The number one thing you DON’T want to do on your next Direct Mailing Lessons from the DMA Conference in Chicago. About a year ago I wrote about my c’mon man take away from the DMA Conference in Las Vegas. Click here to read it.

Well, here we are heading into the 2013 DMA Conference and once again… c’mon man.

This year, as with every year, I received some great, innovative Direct Mail pieces promoting various exhibitors and events. And I mean some great Direct Mailers – pieces that truly showcased variable printing excellent, effective creative designs, and targeted messages.

Of course, Direct mailing to attendees is a phenomenal way to drive your booth traffic.

When it’s done right.

Which brings me to my c’mon man moment…

As much as all the great pieces stood out, it was the one that was done wrong that really caught my eye. A mistake so glaring that it actually offends. I would say it may be the #1 thing you don’t want to do when doing a targeted campaign.

If you haven’t guessed it, what they did was mess up my name. It was the wrong first name. My last name and mailing details were all correct, but the first name was completely wrong. And as far as I can tell, they did this to everyone on their mailing list (every peer I spoke with that received the same piece had the same mistake, like my colleague Jen who was actually called John on the mailer).

I am sure this has been a nightmare for the promoting company. No one wants to make a mistake like this in their DM campaigns. And certainly not to a group of peers whom you are trying to impress.

This underlines the powerful impact that Direct Mail can have. On the one side you have a great mechanism for promoting your business that gets your name, your message, and your brand directly into your targets hands. On the other side, you have to get it right… All of it.

Easier said than done? Definitely.

Your data, your creative, your printing, your delivery, your timing – so many elements that can go wrong. So often companies are phenomenal experts in some areas (I am sure the company that sent this piece are great printers), but not all. I don’t know if that was the case here, but I would venture to say someone at some point failed to do a good double check. Mistakes happen, yes, but some easy checks along the way can help to avoid making big mistakes.

For instance:

  • When it comes to proofing copy I never proof my own copy.
  • When running a print job, especially for the first time, I make sure I get as close to a live proof as possible.
  • And data? When it comes to data, I always have some records in the data I know and check them right before print. Ideally myself.

Direct Mail has the power to grab attention like no other medium, so make sure you get it right.