To many people dive into direct mail without a well thought out and organized strategy. It is critical to determine your objectives and establish the goals of your marketing campaign. A recent survey completed by the U.S. Postal Service found that the top three reasons for increased frequency of direct mailers were company growth or expansion, change of strategy, and introduction of a new product/service. Make sure you make your objectives clear and concise and set attainable goals.
These are some of the questions to ask yourself when determining your objectives:
What is the most important thing I want people to know about my business and what do I want them to remember? What is my message?
What is my offer? What are the benefits of my product, solution or services that your company offers in terms of what will appeal to the target audience?
What is my competition doing? What are the strengths and weaknesses of my competition?
What is the mailing size and budget of the mailing campaign?
What factors will I use as measurements of success?
The ultimate goal of the mailing campaign is to move the prospect to the next stage of the sales cycle and motivate them to buy. Accordingly you will need to establish your specific goals as they relate to your objectives. Here are some examples of direct marketing goals and that mailers that will help you get there:
1. Boost Sales: When you want to attract new customers or broaden your product line or service offerings, you need to include a clear and enticing call to action. Giving customers an immediate taste of your offering usually works best. A tri-fold flyer detailing a free sample or offer is very effective; the flyer can be all text or have imported photos or illustrations. For an even more successful campaign, consider a promotional product included in an envelope with the flyer. There are many inexpensive options that will provide for excellent recognition and repeated exposure, along with the message of good will for sending a “gift”. Additionally, there are many choices that are appropriate for mailing without paying for additional postage. You might also offer time sensitive gift certificates or a card for a set of discounts, (for ex. 50% off lunch on Wednesdays), coupons for a onetime bonus, or tickets for a prize drawing if the customer makes a purchase. These ideas are applicable for business to business marketing as well.
2. Reward Customers: To retain and acknowledge the customers you already have, try sending “With Compliments” notes or offers. These should be as personal as possible, designed like a greeting card or personal stationery. Sending a simple, “Thank you for your business” card to a valued customer is both an inexpensive and effective way to develop loyalty. Here is another great opportunity make an impression with your customers when you go that “extra mile” and send a promotional product with your company logo and message as a “thank you” gift for previous, current and future business. Another valuable mail campaign idea is to launch a frequent buyer’s club. Along with registration and club membership material and information, you can send letters and cards that offer discounts or free products that rise is value the more the customer spends.
3. Generate Leads: Here, too, the format of your direct mail piece and offer depends on what you are selling. Instead of a call-to-action form, the purpose of this direct mail piece is to evoke a warm reception for the follow up call you’ll make within a short amount of time. Professionally designed and well written brochures, banners and posters, or invitations to special events or seminars will also help warm up a customer for a salesperson’s follow up call. If you can tuck in a promotional item like a tool or an accessory – something that relates to your business and that people will keep – all the better. Additionally, it will create awareness to your company name and logo which will provide for recognition of your business when you make the first personal contact with them.
4. Building Profile: When your campaign is designed around brand awareness – say, a grand opening, a start-up service, a new location – the direct mail piece must convey the news and communicate a clear brand message. For professional services, consider an informational press release or media kit that’s mailed to prospective clients and to the local newspaper and broadcast stations. You can also launch a newsletter with information for the customer. Just be aware that to build credibility this newsletter should provide a service. It should do more than simply sing your company praises. If you choose to create a newsletter, be sure you have the resources for future issues. Newsletters should go out at least quarterly, if not more often, in order to be memorable and effective. The “dimensional mailers”, that is a direct mail message with a promotional product that arrives in a tube or box or a direct mailer with some kind of flap or pop-up format (in other words, three dimensions) always get noticed. Even though this type of mailer tends to cost a little more, it is still a very cost effective method for the results produced. And don’t forget to try a combination booklet/brochure and newsletter, so you can combine your pitch with news of your industry or field.
If you have not started a direct mail campaign for financial reasons, it is time to re-evaluate your marketing strategy. You need to realize that with cost effective programs and customer databases, it’s much easier to produce pieces that generate a response than ever before. You don’t have to be a direct mail expert with a big budget to advertise with the mail. With a computer, some desktop publishing software, and a little know-how, you can create your own professional looking direct mail piece.
It is important to determine a budget for your direct mail campaign. The next article will cover some of the important aspects in determining the appropriate budget for your business and its marketing goals.
Check out J & B Image Promotions website to find the perfect promotional product for your next direct mail campaign. http://jbimagepromotions.com/
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