Before the days of direct mail campaigns, the suggested way of marketing your business was to place an ad in the phonebook and have the first two letters of your business name start with “A1.”
As the internet grew in popularity, so did the fortunes of many businesses who learned how to use it effectively to market. But as time went by, the marketplace became crowded and what used to work then, no longer works now.
Nowadays many companies focusing a decent sized portion of their marketing budgets on direct mail. They’re finding themselves pleasantly surprised when they start realizing good ROI’s from this new (old) form of marketing. If you’re in a niche where your competitors are doing direct mail, or you’re just looking to spice up your mail campaigns a bit, here are 10 ways you can make your direct mail campaigns shine:
1. Handwrite your letters
If you only mail a few mailers out every week, a handwritten mailer is a great way to communicate with your customers. It adds a personal warmth to each mailer. Of course, if you have a large mailing campaign, handwriting each and every note is somewhat challenging.
2. Use a messenger service
Another great idea for your extra special clients or customers is to use a messenger to physically deliver the mailer or item. Instead of sending a postcard using variable data printing, try sending a bouquet of flowers or an afternoon snack via a messenger. For clients or accounts that drive a tremendous amount of revenue every year – the $100 you spend on a delivery service will go a long way in creating goodwill.
3. Counter a competitive offer
Sign up for the direct mail of your competitors. If they happen to be running a campaign that’s featuring an offer, quickly send out a direct mail that has a competitive offer. The beauty of direct mail is that your competition won’t realize what you’re doing until after you’ve mailed it out – and even then, most of them won’t bother taking the time to sign up for your direct mail campaigns.
4. Cooperative mailings
A great way to increase brand reach and awareness is to partner up with another company who offers a complimentary service. For example, if you’re a roof inspector, reach out to a roofing company and see if they’d be willing to go halves on a direct mail campaign that promotes both of your services. You’d combine both of your lists for twice the reach!
5. Take advantage of technology
QR codes, PURLs, and SMS short codes are technologically savvy ways of getting your prospects offline and onto your website to survey or collect more data such as email addresses. Just be sure that you have a website that is mobile optimized.
6. Use Textured Paper
Textured paper and finishes give your mailer a unique feel that separates it from the rest of the mail. People are not only visual creatures but physical ones as well. A mailer that feels a bit different will instantly cause someone to pay attention to it.
7. Smell
Give your mailer a smell. From perfumes to other scents, it’s another great way to make it stand out. The advertising firm Saatchi and Saatchi created an ad campaign for the 2018 Toyota Camry. It featured an insert that had a pop-out picture of a Camry dashboard which smelled like leather and even had LED lights!
8. Be succinct
When writing headlines and sub-headlines for your mailers, be sure to address your audiences needs or desires as quickly as possible. Conversion rates will rise accordingly. Eight words are about the limit of what people can read at a glance, so be sure to be as concise as possible. If in doubt, hire a copywriter!
9. Use the lingo
If your company sells skateboards and your target demographic are people under the age of “20”, the language in your mailer should reflect that. If you’re segmenting your lists and have a diverse audience, take advantage of variable printing data to get the right message out to the right demographic. The last thing you’d want is to have a mailer sent to an 85-year-old retiree that starts off by addressing him as “Dude…”
10. Create a risk-free offer
This is an especially good way to get new business through your front door. A risk-free offer is too good for most people to pass up. Just make sure that you’re not over-promising and under-delivering as that’s the quickest way to lose an audience.
If your direct mail campaigns are falling on deaf ears, or if you’re considering starting a new direct mail campaign, let AlphaGraphics of New Bern help. Our
marketing experts have years of experience and can breathe new life into old campaigns or help you get started on driving leads and sales with a new direct mail campaign.
To learn more about how AlphaGraphics of New Bern can produce and design your next project, you may
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request a quote or call us at
(252) 633-3199.