Christmas is a big time for many businesses, and if you work in retail or hospitality, it’s likely to account for a large chunk of your annual sales. The problem is, your competition will know this too, so it can be hard to get your campaign noticed among all the seasonal messages. One thing that has been shown to work well is running a Christmas direct mail marketing campaign, which targets certain groups such as previous customers or locals and gives you a chance to catch their eye around the festive season. Here’s how to design your own campaign.
Decide what you want to achieve
There are many possible objectives to mail marketing campaigns, and yours might be:
- Bringing more people to your business location
- Getting more traffic on your website
- Getting people to place orders over the phone or by post
- Raising brand awareness and generally boosting your profile
- Simply sending a ‘thank you’ or a Christmas card to loyal customers
This will help you decide the format of your Christmas direct mail campaign, as well as what’ll be included and who you want to send it to. Over the Christmas periods, mail can be slower, so it’s worth thinking about your campaign with plenty of time to spare.
The format of your mailing
When you choose to send out a piece of Christmas mail, there are endless formats to choose from. Some popular types include:
- A Christmas catalogue – ideal for sending out in the run-up to Christmas, this can be packed with seasonal products that can be ordered online or by post, or can show off what you can buy in store
- A Christmas card – why not thank the people who’ve been loyal customers this year? Your target audience could include people who’ve joined your loyalty scheme, or perhaps those who haven’t shopped with you for a while. You could even include some coupons as a gift to encourage sales
- Christmas brochure – if a full catalogue is a little much, you could design a short brochure with the highlights of your seasonal offering such as special offers
- Flyers – Christmas themed flyers are great for sending out special offers and can contain a call to action, such as limited time discounts if you use a code
The great thing about a Christmas direct mail marketing campaign is that it’s the time of year when people are especially receptive and like hearing about different products. Therefore, it can be a good time to approach both loyal customers and new audiences.
Making the most of your campaign
To make the most of your mail piece, you need to be clear on what you’re offering the customer and what you’d like to do. You should therefore ensure that there are plenty of contact details on your mail, whether it’s the store address and a map to get people into your store, or a website address for online ordering. People don’t want to have to read and re-read their advertising mail to find out how to order or use your service.
Try to integrate your campaigns, so when you send out a Christmas direct mail marketing campaign, you may be using the medium of post, but when people visit your website or social media page, you can signpost people to a page relating to that special offer. This also helps you keep track of response rates and see what works.
Personalisation
People are going to get an avalanche of mail close to Christmas, and Royal Mail delivers millions of pieces of Christmas themed post. That’s why personalisation matters, and campaigns can be tailored to suit the age, sex and interests of the recipient. Nowadays, you can even design campaigns based around how much a customer spends with you or their interests, which leads to better mailing responses.
Sending at the right time
The right timing is key to making the most out of this sort of campaign. It’s worth bearing in mind that by the time Black Friday rolls around, many people will have already done a lot of their shopping, and not many people head to the shops after 1st December. However, you risk annoying people if you send things too early! Remember, the mailing house and other mailing services such as the post office will be extremely busy this time of year, so perhaps aim to get them into people’s hands by early to mid-November.
Create something that stands out
Everyone gets lots of mail at Christmas, from cards to special offers, so it’s important your mailing stands out and isn’t sent straight to the recycling bin. Including something branded, whether it’s something to hang on Christmas trees or an advent calendar, will keep your company noticed throughout the festive season. Another idea some businesses use is sending out calendars, which are hung in the home or office for a year, giving you advertising year-round.
When you choose colours, go for festive reds and greens or metallic shades. This will give your mail a luxe feel, and it’ll get people in a Christmassy mood when it slides through their mailbox. Once you have their attention, the rest is up to you.
If you’re considering a Christmas direct mail marketing campaign and would like help from the professionals, contact the team at PSC Systems on 0151 346 1640 or email info@pscsystems.co.uk and we’ll be happy to discuss your needs.
Posted on Monday, December 16th, 2019 at 2:02 pm in Latest News.