB

Check these other blog posts:

November 30, 2023
The Best SaaS Conferences You Can't Miss In 2024

Explore must-attend conferences in 2024, including the renowned SaaStr Annual. Follow SaaSMQL for insights into SaaS events 2024.

November 9, 2023
Getting Started with ABM Campaigns: A Comprehensive Guide

In this comprehensive guide, we'll equip you with the tools and knowledge to get started with ABM, delving into how ABM works, key components of successful campaigns, and best practices for marketing to high-value accounts.

June 2, 2023
The Top 10 SaaS Marketing Tools for Small Businesses

If you’re a small business in the SaaS space, the marketing landscape can seem overwhelming. There are countless platforms and apps out there that claim to help your business grow, but not all of them will be right for you.

June 1, 2023
5 Growth Hacks for SaaS Companies

As a SaaS company, you know that the success of your business depends on the number of new customers you get. You also know that it's getting harder and harder to get those leads because your competition is fierce.

April 26, 2023
Top 15 SaaS Events You Can't Miss in 2023

If you’re a SaaS professional, you already know that events are an invaluable resource for small-business networking, SaaS lead generation, and even getting out of your comfort zone.

September 28, 2022
SaaStr Success: Landing Your Biggest Whales

No matter what stage your SaaS startup is in, landing a whale–a big client that will account for a majority of your revenue–will help you generate the ARR required to keep growing. At this year’s SaaStr, the team at SaaSMQL showed hundreds of SaaS leaders an effective way to do just that. 🐳

August 8, 2022
The 7 Best Practices of SaaS Demand Generation

SaaS demand generation is an essential part of getting new customers and growing your business, but it's not easy to do well. Read these 7 precious tips on how to build a powerful SaaS demand generation machine.

July 19, 2022
A Few Ways to Get Your Prospects Attention with a SaaS Direct Mail Campaign

Let's take a look at the components of a great SaaS direct mail campaign that you can implement today to spur new growth.

June 22, 2022
Most Common Beginner Mistakes with SaaS Marketing

In this piece, we will explore 15 of the most common mistakes beginners make with SaaS Marketing, and how to avoid them, so you can save time and energy lost by following ineffective methods.

June 21, 2022
The SaaS Customer Acquisition Cost Guide

What does it actually cost to get a new customer? This is a vital metric to master if you are looking to scale up your business in the near future. If you are a SaaS startup looking to build a predictable customer acquisition engine, or a SaaS Company that is ready to scale, this article is for yo

June 20, 2022
The Demand Generation Checklist for SaaS Startups

Demand generation is the most crucial role for every SaaS company. Startups need to get on board with key strategies that promote SaaS lead generation, and generate a consistent pipeline to feed the growing sales team. Do you have all the necessary elements in place to run a successful demand gene

June 9, 2022
Customer Lifetime Value: Why It's So Important in ABM

In the following guide, we walk you through the basics of ABM and customer lifetime value — and why CLV is so critical for an effective account-based marketing strategy in the world of SaaS ABM.

May 24, 2022
Five Ways to Drive Demand for SaaS

SaaS demand generation can be complicated, but there are many ways to get your product to the front of your potential customers’ minds. Here we’ll go over some SaaS lead generation techniques that you can use to increase sales and beat the competition.

May 16, 2022
Why Direct Mail Campaigns Are Critical For Account-Based Marketing Success

This article will discuss why direct mail marketing is so important for ABM's success and how to create an effective campaign. We'll also share some tips on measuring the success of your direct mail marketing campaigns.

May 10, 2022
Why SaaS Companies Should Use Direct Mail to Generate Leads

SaaS direct mail is also a powerful way to reach decision makers and influencers at companies that aren’t currently using your product or service. When used as part of an account-based strategy, your integrated direct mail has the ability to amplify your results exponentially.

April 27, 2022
How to Effectively Grow your SaaS with Outbound Marketing

In this article we explain why it's so important for SaaS companies to use outbound strategies and the six steps you need to follow in order to execute effective outbound campaigns.

April 25, 2022
Top 12 SaaS Conferences You Can’t Miss in 2022

If you are serious about growth in 2022, and who wouldn’t be with what the global economy just endured, then plan to attend at least one of 2022’s Top 12 SaaS Conferences.

April 13, 2022
How To Choose An Account Based Marketing Agency

When it comes to SaaS growth, you want to make sure that you are putting your best foot forward. This means working with the best account based marketing agency possible. How do you choose?

April 10, 2022
The 10 Top Account-Based Marketing Platforms

We have compiled a list of the top platforms for every SaaS companies interested in launching and scaling their Account-Based Marketing strategy.

June 3, 2021
How to Nurture Enterprise Accounts with a Multi-Channel Strategy

Nurturing enterprise accounts requires continuous education through multiple channels before they might see a need for your solution. Here we discuss the most effective ways to use multiple channels to nurture your target accounts.

January 14, 2021
How to Build a Demand Generation Budget for FY2022

The shift to virtual events in 2020 and 2021, along with uncertainty about when live events will resume, makes this year’s budget planning a bit tougher than others. However, you can use the same methodology to set your team up for success in 2022.

October 22, 2020
Running Integrated Marketing Campaigns in 2022

If you’re targeting mid-market or enterprise companies, you can't rely on a single channel to drive engagement and qualified leads. Here we share examples of campaigns with solid ROI and show how to integrate different channels into a unique workflow.

October 15, 2020
Marketo vs HubSpot vs ActiveCampaign

HubSpot and Marketo are considered the #1 and #2 marketing automation softwares in the world. ActiveCampaign, on the other hand, is a powerful and easy-to-use marketing automation & sales CRM platform designed for small businesses on a budget. How do you decide which is right for you?

September 21, 2020
How to Run an ABM Initiative Without Buying an ABM Solution

You might have a golden list of accounts that the sales team wants to focus on, but you don’t have the budget for a shiny new ABM platform. Jasmine Chung, Demand Generation Manager at Openprise, showed us how they are doing it at their company and the results they are seeing.

September 3, 2020
How Intellimize Leveraged B2B Direct Mail to Generate $4.6M in Sales Pipeline

Intellimize used SaaSMQL’s expertise to launch targeted ABM campaigns, integrating Direct Mail with automated emails and LinkedIn ads to engage with 800 accounts within their ideal customer profile. Their investment generated $4.6M in ARR pipeline.

August 12, 2020
SEO Strategy: 5 Tips to Scale Your Organic Traffic

Looking for some no-nonsense SEO tips to boost your site’s search engine rankings? We sat down with Aaron Moskowitz, Director of SEO at Golden Hippo, and covered 5 easy-to-implement tactics that help increase your website's ranking and boost inbound traffic.

August 5, 2020
The 9 Most Important Metrics for B2B Startups

By tracking and taking action in improving essential metrics you can position your team for better performance and productivity. Here we provide some insights into what we believe are the most important KPIs every young B2B SaaS company should track as soon as revenue streams arise.

July 1, 2020
How We Generate $1M in Sales Pipeline with Direct Mail

Here we explain step-by-step how at SaaSMQL we are able to consistently generate over $1M in new sales pipeline every month by using a targeted direct mail approach. We also discuss mistakes to avoid during the process and how to track the campaign performance.

June 23, 2020
7 Steps to launching your first B2B Direct Mail campaign

Direct mail is the best-performing direct response channel, bringing in results “10 to 30 times better than email”. Most companies don’t leverage direct mail because it's hard to execute, and requires plenty of time and resources. Here we will go over the 7 steps to launching a direct mail campaign.

June 16, 2020
A Common Sense Approach to Account Based Analytics

In a recent webinar for DemandGen Club, Arun Sivashankaran (Founder & CEO of FunnelEnvy) shared the good, bad, and ugly from his years of experience with B2B demand generation teams tackling account based analytics & personalization.

June 2, 2020
The Basics of B2B Marketing Attribution

How do you know which programs are generating qualified leads and pipeline, and which aren’t? How can you make sure a lead is tagged correctly throughout the entirety of their buying journey? Here we discuss the basics of B2B marketing attribution.

May 27, 2020
The Top 4 Direct Mail Use Cases for B2B Startups

Modern ABM marketers are seeing direct mail emerge as an effective channel for B2B companies to engage and convert target accounts. When direct mail campaigns are integrated into a broader account-based marketing strategy, they become a powerful channel to break through noise and reach prospects.

May 21, 2020
A cost effective Sales & Marketing tech stack for early stage SaaS companies

Your marketing “tech stack” is the set of technologies your organization uses to execute and analyze marketing across the customer lifecycle, and scale your business. The key goal of your marketing tech stack is to measure the impact of your marketing activities - making difficult processes easier.

May 19, 2020
12 B2B Direct Mail Examples to Boost your Pipeline

Given the special nature of a direct mail package, it’s no wonder the average response rates are higher than email. Receiving a nice gift right at your desk in the middle of the work week is memorable, and shows that the sender made the effort to do something different.

May 14, 2020
The 5 Worst SaaS Demand Generation Sins

A strong Demand Generation program allows a company to predictably scale the number of Opps sourced by simply increasing marketing spend. Whether you’re just starting out or have been running Demand Gen programs for years, here are a few core “sins” that your team should avoid at all costs.

May 8, 2020
Right Person, Right Time: How to Leverage Buyer Intent Data

Intent data can tell you when your target accounts show strong buying signals, allowing you to target the right people at the right time. Yet, many sales and marketing teams still aren’t sure how to include this new type of data in their workflows, let alone incorporate it into actionable programs.

May 6, 2020
Building Your Target Account List Using Data

Scaling is hard. You can have the best sales team in the world, but if they’re not focusing on the right accounts, their work likely won’t amount to new clients for your business. When you focus your efforts on ideal target companies, you maximize the campaign’s efficacy and conversion.

May 4, 2020
Building a Successful Lead Handoff Between Sales & Marketing

The lead handoff process is one of the biggest bottlenecks for every company trying to grow their sales pipeline. Marketing has invested money and resources to generate qualified leads, but they are not always properly assigned to the Sales team and followed-up with.

May 1, 2020
Why SaaS Companies Underspend on Demand Generation

Low confidence in marketing attribution and ROI often causes SaaS companies to cut investments on demand generation. By tracking your CAC and the value of each stage of your marketing funnel, you can allocate your budget to drive real growth.

April 30, 2020
Driving Qualified Meetings with Direct Mail Campaigns

When direct mail campaigns are integrated into a broader account-based marketing strategy, they become a powerful channel to break through the noise and reach your ideal contacts.

April 29, 2020
How We Use LinkedIn Ads to Engage with Target Accounts

Learn how to build effective Account-Based Marketing campaigns using LinkedIn Ads. We'll present specific examples and step-by-step instructions on how to target your named accounts and drive qualified leads.

December 1, 2019
ABM Unlocked: How to Leverage Buyer Intent Data in Real Time

In this video you'll learn how you can leverage intent data to increase conversion on your ABM campaigns and engage with your target accounts. We'll provide an intro about buyer intent data, the difference between 1st party data and 3rd party data, and how to track customers' offsite behaviors.

August 15, 2019
Creating a Demand Generation Budget From Scratch

In this video you’ll learn how to draft a demand generation budget starting from your revenue goals. We’ll discuss about funnel metrics, Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC), what line items should be considered when creating the budget, how to forecast your ROI, and what tools can help you.

June 6, 2019
ABM: How to Define Your Ideal Customer Profile

In this video you'll learn how to build the right target account list. By focusing all your efforts toward the ideal accounts, you'll maximize campaign's efficacy and conversion.

March 26, 2019
How to Generate ROI from Event Marketing

In this video we'll share lessons on how to generate pipeline sponsoring third-party conferences, how to best manage follow-ups and track results, and how to scale the strategy to 100+ events per year. We'll also discuss about best practices on how to run your first user conference successfully.

December 9, 2018
Video: Integrating Direct Mail Campaigns in Your ABM Strategy

Direct mail has been emerging as an effective channel for B2B companies to engage and convert their target accounts. When direct mail campaigns are integrated into a broader account-based marketing strategy, they become a powerful channel to break through the noise and reach your ideal contacts.

July 21, 2018
What are the biggest mistakes that B2B SaaS startups make in sales?

The 8 most common sales mistakes that I frequently notice in venture-funded SaaS startups. These include adding territories too early or hire a bunch of AEs when there is no pipeline. Avoiding these early mistakes will impact your ARR from the beginning.

June 9, 2018
The 6 Initial Steps to Transition to an Account-Based Strategy

Marketing is no longer incentivized to simply generate leads at the top-of-the-funnel and throwing them to sales. The metrics that matter now are account engagement, number of opportunities generated, pipeline ($) and revenue.

June 8, 2018
Why All SaaS Companies Need Demand Generation

Demand generation entails generating sales opportunities for your company's products or services. A good demand generation engine can help a company engage new prospects, generate interest online and offline, and attract prospects, which are then converted to leads and turned into sales pipeline.