Whether you are sending direct mail only or integrating direct mail with other channels, marketing has many moving parts. The final “send” or “go live” is simply the last link in the chain. To ensure that the whole project stays on schedule, work backward to ensure each component is on schedule.
To get started, sit down with your team and answer the following questions:
- What is the “in-home” window for the printed piece?
- What is your final deadline for submitting materials? If you are sending through multiple channels, what are the final deadlines for each?
- Who is writing the copy, and how long will it take?
- Are you using stock images or creating the artwork yourself? Who is making those decisions, and how long will that take?
- Who will be doing the design and layout? What is the time budget for that?
- How many approvals do you need? How much additional time should be added?
- How long will it take to print, finish, and mail?
The first answer provides your end date (or dates). Once you have that, you can work backward to determine when you need to start each component. Pad each time estimate by a factor of 1.5 to 3 times, depending on your confidence in the numbers.
Once the project is complete, remember how well you stuck to the timeline. If you got off track, where did you get bogged down? What needs to be adjusted next time to create a more accurate time estimate?
Don’t beat yourself up for making mistakes. Along the way, you learned something, such as when your creative staff says, “It takes us one day to turn around the proof of concept,” they mean two days. Or that you need to consider transportation time when you make your project plan.
Keeping up with your schedule takes some practice and thoughtful planning. If you need help, reach out to someone with experience—us! We’ve got lots of project planning experience, so just ask away! We’re here to help.