What are the advantages of using direct mail advertising? Direct mail can be highly effective in generating leads and sales from highly targeted lists.
Continue readingWhen should you use direct mail advertising?
The EDDM Myth
The EDDM Myth
Many businesses have come to believe that EDDM®, or Every Door Direct Mail®, is the least expensive form of direct mail. This simply isn’t the case but the perception has been perpetuated by the USPS and many mail providers looking to keep the execution of direct mail campaigns as easy as possible.
Higher Costs of EDDM vs. Saturation Mailing
EDDM Mails to Bad Addresses
Have you ever wondered why EDDM counts are higher than a normal Saturation mailing? It’s because you are sending to records that should have been removed. Vacancies, do not mails, and excessive drops have all been removed from regular occupant files. Every “extra” EDDM address–often as high as 10% of the list–is a waste of postage and printing.
EDDM Does Not Allow Removals
To qualify for Saturation rates, you only need to mail to 75% of all addresses in a CRRT or 90% of all Residential addresses–whichever count is lower. So why blanket your mailings to every address? With standard occupant data, we have all sorts of removal options that allow clients to optimize their mailings, while maintaining the best possible rates. Here are three great choices
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Saturation Record Filters:
This allows you to trim a list to the count you want. For example, if you have 11,748 records and only want to mail to 10,000 of them, you can select to remove certain types of records (trailers, apartments, PO Boxes, businesses), or you can trim by lowest income CRRTs first. This gives you a “smart” way to remove those records. -
Penetration Indexing:
By analyzing your existing customer list and looking for areas you’re already successful, we can effectively target areas that contain “look-a-like” consumers that are more likely to respond to your offers.
EDDM Has Lower Response Rates:
Time and time again, we’ve had new customers come to us because EDDM just performs poorly when compared to normal Saturation mailings.
- The postal carrier, sometimes, packages all EDDM pieces together, so EDDM mailings become less of a standalone mail piece.
- EDDM mails to extraneous addresses that normal Saturation mailings would skip thus reducing the overall results.
But What’s the ROI Difference?
With EDDM you do not need to purchase the mailing list or spend as much time processing the job, whereas with saturation mailings you can save on postage and on wasted mail piece delivery. How does this affect the overall ROI of a mailing?
Calculate the following costs:
- The average cost to address a postcard: .004
- The average cost to purchase a mailing list: .007
Consider the following savings:
- Postal savings will be .001 to 2.3 cents.
- Delivery savings will be .002 to .004, since only SCF is needed for letter Saturation mailings.
- You save 3% to 10% on wasted mail pieces: vacancies, do not mail addresses, and excessive drops (1 to 3 cents).
"Smart" Saturation Mail Costs Less Than EDDM!
All of this shows that saturation mailing generally ends up costing less than EDDM overall. Additional benefits of saturation include narrowing your list selections on a household level (through Saturation Record Filters, Penetration Indexing or Response Boosters) and Saturation mailings typically perform better.
The Key Takeaway
Less, Waste, Better Campaign ROI!
You will typically get a better ROI with our “Smart” Saturation Mailings Program. While from a pure numbers standpoint, Saturation Mailings tend to beat out EDDM even with their “free data”, but there are other reasons other mail vendors might prefer to use EDDM.
Many mail and print providers don’t have the capability to ink-jet addresses or turn around EDDM jobs rapidly making it difficult to deliver on time. Many also don’t have the knowledge, capability, or expertise to execute them properly.
So if you use EDDM often, think about whether it is the right choice for your marketing campaigns – you may be wasting resources!
Not sure? Spectrum will do a free marketing analysis to help you to determine which targeted mailing list option is best for you.
Spectrum has the data technology, expertise, and mail formats to execute higher ROI campaigns using “smart” saturation mailings.
What are the advantages of using direct mail Advertising?
What are the advantages of using direct mail advertising? Direct mail has the highest response rates, is more trusted, tangible, more memorable, unavoidable, is not blocked by privacy walls, cuts through digital fatigue, allows for more creative design, is easily targeted, and has the best ROI in marketing.
Continue reading10 Strategies for Successful Holiday Direct Mail Marketing
10 Strategies for Successful Holiday Direct Mail Marketing
It's 2022 and people are starting EVEN EARLIER than usual!
For the first time in history, holiday sales are predicted to rise above 1 TRILLION DOLLARS in the US this year! Are you prepared?
Capitalize on the busiest shopping time of year by increasing your marketing efforts this holiday season. The earlier you get your message out to consumers the better your chances are of attracting new consumers and loyal customers to your business.
You’ll give your business a boost for the following year as well. Capture their attention with a carefully planned and executed holiday direct mail marketing campaign. Let’s take a look at ten easy things you can do to improve your marketing campaigns this holiday season.
1. Use Oversized Direct Mail
Help divert consumers attention to your message and offers
Capture consumers’ attention and show them just the important information. Such as, who you are, why they should shop at your store, and what specials you have. The oversized mailer helps divert consumers’ attention away from other mail pieces like standard postcards and letter-sized mailers. Once you have their attention, hit them with stunning graphics while giving them just what they need.
77 percent of consumers sort through their physical mail as soon as they get it.
2. Use House Lists To Improve Response
Increase your ROI by sending mail to your current customers
Sending your holiday direct mail marketing mail pieces to new prospects is a great way to build a customer list. However, sending to your house list (a list of customers you’ve built using current customers that have purchased from you) is a fantastic way to increase your response rate. If a customer has already purchased from you and had a positive experience then they are probably willing to purchase from you again. People typically go with what they know and what they’re comfortable with. Remind them that you’re still around and that you want their business again. Retaining current customers improves your bottom line because you spend less money doing so rather than converting new prospects.
You spend less money getting a customer to return than trying to convert a consumer into a new customer.
3. Incentivize With Offers & Gift Cards
Give them an incentive to shop with your business
Part of what makes direct mail so fantastically appealing to marketers is that it gives them the potential for multiple impressions compared to email. If your message is compelling, and your gift card and/or offers are highly enticing, then it’s possible that your customers will put a gift card in their wallet, leave it on their kitchen counter or put it on their fridge.
Your customers might not go running out to use them right away. However, if they’re interested they will keep your mail piece in their home instead of throwing it away. Essentially, you have given them a constant reminder of your business. There are plenty of different types of direct mail you can improve with offers.
4. Don’t Neglect The After Season Shopping
Consumers will still be purchasing after the season is over
The Holidays are a perfect time to push products and incentivize offers. But, don’t forget that shopping doesn’t stop after the Holidays are over. Plan for the late-gift-getters and the vacation-takers to give your business a small boost while others are ramping down. Planning to do so with your holiday direct mail marketing campaign will help you capitalize on the holiday rush long after it has passed.
New customers given gift cards by relatives can be turned into loyal, returning customers with the right in-store experience. Focus on customer service during the week between Christmas and New Years.
5. Lift Response With Spectrum’s Easy Omni-Channel Solution
Spectrum Mail Plus integrates your mail with online channels
Instead of just sending out a traditional solo direct mailing, Spectrum Mail Plus combines your direct mailer with seven digital technologies to create omni-channel direct marketing to digital advertising that increases your ROI by reaching your target audience on multiple channels simultaneously.
It’s easy! All you need is a website or landing page and a Facebook/Instagram account. Spectrum does all the setup and serves ads on your behalf.
Increase your average marketing campaign RESULTS by 23-46%
Direct mail pieces are mailed to your target market. This tried and true marketing medium yields marketing RESULTS by delivering your well-designed message right to your prospect’s mailbox.
Then, your Spectrum Mail Plus omni-channel marketing campaign touches your audience simultaneously across the web while tracking engagement – including visits to your website.
Most sales are made between the 8th and 12th impression! Perfect to hype holiday sale events and promotions!
6. Combine Direct Mail And Email
Give your holiday campaign a lift
Consumers are more likely to make a purchase when they’ve been introduced to your brand multiple times. The more a consumer sees your holiday direct mail marketing message, the more confidence they have in purchasing from you. Make a memorable introduction with your direct mail piece and follow up with an email to the same list or geographic area. Creating a campaign that tells the same story multiple times in multiple mediums allows you to use repetition to your advantage. Remember that a message will stick with a consumer the more its repeated.
Remind them with social media ads
If you want to go the extra mile you can always implement a social media ad campaign. Social media campaigns are great especially when consumers are spending 35 to 50 minutes a day on Facebook alone. Make sure you’re making the best use of your marketing budget by spending it where people are already looking.
Social media users spend around 50 minutes per day looking at content.
7. Reward Loyal Customers
Making a customer feel appreciated is a fantastic way to keep them coming back
Reward a loyal customer to keep them coming back. It’s easier and cheaper than sourcing new prospects. If a current customer has already had a positive experience with you they are less likely to seek out a new store or retailer. Even a small gesture like offering 5% off the total order is welcomed by your customers. Consider using personalized direct mail to make it more impactful.
8. Start Early
The more time your marketing message spends with consumers the better
If we’re being honest, we all notice when a retail location starts putting out Christmas decor way too early. It’s not even Halloween yet, but, the Christmas decorations and gifts are already taking up half of the seasonal aisle. What if we said that’s not a bad thing? Hear us out! Consumers don’t want to wait until the last minute to make all of their holiday purchases. Typically, they want to get everything done as early as possible to avoid the mid-season rush and the large crowds.
Just because you’re prepared doesn’t always mean your customer is
Unfortunately, no matter how well prepared they are, there’s always a few (hundred) people who are rushing to buy gifts and cards the day before Christmas. Shops give their customers a chance to avoid major headaches down the road by putting out holiday material early. Get your marketing message out early as well to make the customer aware of their ability to start shopping.
Starting early gives your marketing message more time to sit with your customers. Sending them one piece of direct mail is rarely enough to get them to buy, especially long-term.
Another reason to get things done early is that a consumer will need that time to make a decision. Slowly and subconsciously they need to start to decide that they’re going to make some holiday purchases. If you’re an auto shop offering a winter tune-up you’ll need to do something similar with your marketing. Make people aware that they can get a tune-up and winterize their vehicle before they get caught in that first blizzard of the season.
9. Convey Emotion
Consumers respond well to emotion so show a little in your collateral
Using power words like “FREE” and “ON SALE!” use to be enough to catch the eye of a consumer. While that may still be true to a degree, it’s just as important to appeal to the sentimental side of your customers. Consumers don’t want selly words and flashy text. It will catch their attention, but, after you do so, you should talk to them as a friend. Create an emotional connection with your customers to build your business and establish trust in your brand. A touch of heart or human emotion will get a lot further than “BUY NOW!”
10. Send A Thank You Card
With no agenda and no pressure show gratitude towards your customer so you’re the first place they shop
Thanksgiving isn’t a major buying holiday. We all know Black Friday is right around the corner though and is one of the biggest buying days of the year. You can utilize Thanksgiving as a way to send your loyal customers some gratitude. Send them a personalized holiday card with a small no-strings gesture of kindness. Use this as the first opportunity to set up the marketing messages you’ll be sending in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Thank your customers and show your gratitude for them. It will go a long way when you’re ready to hit them with the offers and sales.
So What Is The Best Holiday Direct Mail Marketing Strategy?
There is no one tip on this list that’s going to significantly boost your marketing campaign beyond all others. However, the combination of all of these strategies is sure to help you succeed. Using all of these tips will help create a campaign that really speaks to your customers on a personal level. It will also make you more memorable during this highly competitive time of year.
Send early, send often, and stand out!
The takeaway here with holiday direct mail marketing is to be the first on customers mind. So send early and send often! Make sure when your customer sees your message throughout multiple channels that it’s consistent, includes special offers, conveys emotion, and also stands out. Making sure you touch on these main points is key to a successful holiday marketing campaign.
We’re here to help.
Whether you are current client or new to direct marketing, our marketing experts, experienced in your specific industry, will help you utilize these tips to create the perfect holiday direct mail marketing campaign.
8 Of The Best Direct Mail Examples To Inspire Your Next Advertising Campaign
8 Of The Best Direct Mail Examples To Inspire Your Next Advertising Campaign
Fed up with the changing algorithm of search engines like Google making it more difficult to advertise online? Not reaching your target audience on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram? Finding it hard to keep up with the ever changing digital marketing landscape? Wish there was an effective way to reach your target audience and convert prospects into customers like crazy?
Well, there is. And, it’s actually been around for a long time – direct mail marketing. Need some inspiration for your next direct mail advertising campaign? Check out the different benefits of these great direct mail examples for creating winning mail campaigns.
Direct Mail Marketing Response
Direct Mail has the highest response rates – higher than email, paid search, online display and social media combined. Direct mail marketing has been around for a long time and it’s still an effective method of reaching your customers and prospects – now more than ever!
Now you can even track the success of your direct mail campaign with omni-channel marketing solutions.
What Makes Direct Mail So Effective?
The effectiveness of direct mail is directly related to three key aspects of any campaign: the offer, a targeted list and the creative design. We typically apply a 40/40/20 strategy to these key aspects whereby 40% of the effectiveness of a campaign is dependent on the offer, 40% for the list and 20% for the creative. Using this 40/40/20 strategy, we are able to achieve superior results by sending relevant, well designed offers to the right prospects on your list.
When an attractive offer and an eye-catching design are combined, an effective direct marketing piece is created.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the best types of direct mail examples to inspire your next direct mail campaign:
Oversized Postcards And Mail Pieces
It’s been said that bigger is better – and in this instance, it’s true! Oversized direct mail pieces, like the Monster Mailer, often get more attention merely because of their size. The bigger pieces stand out in the mailbox amongst the sea of post cards and letter mail that is delivered. Additionally, with more real estate on the direct mail piece, there’s more room for creative design, bigger offers and multiple places for coupons.
At 8.5″ x 14″, the Monster Mailer really stands out in your mailbox. And, as you can see, it affords lots of room to feature products, offers and other information. For your next direct mail campaign, consider going with an over-sized Monster Mailer for better results!
KEY BENEFITS
- Makes a great impression!
- Oversized – 8.5″ x 14″
- Lots of room for offers, products and other information
- Affordable and effective
KEY BENEFITS
- Bright attention getting colors
- Bold impossible-to-ignore text
- Short but clear message
Bright Colors, Bold Text
It’s been proven that consumers respond better to bright colors on direct marketing of all kinds and certainly direct mail is no exception. Correct use of color can make the difference between connecting your text and design or having a disjointed message that feels unrelated to the piece. Not sure what colors to use for your piece? Check out this post on the importance of color to your brand. Using specific colors that work with your branding guidelines can reinforce your overall brand aesthetic.
Your text should be as bold as your color. Use an active voice instead of a passive one. Use attention grabbing words and language. Lastly, make sure your message is short but clear.
When combined with the correct color scheme, bold text can really help accentuate your offer, making it stand out amongst similar mailers and post cards.
KEY BENEFITS
- Bright attention getting colors
- Bold impossible-to-ignore text
- Short but clear message
Personalization
We all know the feeling of getting something in the mail that is customized with our name – we feel as though the advertiser is speaking directly to us, with an offer customized specifically for us. Personalization with direct mail is another great way to effectively reach the recipients on your targeted list and get them to take action based on the connection that is created by your personalized mailer.
If your business tracks buying behavior, such as an online retailer or quick serve food restaurant, you can include coupons for items that they’ve purchased in the past knowing that they’ll likely buy them in the future.
PERSONALIZE BY:
- Name
- Past purchasing habits
- Demographics (age, family size, salary, etc.)
Unique Piece/Design
Unique Piece/Design
Regardless of what the creative looks like on your direct mail piece or how good your offer may be, the more unique the piece, the more likely it’s going to stand out. Die-cut pieces with unique folds can really make your mail piece stand out amongst the multitude of post cards and mailers in your mailbox.
KEY BENEFITS
- Stands out in the mailbox
- Is more memorable
- Less likely to be ignored
Multiple Coupons With Variety Of Offers
The most successful and effective direct mail advertising pieces often don’t have just one single offer on them. Many mailers have several offers or coupons that feature a variety of offers, from percentages off a particular product to a specific dollar amount off an entire purchase. By providing multiple coupons, you increase the likelihood of one of your customers or prospects making a purchase.
Additionally, having multiple coupons or offers on a direct mail piece helps ensure its “shelf life” – the more coupons you have, the longer the piece can potentially stick around and get used.
KEY BENEFITS
- Multiple opportunities for consumer purchases
- Increases the “shelf life” of the piece
- Less likely to be ignored
Not convinced? Look at these 6 Reasons your direct marketing campaign should include coupons. Read article >
Gift Card Mailers
Gift Card Mailers
Regardless of what the creative looks like on your direct mail piece or how good your offer may be, the more unique the piece, the more likely it’s going to stand out. Die-cut pieces with unique folds can really make your mail piece stand out amongst the multitude of post cards and mailers in your mailbox.
KEY BENEFITS
- Recipient gets “free money” to spend at your store
- Consumers usually spend more than value of a gift card
- High likelihood of consumer redemption
Large Menu Mailers
Take-out menus and promotional restaurant menu mailers are some of the most effective direct mail marketing pieces available. Our award-winning design department can create a unique menu mailer with promotional offers, contact information, and everything your restaurant needs to be successful in their local area.
KEY BENEFITS
- Additional room to push specials
- Add enticing imagery
- Ability to add coupons
Extended Gate Fold Mailer
Extended Gate Fold Mailer
When your message demands a unique delivery, our gate fold formats will capture the interest of any prospect with sizes beyond 2 feet! Perfect for real estate, art galleries, photographers, auto dealers – anyone that needs space and impact!
KEY BENEFITS
- High likelihood of consumer redemption
- Included gift cards can be kept in a wallet/purse as a constant reminder
- Extra “showcase” space for furniture pieces
Seamlessly Track And Enhance Your Direct Mail Results With Integrated Digital Technologies
Increase The Response Of Your Next Direct Mail Campaign By 23-46%
Instead of just sending out a traditional solo direct mailing, Spectrum Mail Plus seamlessly combines your direct mailer with seven digital technologies to maximize your campaign’s impact. Increase your ROI by reaching your target audience on multiple channels simultaneously.
Ready to start your campaign?
We hope you found these direct mail examples to be inspiring to your next campaign.
Adding any of these features to your direct mail piece will help ensure its success.
Contact us today to develop a winning direct mail campaign today!
Direct Mail Marketing Trends 2021
2021 Direct Mail Marketing Trends For Success
Huge Opportunity To Beat The Competition
As the market continues to reopen and stimulus money is poured into a rebounding economy, increased competition and demand for creative and aggressive marketing practices cannot be ignored. Marketers who wait to engage will certainly miss opportunities for growth. At Spectrum, we’re helping clients navigate the current marketplace and working to develop 2021 marketing plans that will resonate with their audience for higher response, lead generation, and continued success.
Our clients have been asking our marketing experts: “How can Spectrum improve our direct mail results during these uncertain times?”
In this blog post, we’re going to highlight some key direct mail marketing trends and response-driven ideas and solutions on how to keep your marketing campaigns fresh. Keep your business on track for a successful year as the economy rebounds and we move closer to normalcy. Waiting isn’t going to cut the mustard!
Improved Targeting
Direct mail is the original king of marketing data. Response codes, lists, data cards, demographic selects, A/B testing and multiple variation testing have been around for decades, but the tools we leverage now are much more sophisticated. This is amazing because you can segment your audience and market to them more effectively than ever.
Data sources have more information than ever before. There’s a continued rise in real-time marketing analytics reporting where marketers are able to see how their campaigns are performing and the adjust targeting, messaging to optimize performance.
Your message must be specific to the person receiving your marketing collateral. The more specific you are with identifying demographics the more efficient your marketing will be. Also, your bottom line will thank you.
Direct mail can be very granular with data targeting the right audience at the right time, making it a very powerful marketing and response channel.
Integrate With Technology
- Target Across Channels
- IP Targeting from Your Mail List
- Location Targeting
- Augmented Reality
- Informed Delivery
Personalization
Creating personalized messaging in your direct mail strategy has always been a goal. But, it’s more necessary than ever since consumers respond at much higher levels when the messaging closely meets their needs. Personalization is more than just adding a first and last name to your paragraph copy. Serve returning customers different offers and a different message entirely than new customers is a great example.
Utilize Spectrum’s VDP (Variable Data Printing) tech to enhance direct mailings with truly customized, highly relevant offers.
USE AS MUCH DATA AS YOU CAN
Tailor the experience to different groups specifically. For example, auto service repair shops can send staggered campaigns based on customer behavior throughout the year and internal data on their purchasing habits and vehicle specifications. Relevance is important in personalization and using as much data on your customers will be critical in creating that 1-to-1 engagement that drives sales.
EMPATHY MARKETING
Empathy is another element that is critical when communicating your message in 2021. Understanding how your clients and customers are feeling and building connections with them is more important than ever. Spectrum’s creative team can assist you with developing copywriting that will help you express your goals.
Omnichannel Marketing
INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY WITH DIRECT MAIL ADVERTISING
What does omnichannel marketing mean many ask? It’s not just marketing on multiple channels. You’re probably doing that already with your social media campaigns, search ads, and more. True omnichannel marketing is when multiple channels work together with the same coordinated message targeting a singular data-driven audience. This can be particularly effective when running sales promotions or events.
Touching your audience with a consistent message across direct mail, Informed Delivery, social media, your website or landing page, and online display ads with Google Ads provide the repetitiveness necessary for success.
- Key Stat: A combined physical and digital presence can help brands increase their impact by 32%, according to ROI Genome data.
Informed Delivery
CONSUMERS SEE WHAT’S COMING IN THE MAIL
Informed Delivery® is a free subscriber (30+ million as of today) based email notification service offered by the United States Postal Service. Residential consumers receive a digital preview of their household’s incoming mail scheduled to arrive soon directly in their email inbox! Informed Delivery® allows subscribers to view greyscale images of the exterior, address side of letter-sized mail pieces and track packages in one convenient location.*
- Engage simultaneously through print media and digital advertising
- Use informed delivery to enhance your product offering or drive traffic to your store and website.
Direct Mail Retargeting
CAPTURE MAILING ADDRESSES FROM YOUR WEBSITE – AND MAIL TO HIGH INTEREST PROSPECTS
With Spectrum’s LeadMatch service you can now match physical mailing addresses of unique visitors who came to your website or landing page from your direct mail piece. You’re able to sort leads by geographic area and then mail those highly interested prospects a follow up marketing piece.
Increase your campaign success by reaching out to highly engaged prospects who visited your website or landing page.
Take Advantage Of Postal Promotional Rates
DIRECT MAIL HAS TRANSFORMED INTO A CHANNEL THAT PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS IN WAYS THAT MAKE SENSE AND INCREASE CAMPAIGN IMPRESSIONS, ENGAGEMENT, AND RESPONSE.
The USPS has a program giving mailers a 2% discount for incorporating new and emerging marketing and print technologies with mail that’s delivered in 2021.
By working with Spectrum, you’ll already have the advantage of these discounts as well as those we provide through our advanced mail processing and postal logistic services.
Reach out to your dedicated Spectrum marketing expert or contact us today to learn more.
USPS PROMOTIONS
- Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Engagement
- Emerging and Advanced Technology
- Mobile Shopping
- Earned Value Reply Mail
- Informed Delivery
Captivate With Unique Mail Formats
GET CREATIVE! DELIVER BETTER OFFERS!
Keeping the format of your mailer and the creative unique and memorable is critical in capturing the mail moment. Entice your customers with powerful offers they can’t resist. Try testing new formats. Capture customers attention by sending something to your customers they have never seen from you before. Show your passion with high impact graphic design.
Marketing Planning for Your Big Comeback During Covid-19
Marketing Planning for Your Big Comeback During Covid-19
Time to Start Putting Together Your Business’s Plan for Your “Grand Re-Opening Event”
Could you reopen much earlier than expected? While we all recognize that the timing of businesses reopening during the coronavirus pandemic will be based on a variety of factors, most believe that it will start to happen earlier than anticipated. So without a crystal ball on the exact date for your; industry, state or local market, our first recommendation is, “be prepared”.
If you’ve closed temporarily or reduced your staff and hours significantly, you’re probably already trying to figure out when you can return to normal business operations. But how do you know when you’ll be allowed to reopen and more importantly, how will you go about your business’s “big comeback”?
You’ve probably scaled back your advertising efforts, which is understandable, however, you shouldn’t have stopped marketing completely. Why? There are a variety of reasons to not stop direct marketing, the biggest of them being that consumers are spending even more time at home online surfing, on social media and checking their mailboxes – it’s the perfect time to market to them and let them know that your business is still serving your customers. With more decision makers at home, reaching out with a direct mail campaign can deliver more impressions and generate higher response.
To position your business effectively for when the time is right, we’ve developed the following planning guide. We can help you address these critical steps:
Top 3 Planning Priorities
- Pull your existing customer list
- Get your messaging right
- Prepare your marketing materials
Pull Your Existing Customer List
While your business may have slowed and there’s a few calm moments, take some time and review your existing customer list. Inevitably, there’s some list work that can be done to help ensure that you’re using the most up-to-date data on your existing customers. When restrictions lift and business resumes, they’ll be the ones coming through your doors first and those you should reach out to first when your business reopens. So, clean, update and get an understanding of list counts for one-to-one marketing outreach so that you can hit the ground running.
Get Your Messaging Right
Next, consider this: a lot has changed in our country, states and local communities in the last few months and it’s affected how business is operated. As a business owner, you’ll need to take this into consideration when you’re communicating your message – what are you customers’ needs? What are their concerns relative to social distancing? How will you deliver your product and/or service to meet their expectations of safety?
You’ll need to address topics like, safety, trust, operating adjustments, product/service offerings and more in your messaging. You’ll need to assure them that you’re practicing the best safety methods and that you’re putting their needs and concerns first.
For instance, by continuing to include a curbside pick-up or delivery option to address concerns about shopping or being amongst large groups of people is a great way to instill confidence and loyalty for customers as they begin to resume normal shopping behavior.
Have you lost market share since COVID-19 began? It’s possible you may have to re-establish your position in the market. What may have been an easy sell before may be more challenging now with consumer spending having decreased. You may be in the unique position to GAIN market share if you are quick to adjust your business or you offer products and services that withstand the current challenges. If that’s the case, your marketing efforts could pay dividends as business returns.
Prepare Your Marketing Materials
Once you’ve cleaned your customer lists and have determined what messaging you’ll use for marketing, it’s time to identify an appropriate theme, format and design for any direct mail campaign and have it designed and ready to go so that you can either start marketing or react quickly to changes.
You’ll need to determine what formats and designs will have the most impact on consumers. Ensure your direction provides enough physical space to effectively reflect; your products and services, safety measures being taken to build trust, present strong offers and stand out in the mailbox.
We also recommend using a combination of traditional direct mail and coordinated digital marketing targeted to the same recipients to reintroduce your business. Combine direct mail and digital with Spectrum Mail Plus?
With Spectrum Mail Plus, you can reach your customers in their mailboxes and online, through both Facebook and Instagram (where they are spending the majority of their time these days). The digital ads will reach them before, during and after they receive your mail campaign. Because many consumers and their families are housebound, the digital aspect of Spectrum Mail Plus has helped lift the response of traditional direct mail campaigns substantially. Typically, we see a 23-46% increase in overall response.
Planning Is Key To Your Marketing Success
As with any campaign, planning is key. Just as much thought should be put into how you’ll deploy your post-COVID-19 campaign as the campaign itself so that you can optimize its impact.
Once businesses begin to reopen and our communities returning to a “new normal”, you’ll need to be prepared for increased consumer demand. Many businesses have suffered from quarantines and lockdowns both government and self-imposed and as a result, production has decreased for many businesses as they cut back due to declining revenue. The key is to not cut back so far that bouncing back is impossible. Judging by the effects of COVID-19 from China and Europe, business recovery post-COVID-19 is coming along at a rate much higher than predicted.
This said, it’s important that businesses prepare for the increased demand once economic recovery has begun and businesses begin to bounce back. The future is still uncertain, however, it is essential to prepare rather than be caught short.
Spectrum Can Help
The important thing to remember is that we’re all in this together. When you’re ready to talk about marketing planning for your big post-Coronavirus comeback, let us know. Spectrum is here to help.
Get On the Same Page!
Get On the Same Page!
Coordinate Your Marketing Message.
These Simple Steps Can Ensure There Aren’t Any Weak Links In Your Marketing Efforts.
Have you ever received an advertisement for a sale only to find that while the marketing collateral says one thing, the business advertising the sale says another? Too often, much time and effort is spent creating a strong marketing message, a cohesive advertising campaign yet very little consideration is given to the actual customer’s experience: in-store advertising, staff and customer service knowledge and assistance, product availability, etc.
Here’s some ways to avoid some of the biggest failure points of many otherwise well-executed marketing campaigns.
Start by getting everyone on the same page.
The first part of any marketing initiative, is to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Omni-channel marketing is a perfect example of ensuring that everyone – on every channel – is on the same page and delivering the same message to your customers.
For instance, if you’re marketing a four-day sale, ensure that your staff is aware and educated about the sale, what products are being advertised, and who the target customer is. Additionally, making sure that you have enough staff for the projected influx of customers during the same is also part of everyone being on the same page.
Adopting an omni-channel marketing strategy for your business goes deeper than a four day sale, though. For an omni-channel marketing strategy to work, there must be a deep understanding of the customer – their needs, preferences and buying habits. While your entire staff may not have extensive knowledge of your customers’ detailed needs and preferences, they should be delivering a consistent unified message to them that caters to their needs and preferences. Ultimately, your staff should know who your target customer is and deliver your business’s relevant, unified message to them.
Don’t always assume that your staff knows what you’re thinking and what the company’s message is. Engage them frequently – either by weekly updates or larger monthly “town hall” style meetings – and allow them to be heard. Some of the best ideas for your business may not come from your company’s leadership. Once they’re on the same page, empower them with the right tools to deliver your unified message to your customers.
Looking for more ways to get your staff on the same page? Consider this list to ensure everyone in your organization is spreading the same message.
- Provide your sales or floor staff with a copy of your advertisements
- Create a short script for your receptionist or those answering the phone, “…are you calling about our Never Before, Never Again Event?”
- Update your on-hold message to include your promotional event
- Place coordinated signage in the main entry point of the business so it’s highly visible
- Make sure your website reflects the promotional event in an obvious way (81% of your customers will visit your site first)
Adopt a customer-centric marketing plan.
Overlooking the “little things” in your business is like not paying attention to detail – and your customers will notice. It’s important that your customer experience is considered first and foremost in your marketing efforts. By being customer-centric in your marketing, you’re not only thinking about the products that your customers want from you, but how they want to shop – whether they research online and then come into your store or doing all their researching and shopping online – the buying experience should be the same: straightforward, ample information to make a buying decision, ensuring it’s easy to contact your business with questions and following up after the purchase to build product loyalty.
Everyone in your business – from managers to cashiers – need to be on the same page regarding the customer experience and making sure the customer is priority number one.
Create simple, consistent processes for customer purchasing.
Having a similar process in redeeming your offers, whether online or in-store, can make a huge difference to your customers. The clearer you can make any processes or activities that they have to do to lead them to a sale can only help your sales efforts. Make sure your staff is aware of the process to redeem coupons and deals so that it doesn’t seem like a hassle to the customer just to get a discount on your product.
In general, the simpler that you can make a process that a customer has to do before they can make a purchase, the more likely that the customer will complete the process and make the sale. This is especially true of purchases made online. 23% of online shopping cart abandonments are because of complicated processes and checking out taking too long. Bottom line: Create (and maintain) simple, quick processes that move the customer toward a hassle-free checkout experience.
Don’t stop the customer service after the sale.
With so much focus on customer service and marketing to make a sale with a customer, it’s easy to forget that the customer relationship goes on beyond the purchase, especially if the customer has questions or issues after they’ve bought from you. How your business handles “after-the-sale” service can really determine the length of the customer relationship and their loyalty to your business.
It’s important to note that customer retention and acquisition are two entirely different activities; while they both involve engaging your customers and potential customers, one is infinitely more challenging than the other. Acquiring a new customer is five times more expensive than retaining an existing customer. It makes sense, then, that focusing on retaining your existing customers is more cost effective, and in a great measure, easier than acquiring a new customer.
That said, it’s even more important to improve your customer retention efforts by considering your after-the-sale customer service to help drive customer loyalty. Making sure your entire staff is consistent with customer service and views the life of the customer relationship with the importance it deserves, strengthens the loyalty of that customer.
By implementing these tips into your marketing plan, you can make sure that everyone in your organization is on the same page, delivering the same message to your customers and that there are no weak links in your marketing efforts.
3 Ways To Grow Your Business
3 Ways To Grow Your Business!
1. New Customers
Overcome the customer life cycle by developing a constant stream of new clients and customers. Direct mail is an excellent way to get noticed, especially if you use an oversized mail piece. Prospects are 15% more likely to respond to large format direct mail piece than a postcard or letter sized piece. A strong offer on a direct mail piece is absolutely critical to having new prospects consider your business – or even pay attention to your solicitation!
2. Increase Return Visits
Increase frequency of purchases by existing customers. Return visits are heavily impacted by promotional events. Be sure you’re reaching out to your customers at least once per quarter to ensure that your business is top-of-mind when your customers are back in the market for your product or service.
Retention direct mail is a great way to increase return visits through the use of coupons and offers that your customers are interested in. By giving them a reason to come back, you can both increase the chances that they will make a purchase and get them to make a return visit.
3. Up-Sell
Increase the average purchase by existing customers. Coupons can have a huge influence on this, especially when you have graduated offers that reward customers for spending more or purchasing multiple items as a package.
You can also suggest “companion” items at key stages of the purchasing process that complement or enhance an item that is currently being purchased. By suggesting items that either customers have purchased with another item or by suggesting items that enhance a given product, you can effectively “up-sell” to your customers by integrated strategically placed offers at specific stages of the buying cycle.
In addition to growth, it is important to have a reasonable method of determining the success of your campaign. Often, business owners only look at one of the following ways of measuring ROI, but please take a moment to consider all three:
Immediate ROI – What they spent on a promotion relative to what the promotion directly generated in sales during the promotion. This gets the most focus.
Lifetime Value of a Customer – For acquisition campaigns in which existing customers are excluded, it is more critical to view the ROI in the context of the extended lifetime value of a customer rather than just the immediate return.
Enterprise Value Enhancement – Acquiring new customers, and the related revenues, increases the business’s actual value.
Holiday Marketing Checklist
Holiday Marketing Checklist
It's Never Too Early To Start Planning!
Think it’s too early to start planning for the next holiday season? It’s not! Taking the time to plan out your marketing six months or even a year in advance is not unheard of. Below is a holiday marketing checklist that you can use to help make sure you’re not missing critical marketing points for the next upcoming holiday.
Get Your Message Out Early
We all observe holiday advertising launching earlier every year. To make sure your message doesn’t get lost in the fray, try getting your message out early. If you don’t, your competitors sure will, so beat them to the punch.
Deliver Your Message Frequently
There are multiple periods through the holiday season that can be important for your overall success. Have a plan to achieve the frequency needed to capture the attention your business needs.
Refine Your Offers
The holiday season is an important time of year for almost all businesses including your competitors. Make sure your offers grab the attention of your target market and hold up against your competition during a highly competitive timeframe.
Remind Them it's A Unique Event
Once you’ve brought the consumer into your business, use in-store signage and POP materials to reinforce the core message and elevate the sense of urgency to make a purchase.
Don't Forget Your Customers
Retaining and thanking customers is especially important this time of year. Don’t assume they will keep coming back. Send special holiday mailings to “Our Valued Customers” or hold special “Customer Preview Days” before your main holiday sales event.
Get ahead of your competition!
By starting to plan your holiday marketing early, you can get ahead of your competition and ensure that you have a successful holiday season. Remember, you should communicate your message “early and often” and focus on your customers with your offers. Don’t forget to make sure they know it’s a unique event and that there’s a reason for them to come back. Follow this holiday marketing checklist and you’re bound for success!