Contrary to recent buzz, direct mail is still an excellent option for promoting your services to existing and prospective customers.\u00a0 Done well, direct mail can be very effective, especially when paired with your other marketing initiatives.\u00a0 Think about it: in this day and age, we are all bombarded by many different forms of digital advertising, all day long.\u00a0 Nationwide, heck, world<\/em>wide, company advertising budgets have shifted away from the traditional forms of marketing (direct mail, newspaper, TV, radio, etc.) to internet marketing. It\u2019s literally everywhere! This gives good old direct mail a bit of an unexpected advantage, in that it stands out from all that digital clutter.\u00a0 And let\u2019s not forget that there is still value in holding something tangible in your hand.<\/p>\n Cognitive Stuff<\/strong><\/p>\n Studies show that consumers understand and retain what they read on paper better than what they read on a screen.\u00a0 There\u2019s all kinds of fancy scientific reasons for this, having to do with how our brain \u201cmaps\u201d information.\u00a0 The long and short of it is this: fewer of our cognitive resources are drained when we are reading from paper that we are holding in our hand.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t know about you, but my cognitive resources don\u2019t need any further draining at this point, nomsayin?<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say that the majority of prospective consumers who receive a postcard from you won\u2019t immediately toss it.\u00a0 Because they will.\u00a0 (There\u2019s some tough love for ya!)\u00a0 But a percentage of them will read and keep it, if your offer is compelling enough.\u00a0 And either way, that tossed postcard counts towards your \u201cfrequency.\u201d<\/p>\n Frequency Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n Frequency is the number of times a prospect sees your marketing.\u00a0 In the marketing industry, there is something called the Rule of 7, and it refers to the number of times a prospect needs to see your brand before they even remember it.\u00a0 Which is \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 7.\u00a0 Frequency is key to marketing to new prospects.\u00a0 So if you\u2019ve sent out one postcard, and given up because you didn\u2019t get a good response, you really haven\u2019t given it a fair shot.\u00a0 That’s like going to the gym once, and expecting to have 6-pack abs the next day.<\/p>\n Target Carefully<\/strong><\/p>\n Pick a couple of towns to start with.\u00a0 They should be towns that you can easily service and where opportunity exists. Purchase a quality mailing list.\u00a0 You want to purchase at least 10,000 addresses (or more!) because you want to cast the net wide enough to catch some fish.\u00a0 Then set up a schedule to hit these same homes with postcards every month.\u00a0 Use first class mail so that you get undeliverable mail returned to you.\u00a0 Expect to receive up to 9% back as undeliverable the first time you send your postcards.\u00a0 Don\u2019t panic when you see undeliverable mail coming back to you.\u00a0 This is normal since people move, die, get married, etc. every day!\u00a0 Returned mail is your friend, because it allows you to update your mailing list and remove these addresses to save money on your next mailing.\u00a0 (And remember, even at 9% undeliverable rate, that still means that 91% of the people on the list received your mailing.)<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to use the same mailing list every time and keep updating it, as undeliverable mail is returned to you.\u00a0 You want to keep your name in front of the same people every time<\/strong>.\u00a0 Why? Because sending postcards to 50,000 homes one time won\u2019t produce as many leads as sending postcards to the same 10,000 homes, five times.\u00a0 Frequency, remember?<\/p>\n What Should You Expect?<\/strong><\/p>\n Remember to have reasonable expectations when you use direct mail.\u00a0 When you are mailing postcards or flyers to people who don\u2019t know your company, you can expect a less than 1% return.\u00a0 Yep, I said less than 1%.\u00a0 (So you can see why we suggest casting a big net!)\u00a0 You can expect that return to improve over time, as you continue mailing to the same houses.<\/p>\n Make your offer compelling.\u00a0 What makes a good offer?\u00a0 Service.\u00a0 By far, the best response you\u2019ll get is with a service offer.\u00a0 It\u2019s tempting to promote new installations and high-end equipment, but after 20+ years in HVAC marketing, my experience is that it\u2019s best to get into a customer\u2019s home first with a service offer, and then upsell.<\/p>\n Be Clear And Concise With Your Message.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Use words that provoke emotion. Give them a reason to take action.\u00a0 (\u201cBe more comfortable NOW.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cStart saving money on your utility bills TODAY\u201d.)\u00a0 Create a sense of urgency or FOMO (fear of missing out) by using expiration dates.\u00a0 Above all else, you must have a call to action<\/strong> on your direct mail.\u00a0 Ask for the sale.\u00a0 Ask for the phone call.\u00a0 Ask for the website visit.\u00a0 ASK!\u00a0 Get a little creative: use direct mail to show your company personality (branding).\u00a0 Have fun with it but make sure that your direct mail is consistent with the look and feel, colors, fonts, etc. of your website \u2013 because that\u2019s where homeowners are going to go to check you out after they receive your mail.\u00a0 And when they get there, you don\u2019t want to look like a completely different company!<\/p>\n Track It<\/strong><\/p>\n And for heaven’s sake, track it!\u00a0 Add a call tracking number, or a QR code, or a link to a dedicated landing page, or any combination of these.\u00a0 Then use the data you collect to watch trends, test which marketing promotions work best for you, and make better and better marketing decisions moving forward.<\/p>\n And don\u2019t let anyone tell you that direct mail doesn’t work anymore, because it does.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n