Direct mail campaigns can be an ideal way to draw new customers into a business, or simply liven up business among current customers. At the same time, however, direct mailings can be expensive and time consuming to distribute, so your business should target the most profitable demographics when deciding who to send mailings to.
1. Key Demographics for Direct Mailing
The demographics who are most attracted by direct mailings are on opposite ends of the age scale. Young adults, age 18-34, and seniors 65 and older are the groups most likely to be attracted by direct mailings. Typically, young adults prefer to hear about business offers by post rather than over the internet, a surprising statistic. Adults who fall between those age groups find less appeal in direct mail marketing, making them the least useful group to target with direct mail; they will only bring down your return on investment (ROI).
2. The Value of New Neighbor Packets
New neighbor campaigns are one of the most effective ways to target new customers for your business. During the first six months in a neighborhood, new residents make most of their crucial shopping and dining decisions. They are also much more likely to respond to direct mail campaigns as they explore their new neighborhood. Targeting new neighbors early – after they’ve unpacked, but before they’ve heard from your competitors – is the key to making new neighbor packets work for you.
3. Standing Out Among a Myriad of Holiday Mailings
Direct mailings can be overwhelming during the holidays, when there is so much to be done: presents to buy, cards to mail, and more. This makes it more important than ever to ensure your direct mailing will stand out during the holiday season. There are several different ways to approach this. One of the most productive ways to get noticed during the holiday season is to send multiple mailings. It is easy for your mailings to get lost in the shuffle, but if you send it two or three times, yours is more likely to be seen. This may seem like a waste of money that will drag down your ROI, but people spend more during the holidays, meaning your business can more than make up the extra costs.
Another way to get noticed during the holidays is to wait just a few days until the New Year arrives. People are always enthusiastic about New Year’s sales, and are less busy and less buried by the hustle and bustle at the start of the New Year than they are during the real thick of the holiday season.
4. Catching Customers with Catchy Headlines
What you write in your direct mail is also critical to the success of any campaign. One of the best ways to engage potential customers is by using a catchy headline. It’s even better when you are able to personalize that headline in some way. While you may not be able to spend hours thinking up a headline that will grab customers’ attention, dedicating an hour or so to formulate a great opener can be time well spent.
