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On September 24, 2014

Three Purposes of Direct Mail Prospecting

mail marketing envelope illustration designIf your business deals with local customers direct mail marketing is a tool that you need to be using.  The following three purposes of direct mail highlight the value it brings to local businesses of any size.

First, a well prepared direct mail campaign allows you to build a strong infrastructure with the community.  Trust, availability and purpose are all communicated through direct mail. Essentially you create a mechanism that gets your business name and purpose in front of the customer in the security of their home.  Introducing your brand is just another way to build customer relationships.  Recently, a small restaurant opened right next to a very popular Chicago area ice cream parlor. This new restaurant served the sort of fast food that Chicago is famous for – brats, gyro’s, char-dogs, hamburgers and other tasty items. With the ice cream parlor next door they could have a lot of foot traffic back and forth. Unfortunately, nobody knew the restaurant existed.  People would see it when they arrived for ice cream, but by then most had already eaten.  The locals just didn’t know much about this restaurant and in a few short months it closed.

Second, you can target your direct mail campaign to the people who most need your products or services.  KD Mailing has a unique tool that allows you to research your geographic market and focus your message on just those people that meet your demographic. Direct mail has the ability to increase brand awareness unlike other forms of media. As an example; Buying a new HVAC system is an expensive purchase and the decision can take months for many homeowners.  By having a steady stream of direct mail postcards sent to homeowners a Chicago HVAC company was able to grow to a business with hundreds of repair vans and thousands of satisfied customers. The direct mail pieces were often calendars or small notebooks. Something useful with a magnetic strip on the back. These mail pieces were pinned by recipients to their refrigerators for weeks or months. When the homeowner had a need – they knew exactly who to call.  Direct mail also fueled their word of mouth business since after someone makes a purchase they are likely to recommend the company they used to their friends. Word of mouth business expands the brand marketing into new directions, but the foundation – direct mail.

Third, direct mail makes money. Combining a highly qualified mailing list with an excellent offer will lead to sales. It’s something that builds upon itself.  A large part of running a direct mail campaign is to build your own list of customers that you can market to over and over again. Even if you have a product like HVAC systems that people only purchase every 20 years you can still market to their friends through them.  Once they have trusted you enough to become your customer they will market your services to their friends and family – as long as you maintain a quality product and have an enticing offer. In addition, the more sales or leads you can generate from your own lists will reduce your cost per acquisition and increase overall profitability.  Once someone has become your customer they will continue to support your business as long as you keep their trust and have compelling offers.

Finally, you should have a strategy whereby your direct mail campaign works seamlessly with your digital marketing.  Integrated marketing with make your direct mail an even more powerful sales tool.

 

  • By Hal.Cohen  0 Comments