Four Offers to Include in Your Next Direct Mail Campaign

Print is a thriving, effective form of marketing. According to marketing guru Neil Patel, “in 2016, The Data & Marketing Association reported that the direct mail customer response rate increased by 43%. Even better, the prospect response rate increased by 190% compared to 2015.” 

Even MailChimp, the email marketing juggernaut praises the power of direct mail marketing. They even point out that direct mail campaigns give you an opportunity to be creative with your marketing. To really see a return on your investment though, you need an attractive incentive that motivates responses. 

These four offers below are sure to make potential customers take notice. 

Offer #1: Gift Card Mailers

When you send a gift card mailer, it’s essentially like sending free money to your customers. Gift cards as a direct mail offer have a high return on investment. Although it may seem counterintuitive to give away gift cards, consider this: customers receiving the gift cards are likely to spend more than the cost of the mailer. 

Creative idea: Embrace the physical, tactile nature of direct mail marketing. 

Offer #2: Multiple Coupon Offers

There’s a reason why buffets are so popular – they offer a little bit of something for everyone. Multiple coupon offers provide the same benefit. 

Use your mailer to craft discounts that target different products. For example, if you run an online beauty company, your mailer could provide a range of discounts on different skincare lines, makeup items, and self-care products. 

A benefit of this approach is that you can really saturate the market with these mailers. The nature of multiple coupons means that the success of this campaign relies less on segmenting your market. 

Creative idea: Tie in your direct mail campaign with your other marketing platforms by including links via QR codes. 

Offer #3: Gifts

Who doesn’t like presents? While this approach may be a bit more costly than other offers, a well-chosen gift offer will get potential customers to take note. If it’s not cost-prohibitive, why not send a sample of your product or offer a free sample to anyone who responds to your mailing? 

If this isn’t practical because of cost (or your business – brick manufacturers, we’re looking at you!), consider sending a carefully branded item that has wide appeal. Think of what might be added to a swag bag at a conference and design appropriate packaging to that both ensures safe delivery AND compliments what’s inside. 

Creative idea: Develop a unique hashtag for customers to use across social media and include it on your mailer. Encouraging social sharing will help you double the mileage of your campaign!

Offer #4: Free consults and evaluations

Not every business deals with physical products. If you provide a business service, offering a free or discounted consult or estimate is a great way to bring customers to you. This is an especially effective tactic when you are building your business and need help getting your face out there.

Creative idea: Include a link to a YouTube video that tells your story. This step personalizes your business and gives you an opportunity to bring customers further along the sales funnel.

Keep in mind:

When you’re designing your direct mail, make sure to keep the following in mind: 

• Research your target market before getting started to maximize your investment.
• Plan for tracking your responses. Use a unique phone number or website to track the impact of your campaign.
• Work closely with your graphic designer and printer to ensure branding elements are high quality
• Proof, proof, and proof again. Unlike websites and social media, you can’t edit after it goes live. 

 

You get out what you put in

No matter what kind of marketing you’re looking to do, whether print or digital, all of it requires some strategic planning. Nothing will be a hit without some thought into what your target market most wants to receive. One thing is for sure though: including the right offer is a sure-fire way to get more business!

Ready to get some real results from your next direct mail campaign? Our team at Shout! Is ready to help you bring in new customers – get in touch!