Marketing Planning for Your Big Comeback During Covid-19

Marketing Comeback

Marketing Planning for Your Big Comeback During Covid-19

Marketing Comeback

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.
Drive Thru pickup sign
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?
Craving a comeback restaurant mailer
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.
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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.
Top 7 Reasons direct mail ins more customers

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).
Response Rate by Selected Media

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

Response Rate by Selected Media
2018 Direct Mail Response Rates
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)
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Direct Mail Has Explosive Response

Direct Mail Explosive Growth

Direct Mail Records the Highest Response Since Being Tracked!

Direct mail’s performance is the highest it’s been since the DMA / ANA (Data & Marketing Association / Association of National Advertisers) has been tracking it and here’s why so many marketers are finding a historic level of success.
Direct Mail Response Rates
The increased level of direct mail response in the last 3 years represents a remarkable reversal of the previous trend and underlines the fact that something truly amazing is happening in this traditional channel. Based on the DMA’s “Direct Mail Response Rates 2003-2018”, House List (customer) response rose 125% from its 2015 levels and Prospect Lists (acquisition) rose 400% for the same period.

The contributing factors to Direct Mail’s recent success:

It's More Trusted

Print-based media including publications, catalogs and promotional materials received in the mail are the MOST TRUSTED by consumers when making a purchasing decision (based on surveys conducted by MarketingSherpa*). This comes at a time when other major channels like digital are being viewed with increased skepticism due to data breaches, spam, questionable content and elevated privacy concerns.

Better Data & Lists

Companies have made it a priority to maintain their customer data to a higher standard than in previous years. They are now using this data more effectively than ever to influence the purchase behaviors of their existing customers (higher frequency of purchase / increased level of purchase) and model prospect data to more effectively find “look-alike” customers to acquire.
Direct Mail Explosive Growth

Better Pieces & Offers

With the implementation of improved testing methodologies, marketers are able to optimize their efforts by testing mail formats, offers and a range of other variables to achieve the best overall approach. With POS systems supporting features like scannable coupon codes and other tracking, marketers are able to use data captured by previous campaigns to improve results in the future.

84%

of Millennials take the time to look through their mail and 64% would rather scan for useful information in the mail than e-mail. In addition, this generation even believes paper mail is a more reliable and viable source of communication (USPS Mail Moments Review).

Mobile Shift

The shift to a “mobile first” mindset and consumers interacting on mobile devices at a higher rate than desktops has changed the impact various digital advertising formats have. What was previously viewed on large desktop screens is now either much smaller on a mobile device, limited in its “rich media nature” or requires drilling down further to see any of the content in the case of email.

Direct Mail Response Rate Continued From Blog

Response Rate by Selected Media
2018 Direct Mail Response Rates
Top 7 Reasons direct mail ins more customers
Top 7 Reasons Why Direct Mail Wins More Customers
*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)
*Reference to survey on “Which advertising channels consumers trust most and least when making purchases” (Source: Marketing Sherpa)
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Direct Mail Response Rates for 2018

Response Rate by Selected Media

Direct Mail Response Rates Rose Significantly In 2018!

Direct mail still remains one of the most effective ways to market to your consumers due to its ability to create a lasting impression on consumers and return a high value for businesses.

There was significant growth in direct mail response rates from 2017 to 2018! House rates rose to 9% (3.9% increase) while prospect response rates rose to 5% (2.1% increase). This is the highest number for house lists since the report started.

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).
The difference we’re seeing in email marketing compared to direct mail marketing is that the ROI numbers for email marketing are high, but, that’s only due to its incredibly low cost.
Quantitatively email marketing is great, however, quality engagements and customer acquisitions come from direct mail.
Response Rate by Selected Media

Ignoring direct mail is more difficult than ignoring email.

Direct mail shines among consumers as your physical mailbox now harbors unique and effective pieces that catch the eye. It is much easier to breeze through your email account, or ignore large numbers of emails in your cluttered inbox.  There is something special about holding a eye-catching creative mail piece in your hand and experiencing the special offer as it was meant to be.

Direct mail response rates are growing faster than other media.

Online display, email, and social media response rates have all rose as well though not as much, which, stands to reason that direct mail still has strong pulling power for business in attracting new customers while also keeping long-term customers coming back.

Looking to increase response rates for your company?

If your company is interested in increasing your campaign response rates, Spectrum has the proven strategies and solutions to get you there.  If you are interested in increased ROI, deliverable brand awareness, and most importantly better marketing RESULTS; consider direct mail from Spectrum as your one-way ticket to more successful advertising campaigns.
INCREASE YOUR RESPONSE!

Direct Mail Response Rate Continued From Blog

Direct Mail Response Rates
Direct Mail’s Explosive Growth
Top 7 Reasons direct mail ins more customers
Top 7 Reasons Why Direct Mail Wins More Customers
*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)
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Direct Mail Response Rates for 2017

2017 Direct Mail Response rates

Direct Mail Response Rates Held Strong In 2017

Direct mail still remains one of the most effective ways to market to your consumers due to its ability to create a lasting impression on consumers and return a high value for businesses.
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 only a 0.2% response rate by prospect list (a 0.1% drop from 2016). The difference we’re seeing in email marketing to direct mail marketing is that the numbers in ROI for email marketing are high, but, that’s only due to its incredibly low cost. Quantitatively email marketing is great, however, quality acquisitions come from direct mail.
2017 Direct Mail Response rates
Effectively, email has given direct mail a chance to shine among consumers as your physical mailbox now harbors unique and effective pieces that catch the eye. It is easy to breeze through your email inbox, but there is something special about holding a mail piece in your hand and experiencing the offer as it was meant to be.
While there hasn’t been significant growth in direct mail stats from 2016 we see that the response rate barely budged. House rates dropped only 0.2% while prospect response rates stayed right where they were, at 2.9%.
Online display, email, and social media response rates have all dropped since last year, which, stands to reason that direct mail still has strong pulling power for business in attracting new customers while also keeping long-term customers coming back.
If your company is interested in increased ROI, deliverable brand awareness and most importantly RESULTS; consider direct mail marketing as your one-way ticket to a successful advertising campaign.
Check out the response rates for 2018!
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*All relevant data has been pulled from this year’s 2017 Direct Marketing Association response rate report, publishing important data regarding direct mail relative to digital channels.

Direct Mail Marketing Strategies for Black Friday Promotions

Are you ready? Black Friday is coming.

Direct Mail Marketing Strategies for Black Friday Promotions

Are you ready? Black Friday is coming.

One of the Biggest Shopping Days of the Year

The day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday, kicks off one of the biggest shopping days of the holiday season. In 2017, from Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday, more than 174 million Americans went shopping. The average person spends $335.47 with 75% of that going towards gifts. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), 2017’s Holiday retail sales increased 5.5% to $691.9 billion!*
In 2018, the expected Holiday sales projections are set to increase by another 3.8%. November and December make up 20% to 40% of annual sales for small to medium-sized businesses so make sure you are optimizing your ad spend. If you choose not to run a cohesive Black Friday direct mail marketing campaign, you could miss a large percentage of annual sales.
Holiday 2017 sales stats thanksgiving through cyber monday

One of the Biggest Shopping Days of the Year

Create Even More Impact with One of Spectrum’s Eye-Catching Black Friday Direct Mail Solutions!

Deliver your Black Friday direct mail campaign before the competition so it stands out from the crowd.  Leverage one of Spectrum’s unique direct mail formats that include multiple sizes, folds, die-cuts and more to capture your audience’s attention. Of people who received a direct mail campaign, 87% were influenced to make a purchase.**

Black Friday promotional direct mail marketing
Holiday 2017 sales stats thanksgiving through cyber monday

Leverage Spectrum’s Cross-Media Direct Marketing Solutions to Lift Your Campaign’s Response!

While consumers are opening their direct mail this November, make sure you’re integrating your Black Friday direct mail campaign with digital strategies. Extending your campaign to email, social media and/or IP targeted web banner ads has potential for increased response, engagement, and ultimately more sales.  Some companies think they can rely on only digital or email advertising.
Consumers start to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of emails they receive on Black Friday. As a result, a little over half of the emails (51%) were deleted within two seconds. The other half are viewed and certainly can be effective – and Spectrum offers the following solutions for extending your direct mail campaigns to digital. It’s important to try and make multiple impressions across all channels for your campaign. After all, multiple touches yield greater RESULTS.
  • Email Marketing: Our designers will convert your Black Friday direct mail piece to a responsive email that will capture the attention it deserves.
  • IP Targeting/Banner Ads: Target Black Friday customers and prospects before, during, and even after your Black Friday direct mail campaign drops. Direct them to your website or landing page and present your offer(s).
  • Social Media Advertising: Gain even more traction by engaging with your target audience on Facebook and Twitter.

Start Planning Your Black Friday Promotion Today

Don’t hesitate! Let’s plan your direct mail campaign now to ensure your campaign hits at just the right time this November. Contact Spectrum to learn more about our award-winning creative services and proven direct mail products so your campaign stands out from the crowd.

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* National Retail Federation
** ROMAX

Get Measurable RESULTS with Direct Mail

Quantifiable results with unknown quote

Get Measurable Results with Direct Mail

Quantifiable results with unknown quote

Measure Your Marketing Effectiveness

The percentage of your mailing that responded is known as the response rate. Unless you’re mailing to people who have previously responded to the direct mail format, the typical response rate is 3.4%. The problem with measuring the response rate is when you are mailing two different direct mail campaigns with different mailing costs; or two different direct mail campaigns of the same cost, but with different offers. Rather than looking at raw numbers, you may want to find out your direct mail campaign value. Depending on the situation, you can measure the results of your direct mail campaign using advanced techniques called Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs, including:
  • Qualified Response Rate: Serious leads who have interest in buying now or in the near future.
  • Order Rate: What percentage of leads converted.
  • “Cost Per” Analysis: Accounts for the different costs of two direct mail campaigns.
  • Customer Acquisition Cost: A summary of all your costs for acquiring a new customer.
  • Revenue per Order: A summary of how much money, per order, the direct mail campaign produced.
  • Return on Investment: Did your campaign make money? Add up your revenue, then include all your costs.
  • Renewal Rate: The number of incentives you used to convert leads into customers.
  • Lifetime Value: Customers who—over a long period of time—continuously buy again and again.

Improve Your Direct Marketing Effectiveness by Adding Channels

Measurable results

Taking the time to measure your marketing effectiveness is worth the effort. You’ll never know how well your direct mail campaign is working unless you track them and measure your results. Once you take the time to see what your direct mail campaign value is, eventually you’ll be able to get maximum return on investment; you’ll know what changes to make to influence the campaign’s effectiveness.

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In Their Own Words The Motorcycle Company

Motorcycle Company Testimonial

In Their Own Words: The Motorcycle Company

Motorcycle Company Testimonial

Direct Mail Program Success Testimonial

“Our direct mail pieces are a key driver for our events. We use these to drive the traffic through the doors and to give the customers something to look forward to. Spectrum does a great job capturing our theme and displaying our promotions in a clean and attractive way.”

Kristen Kunzman,
Marketing Director
The Motorcycle Company

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The Need for Speed: Changing the Game with PMOD

Need for speed PMOD mail

THE NEED FOR SPEED: CHANGING THE GAME WITH PMOD

Need for speed PMOD mail

Drop Shipping Mail Results In Postage Discounts

Drop shipping direct mail typically involves the use of ground transportation to get the mail closer to the destination point (i.e., the postal facility that will be delivering the mail). Drop shipping mail results in postage discounts and is an effective tool to better control the in-home delivery date of mailings. Some mailings do not lend themselves to the more traditional methods of transporting drop shipped mail from the original entry point to the destination entry post offices. Smaller mailings make it tough to take advantage of drop shipping benefits without paying high minimum charges to logistics providers. In these instances, Priority Mail Open and Distribute can be a valuable resource.

Priority Mail Open and Distribute (PMOD)

Priority Mail Open and Distribute (PMOD) is a USPS service that provides an alternate method of transporting drop shipped mail. Rather than using traditional transport methods for drop shipping, this service allows Spectrum to use the expedited delivery service offered by Priority Mail to transport the mail to additional postal entry points. Mailers place their prepared mail into special PMOD containers and tag them with special PMOD tags. These tags indicate to the destination post office that the mail inside the containers is drop ship mail, and needs to be opened and distributed. Since Priority Mail has 2- to 3-day delivery service, PMOD can be a very quick way to transport the mail to the additional entry points.

TYPICAL USES OF PMOD INCLUDE:

  • Small volume mailings that do not have quantities to meet minimum shipment requirements associated with logistics providers
  • Time-sensitive mailings that do not have the budget for first class mail prices – this mail can be prepared and paid for at Standard Mail prices, but utilize PMOD to expedite the mail to the USPS destination post office
  • Mailings that experience delivery delays in certain parts of the country or at certain USPS facilities
  • Mailings to more remote areas, such as Alaska or Hawaii
  • Mailings using traditional drop ship methods that have residual quantities of mail that would normally remain at the origin post office
Speak to your Spectrum representative about PMOD today.
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