Does the 40-40-20 rule stand true today?

If you were to ask any successful direct mail marketer about how they classify their efforts, they would immediately communicate the importance of the 40-40-20 rule. This practice states that approximately 40 percent of direct mail marketing profit depends on a thorough mailing list, 40 percent on compelling incentive offers and nearly 20 percent on the creative work. It’s hard to argue the validity in this claim, as content sent to the wrong people with no call to action won’t generate favorable numbers, but it’s essential for marketers to embrace creativity and not overlook its integral role in marketing.

Tailor content to your clientele
Successful outreach efforts leverage a wide array of data to drive sales. The content needs to be relevant, as well as credible and meaningful to your prospective audience. Your goal should be to make mailings resonate so well that recipients feel the offer was designed just for them. In order to achieve this goal, your creative team will have to conduct extensive research to understand the psychographic standpoint of your potential customers.

Make the offer unique
In addition, your direct marketing needs to be unique. The offer needs to compel a reader and make him or her want to purchase the product or service being promoted. Consumers have already heard the traditional “There has never been a sale like this before” tagline – it won’t work this time. Therefore, you may want to spend the bulk of the time you would on incentive offers designing calls to action that leave long-lasting impressions. When recipients truly feel a marketed offer is too good to pass up, they’re more likely to make purchases.

Creativity can boost numbers
Web to print solutions may be able to help you make the most out of your time. You can create an online interface where your creative team has the ability to customize documents and marketing materials without spending money on in-house software systems. You can also decide what materials are printed, to whom they are delivered and when they will be sent to recipients. As a direct marketer, you need to cut through the clutter and grab reader attention. It may be worthwhile to utilize digital printing technology and spend a little more than 20 percent of your time creating eye-catching campaigns.