Even before the pandemic, the age of direct mail marketing and physical mailers was seemingly ending. With most consumers opting to get their news and promotions digitally, getting flyers in the mail was at best an unexpected surprise, and at worst a nuisance that gets recycled after a quick glance.
However, that quick glance can say so much more about your business than an ad on Instagram that someone scrolls right past. Direct mail marketing is tangible, physical, and hard to ignore. We’ve become conditioned to ignore digital advertising to the point we barely see it, and that’s near impossible with a piece of mail!
We’re here to explain why your company should most definitely be using direct mail marketing as part of your marketing repertoire. We’ll show you how you can really dial in and build loyalty so your recipients are inspired to keep coming back.
1. Direct Mail Increases Brand Awareness
Think about the last time you checked your mail. There may have been a Canadian Tire flyer, a postcard from a local realtor, and a coupon booklet for McDonalds. Even if you don’t eat at McDonalds and go to toss the mail, you recognize the brand out of the corner of your eye.
Each view of a logo, product, or brand (type, style, photography etc) builds brand awareness, which translates to the beginnings of brand loyalty. Your business over time becomes a recognizable fixture of your local community, and direct mail can be a piece of this puzzle to boost awareness.
Even if the audience you’re advertising to doesn’t become a customer right away, they have seen a piece of your brand first-hand (literally, in their hands) and know who you are. They might be inspired to check out your website, look you up on Google Maps, or drive by your storefront, now that they’ve been marketed to. Each piece is one step closer to completing the buyer’s cycle and getting them through your doors in the future.
2. Direct Mail Builds a Personal, Emotional Connection – the Building Blocks of Loyalty
There is something special about receiving a tangible piece of mail. It’s a multi-sensory experience — you can feel the paper stock, hear the rustle of the pages, and maybe even smell the ink. A piece of marketing with your name on it elicits even more of a personalized emotional response; 86% of Canadian consumers open mail that’s personally addressed to them.
The magic of direct mail captures this feeling and has boundless opportunity to impress its recipient. Whether it’s a retiree opening the morning paper or a child fetching the contents of the mailbox, people of all ages can be reached with direct mail! It’s a fresh experience in our digital world.
Building this personal connection, over time, creates an emotional bond, and will convert recipients to visitors, and in turn, visitors become loyal customers.
Image source: Canada Post
3. Direct Mail is Less Common, Which Means You’ll Stand Out
Mailboxes have certainly thinned out, which means having a direct mail marketing strategy has less competition for customers’ attention. Therefore the efficacy of your campaign increases. More mail meant less attention paid to each piece, so it stands to reason that less mail means more time is spent scanning through the pieces someone does receive.
People who receive direct mail advertising on average purchase 28% more items and spend 28% more money than people who don’t get that same piece of mail — and that’s something to write home about.
4. Direct Mail Allows You to Hyper-Target and Collect Insights
It’s no secret that it’s much harder (and more cost-consuming) to get new customers than it is to retain loyal customers. You can use direct mail marketing to target a specific area geographically and hone in on a selection whom you know are your current customers, and through mail, invite them back to visit.
By targeting an area with a high concentration of existing customers, you are bound to strike the balance of delighting current customers and reaching new ones who are more likely to want to explore your business. Discovering similar customers is achieved through Postal Code Targeting. These efforts support the building of loyalty, too.
With direct mail marketing, experiment with different kinds of campaigns with variables like distance, area, and timing. Try VIP offers sent to a select geographic area, or limited-time coupon offers sent to a different demographic. Direct mail marketing helps you develop better customer insights that will help inform all future marketing efforts. Find out how far people will travel to visit your business, whether they’re choosing you over establishments closer to them — now THAT’s loyalty!
Image source: Canada Post
5. Direct Mail is Memorable!
Above all, direct mail offers the chance to be more memorable to consumers than digital communications. With something as simple as an oversized envelope, or a flyer cut like a pizza, these tangible pieces stick with you so you remember them just a little longer. Every minute spent thinking about a piece of mail boosts brand recognition and loyalty.
The best pieces of direct mail invite the recipient to take immediate action; with a great offer, your marketing is bound to be top of mind for its recipient until they decide they want to take you up on it!
Want to be even more memorable? Get inspired by these cool direct marketing ideas!
A creative example of a memorable piece of direct mail.
Image source: Postary.com
What can Ackroo give me that other direct mail marketing companies can’t?
Ackroo’s team of marketing and design specialists have years of experience designing crisp, conceptualized print marketing, working with your brand and taking it one step further to wow your customers. Our marketing services are affordable and integrated with the rest of our offerings for a seamless, one-stop-shop marketing experience. Plus, we can connect our efforts directly to a loyalty program to track responses and further help you become marketing experts.
Let’s explore all the creativity direct mail has to offer and grow your business today!
DESIGNED, PRINTED & DELIVERED! DON’T MISS THIS SPECIAL OFFER
For a limited time, save 60% off a direct mail marketing postcard drop to 6000 homes in your neighbourhood! Let your customers know you are open, safe, & ready for their business. For as little as $0.22* per piece, you’ll get a professionally designed marketing postcard, printed & delivered!
Click here to learn more about this awesome deal, or shop direct mail on the Ackroo Shop now.
Image source: Ackroo Shop
