Is direct mail still useful for car and tire dealers?
No one will argue that marketing channels are primarily digital. But I believe direct mail can make a significant impact on your customers, and best of all, a positive impact on your bottom line.
So let’s start with the advantages of Direct mail. Direct mail can provide your customers with a unique, personalized experience that helps your business stand out from the crowd. One of the main reasons direct mail performs so well is that it is tangible. Customers receive a personalized, physical item in the mail and they have to do something with it. And when you craft a compelling message or promotional offer, this will help make the customer more likely to keep it, read it, and respond to it.
Because direct mail is tangible, it proves to be memorable. One of the main goals of advertising is to be remembered. What’s the point of an ad if no one remembers your name? It’s easy to just scroll past the deluge of digital & social media ads and forget what you saw.. But when an over sized post card or a highly personalized letter shows up, consumers see it and have the immediate opportunity to engage with it. And since its tangible, its easy to remember your name, find your website or phone phone number and connect with you.
The next advantage? Direct mail can be very creative. We are a visually oriented society. And People are drawn to visually appealing images. And direct mail can let you get really creative.
And my favorite advantage – There’s less competition with direct mail. As a marketer, when I see the ability to hyper target a potential customer base without a lot of competition, I start paying attention. And with More companies abandoning their direct mail efforts, you have a much bigger chance for your business to stand out. an eye-catching, thoughtfully designed mailer can go a long way in advertising your business.
Now If you’ve never done it before, Launching a direct mail campaign is similar to the digital process; the only difference is the distribution method. The following steps will help you create & track your direct mail campaign.
# 1 on the list – Define your campaign goals. What do you want to achieve with your mail campaign? Do you want leads? Increased store traffic? Visits to your website? Announce a new product or service? You must have a clear goal at the beginning of your campaign.
#2. Know your audience. For any campaign to be successful, you need to entice your audience to engage and take action. Consider the needs of your target audience and how you might fill those needs. By filling a need or solving a problem, you’ll be on your way to a successful campaign.
3. Create your mailing list. There are two types of lists you can use. First is an in- house list – these are your customers or prospects you’ve already engaged with. And the other is a purchased or rented list. Generally speaking, I’ve seen the best success using a house list. These are customers who are already familiar with your brand and what you offer.
4. Decide on your call to action for your campaign. Your CTA is crucial; it’s why determining your overall campaign goal is so essential. Tell the customer what you want them to do next. A good CTA is attention-grabbing and memorable. Take the time needed to create a compelling call to action.
5. Choose your format & Design your direct mail piece. Direct mailers come in all shapes and sizes. Your budget and marketing goals will dictate the type of mailer you need for your campaign. When designing your mail, make your goal and CTA the main focus. Don’t bury your CTA in busy graphics or too much text. Make your message, and your desired action, easy..
And finally – Send your mail & track your response. If your audience is small – you might be able to do this in-house. But most businesses work with a direct mail processor or print shop. My advice is to let the experts handle your campaign’s printing, postage and mailing. And When designing your piece, create a call to action that will make it easy for you to track the response rate. This can be as simple as the “present this postcard for your offer”; a special telephone number or a unique landing page on your website. If you don’t track it – you’ll never know if it worked.
Like any marketing campaign – your offer needs to fill a need the consumer has. And if your message is compelling and meaningful, just about any advertising medium will generate a response – including direct mail…