How Direct Mail Advertising Can Increase Customer Engagement

About 65.3% of small businesses across America are currently thriving. If you want to join their ranks and keep up with the competition, creating and executing a good marketing strategy is the first step toward success.

Direct mail advertising is a top way to reach your audience and create engaged customers. Here, we're going to talk about how these strategies can boost customer engagement. Read on to learn how you can make the most of your print advertising strategy with Taradel.

The Basics of Direct Mail Advertising

Direct mail marketing is a form of traditional print marketing. Your small business looks at who is most likely to benefit from your goods and services. These people are the target audience that you want to reach out to directly.

You'll then craft a letter, flyer, or other print ad that you send directly to these consumers' doorsteps.

Unlike digital marketing strategies like email or social media, direct mail focuses on delivering something tangible to your most likely buyers. Since three in every four people feel special when they get something physical in their mailbox, this is a way to make your audience feel positively about your business.

This means you don't just get your name out there. It means that you immediately create a connection between your brand and your most important potential customers.

A tangible item also gives recipients something to hold onto and remember. They won't just delete an email without reading it. 77% of people sort through physical mail right after they get it, and 98% of us check the mailbox every single day.

Whether people visit your website immediately or stick your mail on their desk for later, you increase your chances of garnering their interest. They'll see your brand name and information over and over, which means they're more likely to remember you later.

How Does This Increase Customer Engagement?

To understand how direct mail increases customer engagement, it's important to first establish that it does. Luckily, the stats couldn't be clearer. Here's what to know about direct mail in 2024:

• 82% of millennials find print ads more trustworthy than digital ones
• Direct mail open rates can reach about 90% (while only 20-30% of emails do)
• Consumers look at and engage with 96% of direct mail they get
• Direct mail has an ROI of between 85% and 112%

Most importantly, 85% of marketers say that direct mail has the highest ROI, response rate, and conversions. Yup - businesses like you cite it as more effective than digital methods!

A One-on-One Connection

So, how is direct mail advertising so powerful? One of the main ways is that it fosters a sense of person-to-person attachment.

Direct mail connects customers to your brand when you put their name on them. Plus, since you're sending the mail directly to their doorstep, they know that they were singled out as a recipient. They'll think that since your brand has identified them as someone who should have the information, your products could probably help them out with their specific problems.

One-on-one communication also gets rid of your competition. People don't usually get a ton of direct mail at once whether they're in an office or at home. You'll be the only brand in their mail and they're not going to see competitors.

This makes you stand out, and contacting you will be a convenient no-brainer.

Multiple Types of Direct Mail

There are also several different types of direct mail out there. 

Letters that convert are an awesome choice for those who want to share a lot of information. A professional letterhead with your logo and contact details makes the letter feel reliable and positions you as a brand leader. You can discuss the products and services that you think the recipient will love at length so they can make confident purchasing decisions.

If your target audience seems to prefer bright visuals and less text, consider sending out flyers or pamphlets. These can be more image and graphics-based than letters, but there's still enough room to get out relevant information.

If you really want to go the extra mile, think about sending promotional products to the people you most want to reach. These can go alongside letters and flyers to show the recipient that you already care about providing them with high-value products even before you partner with them. Mugs, totes, tees, and pens all are awesome gifts that continuously remind the user - and those around them - of your brand.

Working With Digital Marketing Strategies

Direct mail advertising isn't the antithesis of digital marketing. It's another tool that can work hand-in-hand with online ads and other social media marketing techniques.

One great way to link the physical with the digital is to put a scannable QR code on flyers. When the recipient holds their smartphone up to the page, they can access an exclusive online discount. You also can link different sections of your target audience to the product pages you think they're most likely to buy from.

You can pack even more of a punch by creating a unified marketing experience with direct mail and email. Understand the strengths of both channels. Give customers the exciting unboxing experience of direct mail and the convenience of email all in one go.

Your print marketing materials should also have information directing recipients to your website and blog posts. This will give you the chance to make a bigger impact with more text and information. People will have the freedom to browse your site and learn more on their own time.

Easy-to-Measure Results

Another way that direct mail advertising boosts customer engagement is by providing you with the information needed to reach consumers. It's easy to track the progress of your direct mail with several different key performance indicators (KPIs).

Response rates are one of the most important. Divide the responses you get by the number of letters you sent out to get this percentage. You can look into whether certain segments of your audience responded better than others to better understand who to target in the future.

Tracking the conversion rate is similar. Divide the number of orders you get by the responses you receive. This will give you definitive information on whether your mail inspires action.

You can also run tests by sending out multiple different pieces of direct mail to recipients. Maybe one ad will get more responses or conversions than another. This will let you know how to structure future campaigns.

You also can figure out your average order size by dividing the revenue by your order quantity. This will let you know how many sales you're actually making off a given marketing campaign.

One of the most important metrics to measure is your ROI. To determine this, use the equation ((revenue - cost of campaign) / campaign cost). This will let you know how much you're making and whether your direct mail marketing campaign is actually engaging your audience.

You'll have the insight needed to tweak it in the future!

Creating a Successful Direct Mail Marketing Strategy

The first step toward a good direct mail campaign is understanding your target audience.

The first thing to think about is whether you're a business-to-business (B2B) organization or a business-to-consumer (B2C) business. Since you already have an established business strategy, you likely already have a good idea of who you're tailoring your efforts to.

B2B startups will want to send mail to their target consumers' workplaces. If this describes you, you'll want to talk about the business pain points that those in their target industries face. Empathize with these struggles and emphasize how your goods, services, and helpful team can assist them in lessening this burden.

You're going to do the same thing if you're a B2C small business, but you're going to send the mail to your target audience's houses. This will reach them in a direct and personal way so that they know you care for them as an individual. You'll also want to use more friendly language than shop-talk since you're trying to foster a personal connection as well as a professional one.

Other Target Audience Considerations

This is just one of the many things to think about when contemplating your target market. You'll also want to look into demographics like their age, gender, income, occupation, and location. You'll be able to better tailor the mail they get this way so it grabs their attention.

You can figure this out by using demographic research from sites like Google Analytics, PolicyMap, or SimplyAnalytics. Experts at Taradel can help you get the best information as well, which saves time and money for your team.

For example, let's say that your main customers are women in their 20s-30s looking for funky homemade jewelry. They're probably interested in style and self-expression. This means that bright colors, a funky individualistic brand voice, and sparkling images of your prettiest products will go a long way.

But if most of your customers are middle-aged male corporate executives, they might find flyers that look this way frivolous. Instead, they'll want to see more muted tones, practical but engaging infographics, and statistics.

Analyzing the main consumer demographics of your direct competitors can also help here. You can see who's working with them and what digital ads are working best for their brands. This translates to good print materials because you can emulate the appearance and information on effective digital ads, print them out, and make yourself stand out with the benefits of comparable tangible materials.

Break Down the Demographics

Most businesses don't have just a single demographic. It's more likely than not that your business caters to multiple types of people.

For example, let's say that you sell an app that tracks the location of packages. Businesses will probably use this to track the shipments they make to their customers. Individual people will likely download it to see where packages to friends and family are.

Your B2B clients will likely track massive shipments. B2C users will probably only track a couple of boxes at a time.

Businesses tracking shipments may also want to track their own vehicles that they use for shipping and delivery. Individuals sending gifts will probably be tracking things via USPS.

Figure out what all of these different groups are struggling with. Create different direct mail ads for each group.

This ensures that you'll connect with each part of your audience on a deeper level. Everyone will get relevant information about how you resolve their problems and align with the values they hold.

Tailor Your Content

Whether you have two different groups of customers to tailor to or ten, you'll need to make your content approachable and helpful. Position yourself as an industry leader and make people connect with your brand. An individual connection will keep them engaged with you and foster brand loyalty.

Some things to make sure you prioritize include:

• The recipient's name (for a personalized touch)
• A friendly brand voice in all written content
• A voice that your target market will connect with (based on your research)
• Value and purpose in every sentence you jot down
• Eye-grabbing, high-contrast colors
• Relevant images that show what your goods/services do
• Links and QR codes that take people to your website
• Information about what sets you apart from competitors
• A handwritten signature printed onto the materials (for an even more personal connection)

This way, direct mail advertising can increase customer engagement. It'll give them a way to understand your brand, feel a human connection to you, and want to work with you.

Boost Your Customer Engagement ASAP

Now that you know how direct mail advertising can boost customer engagement, it's time to implement the marketing tips we've discussed.

This is tough to do on your own, but working with knowledgeable professionals at Taradel can stop you from floundering. We offer personalized mail services and help you design and print top-notch ads. Our EDDM printing methods then let you mail 200-5000 pieces at once.

From proofs to full-color printing, our team helps you walk through each step of the direct mail marketing process. Plan your campaign with Taradel today to begin making an impact ASAP.