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

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

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:

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

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

Not convinced? Look at these 6 Reasons your direct marketing campaign should include coupons. Read article >

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

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

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

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

2021 Emerging Tech USPS Direct Mail Promotion and Incentive

2021 Emerging Tech USPS Promotion And Incentive

2% USPS Postage Discount Promotion

FOR DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGNS USING EMERGING AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

The US Postal Service continues to encourage the adoption of new technologies and implement systems that help the consumer connect from the physical world of direct mail to the digital environment. The objective is to continue to build on the powerful impact of direct mail but promote enhancements that increase its effectiveness and ROI as a marketing channel.

To further this effort, the USPS is running a unique promotion to encourage marketers to integrate “Emerging and Advanced Technologies” into their direct mail campaigns. Spectrum’s Spectrum Mail Plus service, when added to direct mail (details below), has been pre-qualified for this promotion. From March 1st to August 31, 2021, the USPS is offering a 2% discount on postage for any direct mail campaign using a qualifying technology like Spectrum Mail Plus. In addition, Spectrum Marketing Companies is adding a 2% discount on the rest of the campaign as an additional incentive.

Call your Spectrum representative to learn more and take advantage of this unique offer and enhance the results of your direct mail marketing campaign at the same time.

INCENTIVE PERIOD

March 1, 2021 – August 31, 2021 (Must mail during this time period)

USPS

2% OFF POSTAGE

PLUS

SPECTRUM

2% OFF THE REST!

DETAILS

USPS 2% DISCOUNT OFF POSTAGE

when mailing with a qualified “Advanced Postal Technology” which includes Spectrum Mail Plus during the incentive period.

SPECTRUM WILL EXTEND THE 2% DISCOUNT

to the rest of the campaign’s cost when you add Spectrum Mail Plus!

QUALIFIED FOR DISCOUNT

7 integrated digital technologies designed to target, attract, engage, and convert your best prospects.

Seamlessly integrated Direct Mail, Social Media, Mail Tracking, Online Follow-Up Ads and Call Tracking that maximize the impact of your marketing campaigns.

All monitored through a single client-side reporting dashboard!

DON’T MISS THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY!

Add Spectrum Mail Plus And Save!

LOOKING FOR HIGH-RESPONSE DIGITALLY ENHANCED DIRECT MAIL? SPECTRUM CAN HELP.

The economy continues to open up. Now is a great time to take advantage of this great offer and reach out to your target audience with Spectrum Mail Plus, our digital enhancement to direct mail. It’s a cost-effective direct mail centric marketing program that integrates your mailing list with online ads for increased response. If you are looking to boost sales, promote products or services, or a sales event, then Spectrum Mail Plus can be particularly powerful. Contact us today to get started!

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

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

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.

Sources

direct mail direct mail trends 2021 direct marketing

Direct Mail Plus Digital Advertising Fuels Sales

Spectrum Mail Plus seamlessly combines your direct mail marketing promotions with digital advertising to maximize your campaigns impact!

direct mail direct mail vs email direct marketing informed delivery

Millennials Love Getting Mail More Than Ever

Millennials Love Getting Mail More Than Ever

We all know that millennials, young adults born between 1977 and 1995, are among the most desired target audiences that marketers want to reach. And, as we’ve previously seen, receiving direct mail is popular with millennials more than ever. But, given the current landscape – in the midst of a widespread pandemic, is it still that popular with the younger generation?

Studies say, yes, perhaps even more so than pre-COVID-19. But why?

Excitement Around Checking The Mailbox

Checking the mailbox, especially during the pandemic has become a way for people who are quarantined at home to connect with the world. It has become a common activity and for some, it brings excitement – as people look forward to checking their mailbox daily for mail from their favorite restaurants and services.

Millennials have huge purchasing power, which is perhaps the reason so many marketers and businesses are especially interested in them as consumers, as well as their ability to influence older generations, like the Baby Boomers. In fact, 73% of millennials use direct mail coupons and 63% of millennials that responded to a direct mail piece in the past 3 months, made a purchase. Coupled with the fact that millennials will increase their per capita spending 10% over the next five years, it seems only logical that the road to reaching millennials leads right to their mailbox.

3 Steps To Maximizing Your Direct Mail Impact With Millennials

Create a Targeted List
Test, Track, Repeat!
Multiply Your Touch Points

1. Create A Targeted List

Creating a targeted mailing list seems like it is a no-brainer, however, to have the desired impact with millennials, it needs to be targeted down to behaviors, demographics and life events. By using personalization in your direct mail marketing to millennials, you can help drive customer loyalty and influence purchasing decisions.

In fact, in research done by Oracle, 58% of millennials are more willing to share personal data in exchange for personalized experiences. Another survey showed that 64% off millennials would prefer access to a personalized experiences and services.

2. Test, Track, Repeat!

The importance of testing the effectiveness of your marketing has always been important – if it doesn’t work, why continue to do it? The same is true when testing your direct marketing with millennials. We are well aware that all consumers aren’t created equal and likewise, all millennials aren’t created equal – the dates that compose the millennial generation extend from the 1970s to the mid-1990s – over 20 years. It makes sense, then, that millennials on the older end of the generation might have different values, likes, dislikes and priorities than a younger millennial. This is where testing makes a big difference.

By testing everything – from the size of your direct mail piece to the call-to-action – you can learn a lot in terms of response rates and, if tracked correctly, increase your ROI. Testing and tracking your direct mail effectiveness is an ongoing activity. You should always have some method of being able to evaluate the effectiveness of a direct mail campaign and adapt the strategy for future campaigns.

3. Multiply Your Touch Points

It’s said that if you get your message in front of someone, a millennial perhaps, three times, they will be able to recall who you are. After seven times, they will be able to remember your brand and after twenty-seven times, they will begin to develop trust in your brand. Millennials are no different – this is where personalization comes into play.

Omni-channel marketing programs like Spectrum Mail Plus are great in multiplying the touch points – online, social media and in their mailbox. By utilizing all of the channels available, in coordinated marketing message, increasing those touch points and reaching them where they are, the journey from consumer to customer gets shorter.

It’s important to not be afraid of using other marketing channels in conjunction with direct mail. While direct mail continues to be the most effective method of choice, even in the midst of the pandemic, you can’t count out the other channels that they are seeking and finding information about you and your business. The mystery surrounding reaching millennials isn’t such a mystery when you look at the data.

Millennials love receiving direct mail – in fact 75% of millennials find that the mail they receive every day is valuable and most would prefer direct mail over email when receiving a promotional piece.

The important thing is to keep your message relevant and valuable to that younger generation. Testing, tracking and testing some more is imperative to really identify what the millennial generation is looking for and giving it to them. Finally, using all of your marketing channels available to you to multiply their touch points can accelerate their journey toward making those buying decisions with your business.

Source Links

direct mail millennials

Direct Mail Results Have Been Insane

Direct Mail Results Have Been “Insane”!

Business Recovery From Coronavirus Has Begun!

Are Post-Covid Business Re-Openings Successful?

There’s simply nothing better than asking a client about the results of their direct mail campaigns and having the response be, “It’s been INSANE!”. Not good, not great, or above average… Insane! This particular regional furniture retailer was sidelined like many others in their industry and unfortunately located within a state that was harder hit by Covid-19 and slower to re-open. This was the first major event and promotional effort since re-opening and anxiety was running high. Would the consumers in the local area be ready to respond? Were they prepared to go out into the market? Will they be willing to spend money when so many are facing financial hardships? All reasonable questions given the situation and even more important at this critical stage of getting the business back to its prior level of success. Well, the answer to all of these questions was a resounding YES!

Over the last few months as we’ve worked with our clients, many have struggled with decisions on re-opening timing, operating practices and when to re-start their marketing efforts. While many industries that weren’t as adversely impacted never stopped marketing, others chose to hold tight until they felt they could get a reasonable response rate and ROI on their investments.

Smashes 48-Year Record By Over 30%!

Another retailer had the following comments on their recent promotion…

“I just have to tell you, your promotions just keep on setting records for us. But this last one, “The Great American Comeback” has topped them all! This past Saturday we set an all-time record for a single day of sales which catapulted us into an all-time record for monthly sales! These are 48-year records that have not just been broken by a little, they were smashed by more than 30%!!! Business is strong and that was the perfect mailer for this time.”

-Furniture Retailer

Getting Out In Front Of Consumers

As of the last week, we’re excited to see almost every industry category we work with on a local, regional and national basis re-engaging their marketing efforts and experiencing fantastic results. The pent-up demand for everything from automotive purchases and furniture to personal services and your favorite fast food fix, have seemed to explode almost overnight.

Businesses That Are Getting Out In Front Of The Consumer Early, Presenting Compelling Offers And Re-Assuring The Public That They’ll Keep Them Safe While Conducting Business, Are Getting Well Rewarded.

With discretionary dollars usually spent on vacations and related travel, many consumers have been held back on typical purchases they might have made at this time of year. Those funds are now being redirected towards home improvement, motorcycles, furniture, cars and finally going back out to eat at their favorite establishments (even if it’s under a tent at a local restaurant that’s gotten creative with their balance of inside/outside seating).

So many business owners and managers have worked tremendously hard over the last few months to persevere through some of the most challenging times in history. The fight isn’t over yet but the tenacity, creativity and dedication to driving their businesses forward is exciting to see and be a part of.

Ready For Some Insane Marketing Results?

Contact us and speak with a marketing specialist in your industry today!

direct mail

No. 1 Priority – Win Your Customers Back

Make Customers Your Priority featured image

#1 Priority – Win Your Customers Back

Putting Your Customers First Has Always Been Important, But Now It Has To Be Your #1 Priority.

Marketing to your existing customers has always been important and they are your greatest asset. It’s much easier to reach existing customers through your marketing than it is to gain a new customer. COVID-19 will certainly test the loyalty of your existing customer base as it affects traditional business-to-customer relationships. Therefore, as businesses look to recover and re-open or increase the level of existing operations, re-engaging with current customers should be your #1 priority.

Unlike in the past, many customers may be hesitant to return to your place of business. They may be concerned over safety issues, be suffering financial hardships, simply don’t know if or when your business will be re-opening or providing the services they previously purchased. Now is the time to re-engage with your existing customers and let them know how you’re taking their safety concerns seriously and remind them that your business is open and ready to meet their needs.

So, how do you get the attention of your existing customers while reassuring them that you’re paying attention to their needs and concerns?

Create A Special Offer For Your Customers To Show Your Appreciation

Nothing says “we appreciate your business” more than a special offer for loyal patronage. That’s why it’s important to show your customers that you are grateful for their business by giving them an incentive to return after restrictions are lifted. Some customers may need that extra incentive to return to normal consumer behavior. Others may simply be looking for deals from businesses they’ve purchased from previously. Whatever the case, make sure you come up with a special offer to get your customers off the couch and into your business.

It’s important to keep your special offer “valuable” and a deal not to be missed. The idea is that the special offer provides enough incentive to get your customers out of the comfort and safety of their own homes and into yourbusiness. By providing something special – a discount off of a high-cost item, a buy one, get one scenario, or even free product (perhaps a discontinued or a previous model of a product). The key here is to incentivize customers with an offer that is something exciting and is perceived as high-value.

Depending on your business, and whether you closed during the initial COVID-19 quarantine, or simply scaled back your operations, you may want to choose your offer carefully. For instance, if you sell “non-essential” items that consumers have been reluctant to purchase during the pandemic, use a more aggressive offer to ensure that customers will take advantage of it.

Consider using a phrase that is specific to your situation to appeal to your customers. For example, if you have been closed since the beginning of the coronavirus restrictions, you might want to use something like “We’re Back! Come back this week and get 20% off your purchase!” Some other phrases that you could consider using (based on your situation) are:

“Win Back” Phrases To Use

We missed you! Come back today!
It’s not the same without you…
We’re ready when you are
We’re open! Come stop by
Save [promotion details] when you come back to us!
Hey, [first name], We’re open again!
We’ve changed to safely serve you

Once you’ve created the special offer with an appropriate phrase to get your customer’s attention, you’ll need to deliver it to your customers. Direct mail still yields the greatest response rate. Combine your direct mailer with Spectrum Mail Plus, our omni-channel marketing program, and you can reach your entire customer base in their homes with that special offer, both in their mailbox and online.

Hold A Special Customer Preview Day Before The Main Sales Event Starts

Everyone loves the thought of being first to preview a new product or being the first to try out a new service. Consider holding a special customer preview day where you invite only your customers to come and preview a big sale (a big reopening sale, perhaps) before the general public.

What is the benefit of doing this? First, it gets your customers – the folks who have bought from you before – in your establishment. If they’ve bought from you before, chances are, they will again. Second, those consumers that were previous customers are likely to spread the word or even bring a potential customer with them to your “preview”, thereby increasing your exposure beyond your list.

Last, holding a preview before the main sale begins can give you insight into what the response will be to your direct mail marketing campaign. Knowing which offers were redeemed will help you prepare your inventory appropriately. Do you have enough product on hand for your most popular sale items?

Your customers are likely to be honest with you and will give you candid and pertinent feedback that might help your main sale be more successful. Make sure you solicit their feedback when they attend your preview event because you may learn some invaluable insight.

Use Promotional Periods Longer Than What You May Have In The Past

Doing business post-COVID-19 is most definitely going to be different and you’ll need to adapt to the new “normal”. Previously, you’ve probably held weekend or 2-day sales to get people to come in during a specific promotional period. After restrictions are loosened from the coronavirus, you may have to lengthen your promotional period to accommodate for fewer consumers in your business at a time and to give your customers more time to respond to your sale.

It is important to take into consideration the restrictions that your state and community have imposed on businesses in the process of reopening. Some restrictions call for a staggered reopening with different businesses and industries opening days apart with specific instructions as to how many customers can be in the store at a time, how far apart tables need to be for dining, etc. Know what those restrictions are and consider them when planning the length of your sale to enable all of your customers to visit your store during the promotional period.

Extend Your Event’s Draw With Spectrum Mail Plus

As mentioned previously, using our omni-channel direct marketing program, Spectrum Mail Plus, to increase your business’s message frequency and reach is highly recommended. Your customers are currently searching for products and services from the comfort of their home. If you use traditional marketing methods like direct mail, combining that with social media and online ads, you can increase your response rate 23-46%. What better way to entice your customers to get off the couch and visit your business!

Response rates for direct mail are already better than all other mediums combined at 5.1%. Combining that with digital ads on social networks like Facebook and Instagram increases the likelihood that your customers will see your ads multiple times before setting foot in your establishment. That repetition is critical to generating response!

Omni-channel marketing has already proven to be the best approach to direct marketing with Spectrum Mail Plus having consistently demonstrated the ability of the method to significantly impact performance. Try Spectrum Mail Plus with your next direct mail marketing campaign and experience the difference in response to your marketing!

Let Spectrum help you make sure your greatest asset, your customers, will come back ready to buy and continue to return.

direct mail direct marketing direct to digital marketing planning omni-channel marketing

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

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.

business direct mail direct marketing marketing marketing planning

Printing Impressions Ranked 78 top 400

Ranked #78 Printing Impressions Top 400

Celebrating its 35th Consecutive Year

The Printing Impressions 400 provides the industry’s most comprehensive listing of the leading printing companies in the United States and Canada ranked by annual sales volume. In 2018 Spectrum Marketing Companies was ranked #78 among the top 400 in the printing industry.

direct mail direct marketing news printing

Top 7 Reasons Direct Mail Wins More Customers

Top 7 Reasons direct mail ins more customers

Top 7 Reasons Direct Mail Wins More Customers

Going into 2018 the DMA stated the following in their Statistical Fact Book.

“For those of you who are already on the direct mail bandwagon – because you really should be in this day and age – here’s what you should know about 2018: It’s going to be irresistibly amazing!”

This prediction has certainly proven to be the case.

1) Better Response Than Other Channels

The 2018 ANA/DMA Response Rate book defined direct mail as having the best response rate among all other marketing channels. Direct mail crushes the other channels with a 9% response rate for house lists and a 5% rate for prospect lists. Combined, the other channels only manage 3.3% across both house and prospect lists.

With email and social media marketing on the rise, consumers have become exposed to hundreds of advertisements on a daily basis, some more intrusive than others. In doing so, consumers have become numb to digital media advertising and have even taken measures to remove the ads from their reach. Coincidentally, even as email continues to be the most used tool for advertising, it is hardly the most effective with a 1% response rate by prospect list (a 0.8% increase from 2017).

2) Effective Targeting

Direct mail, when implemented properly into a marketing campaign, has the ability to target very specific demographics. When you tailor your campaign to appeal to your ideal audience, you increase the potential for response by cutting out the customers who are less likely to respond to your marketing efforts.

3) More Trusted By Consumers

There’s something about a tangible piece of collateral that tells consumers that you’re trustworthy. Consumers are more likely to trust your business if you send them a physical piece of mail rather than send digital communication.

4) It’s More Persuasive

Direct mail has a similar effect over consumers in persuasion as it does trustworthiness. Sensory stimulation is a proven tactic in retail; a consumer’s likelihood to purchase is in fact correlated with the number of items they touch.

5) Direct Mail Is More Memorable

When you receive a direct mail piece, it touches more of your senses than digital marketing does. When you allow consumers to touch, see, and smell your direct mail piece, they’re more likely to remember your business. Direct mail, when saved, also serves as a constant reminder more so than digital channels.

6) Creative Options Allows For Unique Engagement

Direct mail can create a better response by engaging with consumers in a more memorable way. Use custom folds and die-cuts to create an interactive piece that is a more engaging experience for customers.

7) Able To Reach All Demographic Groups

If there’s a demographic group that is part of your ideal audience, direct mail can target it. Our team can segment your mailing list with many demographic and geographic filters including age, housing, financial interests, hobbies, geography, and more.

81%

of survey respondents plan to maintain or increase usage of direct mail in the next 12 months.

Direct Mail Response Rate Continued From Blog

2018 Direct Mail Response Rates

Direct Mail’s Explosive Growth

*All relevant data has been pulled from this year’s 2018 Direct Marketing Association response rate report, publishing important data regarding direct mail relative to digital channels. (Source: ANA/DMA Response Rate Report 2018)

direct mail direct mail response 2018 direct mail response rates Direct Mail Statistics direct marketing

Tag: direct mail

8 Of The Best Direct Mail Examples To Inspire Your Next Advertising Campaign

Direct Mail Marketing Response

What Makes Direct Mail So Effective?

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

KEY BENEFITS

KEY BENEFITS

Bright Colors, Bold Text

KEY BENEFITS

Personalization

PERSONALIZE BY:

Unique Piece/Design

Unique Piece/Design

KEY BENEFITS

Multiple Coupons With Variety Of Offers

KEY BENEFITS

Gift Card Mailers

Gift Card Mailers

KEY BENEFITS

Large Menu Mailers

KEY BENEFITS

Extended Gate Fold Mailer

Extended Gate Fold Mailer

KEY BENEFITS

Seamlessly Track And Enhance Your Direct Mail Results With Integrated Digital Technologies

Increase The Response Of Your Next Direct Mail Campaign By 23-46%

Ready to start your campaign?

2021 Emerging Tech USPS Promotion And Incentive

2% USPS Postage Discount Promotion

FOR DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGNS USING EMERGING AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

INCENTIVE PERIOD

March 1, 2021 – August 31, 2021 (Must mail during this time period)

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DETAILS

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7 integrated digital technologies designed to target, attract, engage, and convert your best prospects.

Seamlessly integrated Direct Mail, Social Media, Mail Tracking, Online Follow-Up Ads and Call Tracking that maximize the impact of your marketing campaigns.

All monitored through a single client-side reporting dashboard!

DON’T MISS THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY!

Add Spectrum Mail Plus And Save!

LOOKING FOR HIGH-RESPONSE DIGITALLY ENHANCED DIRECT MAIL? SPECTRUM CAN HELP.

2021 Direct Mail Marketing Trends For Success

Huge Opportunity To Beat The Competition

Improved Targeting

Integrate With Technology

Personalization

USE AS MUCH DATA AS YOU CAN

EMPATHY MARKETING

Omnichannel Marketing

INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY WITH DIRECT MAIL ADVERTISING

Informed Delivery

CONSUMERS SEE WHAT’S COMING IN THE MAIL

Direct Mail Retargeting

CAPTURE MAILING ADDRESSES FROM YOUR WEBSITE – AND MAIL TO HIGH INTEREST PROSPECTS

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.​

USPS PROMOTIONS

Captivate With Unique Mail Formats

GET CREATIVE! DELIVER BETTER OFFERS!

Sources

Millennials Love Getting Mail More Than Ever

Excitement Around Checking The Mailbox

3 Steps To Maximizing Your Direct Mail Impact With Millennials

1. Create A Targeted List

2. Test, Track, Repeat!

3. Multiply Your Touch Points

Millennials love receiving direct mail – in fact 75% of millennials find that the mail they receive every day is valuable and most would prefer direct mail over email when receiving a promotional piece.

Source Links

Direct Mail Results Have Been “Insane”!

Business Recovery From Coronavirus Has Begun!

Are Post-Covid Business Re-Openings Successful?

Smashes 48-Year Record By Over 30%!

Getting Out In Front Of Consumers

DIRECT MAIL HAS TRANSFORMED INTO A CHANNEL THAT PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS IN WAYS THAT MAKE SENSE AND INCREASE CAMPAIGN IMPRESSIONS, ENGAGEMENT, AND RESPONSE.