A Digital Revolution to Testing Direct Mail

By Andy Bear
Executive Director of Strategy
Quad Marketing Solutions

Testing is essential to direct mail success. Adequate testing includes examining which headlines, copy, colors, layouts, and images will produce the greatest response. But the cost of testing direct mail, not to mention the opportunity cost, can be enormous.

The way we test email and direct mail are quite similar. Marketers split mailing lists into A/B lists, send the deliverables to these lists, then compare responses based on variables such as layout, colors, images and messages.

While testing printed direct mail is laborious and expensive, testing direct response email is low-cost and fast. This is true because digital environments automate production, delivery and response, which are the slow, expensive parts of printed mail.

But most of what marketers want to test about their printed direct mail is in the realm of design and content. Why not use digital environments to automate production, delivery and response for printed mail? … (click to read more)