Many small business owners ask this every day, “How can I attract more clients without spending too much on advertising?” It’s a common question that many small business owners are struggling with, especially those located in Texas metros, such as Dallas and Fort Worth, or in St. Louis, MO. With so many digital marketing options out there (from TikTok to short-form videos and even hosting your own podcast) it’s easy to forget about one of the most tried-and-true methods: Direct mail.
Direct mail campaigns are more effective than ever. In fact, direct mail campaigns have a response rate of 4.9% which is far much higher than most online advertising platforms. The average click-through-rate for online ads is 1%. It is a marketing strategy that (when done well), can be a great lead gen source for your business.
At Finishing & Mailing Center (Now FMC Printing), we are focused on providing local businesses, nonprofits, and political campaigns in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex and beyond with direct mail solutions, and have been helping businesses for nearly 3 decades.
Here are 7 ways you can use direct mail to get more customers.
1. Direct Mail Gets Attention That Digital Ads Just Can’t
Digital marketing might be today’s buzzword, but direct mail offers something digital can’t: it’s tangible. Just imagine how many emails or the digital ads you delete without even opening them. Now, compare that to the times you’ve picked up a piece of mail and actually looked at it. That’s the beauty of direct mail – it gets attention because it is tangible.
Direct mail also has its way of getting noticed because of the physical aspect of it. This is particularly important when using postcards or brochures, where the use of bright colors or a creative fold will make people take a second look. It is evident by the fact that an astounding 75% of people recall the brand they received a direct mail from while only 44% recall the brand they saw in a digital ad. Both have their place in your marketing mix.
At FMC we pride ourselves in designing mailers that are not only noticed but those that can bring a change to your bottom line. Our professional design team helps create mailers that are easily noticeable in the midst of the other pieces of mail.
Local Restaurant Using Direct Mail Example:
Suppose a local restaurant with an aim of attracting more people to come and dine in the restaurant. The postcard can have a special offer, for example, ‘get 20% off your next meal with us’, and this way the restaurant has a physical reminder in the customers’ homes, on the fridge usually. When they are choosing the place to have a meal, this postcard may be the deciding factor.
2. Reach the Right People with Hyper-Local Mailing Lists
In other words, direct mail is not about targeting the masses but the right target market. In this way, when you target your campaign on your audience, you are more likely to succeed without wasting your resources.
FMC helps you in using mailing lists that are hyper-targeted to the people in your area. If it is homeowners within a 5-mile radius or businesses in your neighborhood, we guarantee that your message will get to the most potential customers. This hyper-local targeting makes it possible to ensure that every dollar spent is well utilized and thus, making it easy to achieve the best ROI.
Why Local Targeting Works:
- Time: It reduces the time spent on sending the mail to the people who are likely to reply.
- Relevance: It increases relevance, which in turn increases engagement.
- Customer relations: It establishes customer relations with local customers who are more likely to purchase from the firm again.
Example: Think about the possibility of having a lawn care service business in one of the suburbs of Dallas. It is better than sending a flyer around the city when you can select certain neighborhoods with many houses that require mowing services. This not only helps you to cut on the expenses but also makes sure that your services reach the right people.
3. Personalization is Important For Higher Engagement
When was the last time you took a look at a mass marketing communication that is not targeted to a specific audience? Probably not very often. The way to increase the effectiveness of your direct mail campaigns is to make them as personal as possible. If a customer receives a mailer that seems to be made specifically for him or her, then the chances are high that he or she will interact with it.
It has been found that direct mail campaigns with personalized messages can lead to an increase in response rate by as much as 135% as compared to a non-personalized message. It’s not necessary to overcomplicate it – it can be as simple as using the recipient’s name or giving a discount according to their previous orders.
At FMC, we provide several levels of customization to ensure that your mailers are going to be appealing to the target group. From using the recipient’s name, referring to a local event, or even giving a special offer for the neighborhood, we assist you in creating mailers that are personal.
Examples of Personalization:
- Name: The recipient’s name should also be included on the mailer.
- Additional info: It is also important to add something like ‘local events or holidays’ to make the mailer feel fresh.
- Location: Promote offers based on the geographical location (for instance “Special offer for the residents of [neighborhood] only!”).
- Discount: Give a customer a certain discount depending on how they have previously dealt with your company.
Example: If you own a local gym you could try sending out a postcard with a message ‘join our gym for free fitness class’ to the residents of the adjacent areas. When you send the offer and use the recipients’ names, you make them more likely to come in and perhaps look at your gym.
4. Better Results through Easy Tracking and Measuring
One of the biggest myths people have about direct mail is that it is difficult to measure. A lot of small businesses believe that way, they will not be in a position to know whether people are responding to their mailers or not. But that is not the situation anymore—direct mail is actually easier to track than ever before.
Thanks to FMC, you can establish tracking systems that will help you track the effectiveness of your campaign in real-time. This can be done through:This can be done through:
- Unique discount codes: It is also important to incorporate a particular code on your mailer that the customers can use when they are in your business. This enables you to know how many people cashed in on the offer.
- QR codes: It can be used by the customers to scan with their phone and this will lead them to your website or the right landing page. This makes it easy to track how many people engaged with your mailer because it’s usually accompanied by a response form.
- Special URLs: Use a different link for the direct mail campaign so that you can tell how many people visited your website as a result of the mailer.
With these tracking tools, you can determine the return on investment (ROI), make necessary changes on your campaigns, and guarantee that you are receiving the highest return.
Example: Say you own a car repair shop and you decide to send out a mailer that there is a 10% discount on oil change. You have a coupon code that the customers must present at the point of purchase to avail the discount. When customers come in, you can easily know how many people responded to the mailer and therefore determine the success of the campaign.
5. Direct Mail is An Excellent Trust-Builder
Where competition is stiff and new products are being introduced in the market almost every day, the only thing that consumers can rely on is trust. People are more likely to engage the services of a business they can trust and one of the most effective ways of creating this trust is by being consistent in the communication.
Direct mail is a great way to remain in front of your audience on a continual basis. Unlike digital ads that can easily go unnoticed, you can send mailers, special offers or reminders during the different seasons of the year.
It keeps your customers engaged and makes your business a go-to source of information in their day to day lives. In the long run, this strategy is beneficial since it ensures that the business is on the mind of the consumers whenever they are willing to buy.
Examples of Consistent Mailers:
- Seasonal offers: Inform customers about the services they require at certain time of the year (e. g. , “Winterizing your home? Don’t forget that we are offering 10% on insulation services”).
- Holiday specials: Use the occasion of major holidays to send out special promotion offers to the customer.
- Loyalty rewards: Loyalty should be rewarded and you can offer your repeat customers special deals or even a discount.
Example: A local HVAC company can send out quarterly newsletters about the services they offer such as checking on air conditioning units before the summer season. These regular reminders do not only help to gain the trust of the business’ clients but also make the business relevant.
At FMC Printing, we help you develop a schedule for the direct mail campaigns so your business remains familiar and credible in your area.
6. Merge Direct Mail with Digital Marketing for Greater Impact
Why should one limit themselves to direct mail while there is digital marketing available out there? The integration of direct mail with other digital marketing techniques is a wise approach to reach as many people as possible and have a more effective marketing plan.
For instance, you could design a postcard with a QR code that leads the customers to a specific web page of the company. Or, you could send an email and post on social media to those people who received your mailer to remind them of the offer.
This integrated approach assists in designing a smooth customer experience map, therefore making it easier for the potential customers to interact with the business. And because direct mail has such a high engagement rate, it can be used as a means to drive traffic to your online properties.
How FMC printing Can Help:
At FMC, we help you in developing direct mail campaigns that complement your other online marketing strategies. We can help you in designing a campaign that will reach your target both offline and online.
7. Direct Mail is More Affordable Than You Think
Some people might consider direct mail out of their reach because it is an expensive marketing method, but in fact, direct mail is one of the most affordable marketing channels out there. Direct mail is also known to have a higher response rate than most of the digital marketing techniques and can therefore be more profitable.
At FMC Printing, we know the value that every cent can bring to a small business hence the need to keep the costs as low as possible. Being a family owned business, we are situated close to the Dallas Bulk Mailing Center and therefore we are able to offer you affordable prices which will enable you to cut down on costs of both postage and printing. Whether you require a few hundred mailers or thousands, we help you devise a strategy that will suit your pocket.
Bonus: Why Direct Mail Works for Local Businesses
Direct mail is a welcome relief from the computer screen and a very effective way of getting to your customers. It captures attention, establishes credibility, and encourages action in a way that online banners never will. Regardless of whether you own a home service business, a local eatery or a nonprofit organization, direct mail is a way to reach out to your target audience and transform them from mere prospects into regular customers.
Are you ready to start your direct mail marketing campaign? Call FMC Printing today to begin your direct mail campaign and see the real results for your business.