As a small business owner, you likely know how important it is to find new clients. However, whilst lots of small business owners know this, the majority do not know how to go about finding them. Direct mail marketing is an excellent way of getting your name out in front of potential customers, and when done correctly can see high conversions. So let’s take a look at some strategies to follow that will help you build a successful direct marketing campaign.
1. Understand Your Customers
Before you start looking for a mailing list or printing out flyers, you need to know who your customers are and what they are looking for from their advertising. Start off by narrowing down their age and gender, and then look into more specific things like their income, their purchasing behaviour and their lifestyle. Knowing your potential customers shopping and lifestyle habits will help you to obtain the most relevant leads and create a campaign with the ideal message.
2. Build a Targeted List
Once you know who you want to target in your marketing campaign, you can begin to build a list of potential new leads. Whilst these lists can be expensive, if you know who you want to market to specifically, you will receive a higher response rate and a much larger number of new customers. Lots of companies will just send out mass marketing materials, but this is a huge waste of money when you can send out mails to purely those who are interested in what you are offering.
3. Choose a Mailing List Type
Mailing lists are the most vital component of a direct mail campaign. And, as each mailing list contains a list of prospects, it’s vital to choose one that will offer you the greatest chance of conversions. There are three main categories of mailing list, which are:
- Cloned List: These enable you to find customers that are very similar to your current customers.
- Custom Mailing List: These allow you to select a few different criterions that you are looking for in your customers.
- Speciality List: These allow you to specifically identify your target audience, and are the best option for a targeted campaign.
Remember that mailing lists contain your most important prospects – your potential customers – so don’t just choose the first one you come across. Make it as targeted as possible.
4. Create Your Message
You’ve got your product or service, and you’ve got your mailing list, all that’s left to do now is create your mail. Remember that your mail needs to be suitable for your chosen demographic whilst still reflecting your product and who you are. So make sure your mail is consistent with what you are selling. If you are selling a professional product, for example, your mail needs to reflect that level of quality, whereas if you are selling toys for children, you can make your mail bright and reflective of your demographic.
Building a direct marketing campaign can be hard, but it will be worth the effort.