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Despite a shaky economy, half of American consumers expect to start their holiday shopping before November, according to an Optimove consumer survey. Leveraging direct mail marketing ASAP will help you capitalize on the biggest sales period of the year.
Direct mail complements and enhances your digital marketing channels over the next few months, helping you create a true omnichannel customer experience. As a result, you can increase ROI and customer value and move more people through your sales funnel this holiday season.
Let's get to the good stuff and review eight ways to use direct mail to generate sales.
A call-to-action (CTA) is the most important part of any direct mail flyer. That's because it inspires your audience to do something right now, such as visit a store, scan a QR code, or enter a promo code on your website.
Your CTA should be easy to follow. Rather than writing lots of text, keep it simple with actionable language that triggers an immediate response, such as "Email Us Now" or "Scan This Code." That creates a sense of urgency, encouraging buyers to do what you want them to do.
It might be tempting to include multiple CTAs on a flyer, resulting in numerous conversion opportunities. But using one killer CTA can have much more impact, especially if it has phrases that invoke emotions in your audience. Consider terms such as "Last Chance!" and "Don't Miss Out!" to leave an impression on new and existing customers.
Nothing gets people more excited during the holiday season than a good promotion! Include a discount or other incentive at the top of your direct mail campaign to catch your audience's attention and prevent them from throwing it in the trash.
Your specific promotion depends on your business model. As a general rule, the bigger the discount, the better. Offering new customers 25% off their first purchase, for example, could increase sales significantly and positively impact your bottom line. Create a sense of exclusivity by explaining that your offer is only available to those who receive one of your mailpieces.
While space is limited on a piece of direct mail, a prominent logo can make your literature stand out. Even if someone throws your campaign away, they will likely remember your logo in the future, resulting in improved brand recognition.
Lessons in marketing: Interestingly, when the online consignment store thredUP conducted an A/B test on a direct mail campaign, they noticed a larger logo commanded more attention.
You already know the benefits of personalization in direct mail marketing, but customizing different elements of your mailer could drive sales this holiday season. Use all the data you have about customers and prospects when creating your direct mail campaigns, such as:
You might want to mention your recipient's name multiple times, incorporate personalized product suggestions, and reference someone's previous shopping habits in a mailpiece.
It's difficult to know which direct mail solutions will resonate the most with your audience. Experiment with different formats and see which ones generate the most conversions. For example, send one group of customers a holiday card and another group a formal letter to find out what works best. Just make sure both versions include the same key information.
Including content from an influencer with their image on a mailer could grab your audience's attention and result in more sales or signups, especially in a new customer acquisition campaign. Consumers are more likely to trust influencers than brands, so this encourages recipients to take your direct mail more seriously.
Direct mail should be part of a larger omnichannel marketing strategy—one that lets you connect with customers and prospects at different stages of your sales cycle.
For example, you can send an abandoned cart email to an individual when they don't complete an online purchase and follow it up with a physical piece of mail that contains a promo code. Alternatively, use retargeting ads to reach out to previous website visitors and then send them a leaflet in the mail. This one-two punch could encourage people to purchase a product on your site or sign up for your services.
Long gone are the days when direct mail campaigns required lots of manual work. Now you can use the latest software to automate every aspect of your direct mail marketing, such as audience segmentation, personalization, content creation, address verification, printing, and shipping. A direct mail platform, direct mail API, or printing address verification API could save time and resources in your organization and result in more successful marketing outcomes.
You should never focus all your efforts on direct mail, but this method can certainly enhance social media, email, digital ads, and other types of marketing this holiday shopping season. When used as part of an omnichannel marketing campaign, direct mail helps you attract new audiences, retain more customers, and optimize conversions.
When creating direct mail campaigns, follow the tips above to generate more sales. Want specific tips for holiday marketing via direct mail?
Download your copy of the Data-Driven Guide to Holiday Direct Mail Success.
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