If you thought marketing to kids was not important, then you probably have not realized that children in the US are responsible for $100 billion in purchasing decisions every year. Kids do not only make decisions about products that they use directly either. Research has shown that children under 18 are involved in decisions from which TV to buy, to which car, to where to live.
With children in America being so influential in so many purchasing decisions, it makes sense that your direct mail campaigns should be taking them into account. Not to mention if your business is child focused, which would mean that you need to target all direct mail directly to them. Here are a few ways you can do just that:
- Do not wait until kids are old enough to read to get them involved in helping to market your brand! Consider fun ideas like printing your message on balloons, or create a sticker book with fun characters.
- Create a board game or some other kind of interactive mail piece, and include instructions on how to play, along with your contact information.
- Create a list for children, and address mail that is targeted at children directly to them. Everyone loves receiving mail, but kids REALLY love receiving mail!
- Include coupons that kids can use to access discounts and deals on products and services.
- Partner with child friendly businesses in your area to offer parents deals on children’s products and services when they do business with you.
- Create marketing materials that parents will keep and use. A basic guide to first aid or a chart with emergency numbers in your area are good examples of marketing materials that parents will keep on their fridge for a long time.
- If you have the time and the budget, writing, illustrating and printing a simple children’s book can be a great marketing tool. For instance, if you have a car dealership, a book for kids under six about cars that their parents will read with them, would be a great way to reach your target market!
- Consider sending out your direct mail as printed, ready to color pages. Include your message and contact information, a few black line drawings, and even a pack of a few crayons.
- Another cool idea would be to create a paper glider, which kids can assemble with their parents, and will get plenty of use out of.
- Need to grow your marketing list? Consider running a coloring contest, where kids can color, fill in their information (and their parents’) and resend to you. You will get all the information you need for a relatively small investment!
Kids may be technologically savvy, and they may spend time in front of computers and TVs, but they are still kids. If you can incorporate your marketing message into something they can do or interact with, you will not only engage them but also their parents. By including coupons or discounts in those items, you can get plenty of foot traffic in your store or office.
