Digital marketing is an extremely effective way to promote your business and find new customers. But it isn't the only way for people to advertise.
If you're looking for new ways to reach new customers and engage your existing ones, you need to look into running your own direct marketing campaign.
General marketing and advertising can be seen by customers, but they don't involve them taking a specific action. They're good for awareness, but not much else.
A direct marketing campaign is a targeted advertisement that encourages people to take a specific action.
You may be running some direct marketing campaigns online now. But if you really want to reach as many people as possible, you need to try direct marketing on other platforms.
People have been using these campaigns via mail, phone, and TV for years with a lot of success. And when you have the right strategy, you can be surprised at how effective your campaigns can be.
Want to learn how to set up a direct marketing campaign that could resonate with your customers? Read on to learn what to do.
Essential Direct Marketing Tips:
Whether you're thinking about marketing channels or strategy, putting together an effective marketing campaign is going to be a challenge. A lot of things need to come together to have a campaign that truly resonates with your audience.
There isn't one thing you can do that's guaranteed to bring in customers. But if you follow these 7 tips, you're on your way to building an effective campaign that could give you the results you're looking for.
1. Revisit Your Customer Database:
Before you even think about marketing materials and content it's important to evaluate your customer database.
Your marketing campaign is only going to be as strong as its foundation, and your target customers are going to be the base of your campaign.
It's important to keep your database updated and accurate. Having the right contact information is relatively easy, and it makes all the difference in your campaign.
You should also be up to date on recent and previous purchases so you can have some important insight into their buying behaviors.
When you know what motivates your customer to make purchases, you'll be able to identify important opportunities to cross-sell and up-sell to your customers. You'll also be able to make better-targeted messages.
2. Look for Patterns:
We just mentioned the value of customer data and how it can help you make better-targeted messages.
Having a lot of data won't help if you don't know what to look for. When you're looking for past purchases, you may be able to identify a pattern in your customer's buying behavior. You can use map making tools to make data visualization a breeze.
Did they make a purchase during a holiday? It could be a good idea to send them a targeted message the next time it rolls around so that you stay on their minds.
Do your customers tend to want to buy from you around the winter or summer months? If so, it's time to make a seasonal campaign that lets them know about all of the new and exciting products you have to offer.
3. Have a Killer Creative:
The time to skimp on graphic design isn't when you're doing a direct marketing campaign. If you don't have a professional designer helping you on your campaign, you're missing out on getting more customers.
People, in general, are highly visual creatures. Sending out a mailer or pamphlet that's full of text probably won't turn heads. But material with amazing graphics and helpful information can go far.
Start off by getting some great photos of your products handy. If you sell services instead of products, set up a photoshoot to show off your employees when they're at work.
Once you have a good foundation, look for a graphic designer that can help you. You can easily find one on sites like Fiverr or Craigslist. Or you could reach out to local colleges and see if there are students that want to build up their portfolios.
4. Make Mail Stand Out:
Print and mail marketing campaigns are still effective, but only if they're handled correctly. The last thing you want during a mail-based marketing campaign is for your material to get thrown out with junk mail.
If you want to avoid going straight into the trash, think of ways to add some legitimacy to what you send. Follow this direct mail guide for a better understanding of how this strategy can benefit your business.
First off, never send out anything if you don't have a name. Letters addressed to "the current resident" or even "our friend" lack personalization and also show people that they're just getting another advertisement.
Make sure that everything you send has accurate names. If you want to really impress them, consider sending certified mailers to some of your biggest customers. There are a lot of benefits that come with mailing certified letters.
5. Think of an Interesting Deal:
People with successful direct marketing campaigns always include a deal to entice their customers.
There's no point in doing a campaign that simply says "hey, my business exists". People are going to want something to latch on to and will need a reason to use your business.
You don't have to break the bank or offer anything crazy to grab people's attention. Sometimes something simple like a buy one gets one free deal or a small percentage off can interest people.
6. Sync Your Ongoing Digital Efforts:
This may seem like a strange tip after we've spent so much time focusing on advertising efforts that aren't online. But if you want to have a truly effective campaign, you need to tie together all of the platforms you have available.
Your direct mail strategy should be integrated with your email marketing and other digital strategies. Plan your campaigns around the same time and use similar offers, creatives, and language.
It also won't hurt to add a QR code or website link to your advertisements. You know your customers are already online. Your customers are already shopping online, remind them of your website and exclusive offers.
7. Include Testimonials:
Do you want to find a way to demonstrate the value of your product or business? Are you interested in showing old customers what they're missing out on by not buying from you again?
Testimonials and customer reviews can be powerful marketing tools. They could be what helps make your next campaign a true success.
Don't feel like you have to include a paragraph of text to show off the value of your products and services. It's okay to take snippets of reviews that highlight certain compliments from customers.
Going Beyond a Direct Marketing Campaign:
Now that you know how to execute a successful direct marketing campaign, you may be thinking of other ways you can promote your business.
When was the last time you have promotional items printed for your business?
You may be selling goods, but that doesn't mean that everything you have in stock should be something you sell. There's a lot of value in promotional items when they're handled the right way.
Read our post on promotional marketing items so you can pick something great to give away at your next conference.
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