It’s great when people from miles around flock to your newly-opened restaurant, salon, spa, club, or shop. When you’re hot, you’re hot, and people are always eager to get a piece of the latest trend. But when the buzz dies down and the next new hotspot opens, it will be hard to get people to drive for miles. This is why every business needs regulars. And you can ask any long-standing successful business: the customers who keep the lights on, the paint fresh, and your children fed are the ones who live nearby. There is no substitute for a solid clientele who comes back again and again. Once you’ve won them, you’ve won them for life. But to win them, you might have to work. One thing, though, is indisputable – if you want them to come back, you have to get them to come by in the first place.
This is where EDDM (Every Door Direct Mailing) becomes a useful marketing tool you can’t afford NOT to invest in. Every Door Direct Mailing allows you to choose to target either individual neighborhoods or even entire zip codes, and send a custom-printed postcard or another printed piece to every address within that vicinity. EliteFlyers.com offers EDDM as a full service package, meaning that we print (and even DESIGN, if you need) the beautiful full-color mailers you need, make sure the addresses you choose are selected, and then ensure that the mailers are sent to the people you desire. In the end, you end up paying just a tiny bit more for this service than you would for the simple postage it costs to mail so many items. It’s an excellent value, and the return you can see on investment is unmatched by any other type of targeted ad campaign, especially when it comes to getting new potential regulars to try out your business or service.
Think About Your Target Market
To make the most of this marketing tool, you’ll want to make sure you target the right groups of people. Think about the type of business or service you run, and envision your ideal target market. For example, if you run a daycare service, it hardly makes sense to run a EDDM campaign targeting a neighborhood that is mostly populated by childless college students, even if those are the residents who are closer to your shop. That 10-block by 10-block patch of town that’s filled with cookie cutter houses with little swing sets in the back though? Yup, that would probably be a great place to start your EDDM campaign.
Make an Excellent Offer
With every door direct mailing (EDDM,) you have an excellent advantage over other types of advertising – namely that you are guaranteed to get your offer through the front door and into the homes of the people you are mailing to. But just getting your mailer inside is not enough to gain you business. To really make your campaign successful, you have to drive people to action. To drive people to action, you need to make them an excellent offer. Offer something free, for example. Victoria’s Secret often offers an ingenious and enticing direct mail “call to action.” They offer people free panties simply for coming into the store and presenting the cards they send in the mail. Or, they offer $10 off coupons simply for coming into the store and trying on a bra. While perhaps not every small business can afford to give away free merchandise, you can offer to give patrons a free soda with the purchase of a meal when they show you the mailer they received, or a free drink when they present the EDDM postcard you sent. You might make them a BOGO (buy one get one) offer on select merchandise, or a free manicure with a pedicure for first-time customers. The point is, make it good. Even if you lose money on the deal, it is worthwhile. As long as you can wow them once they get in the door, they are likely to come back and spend more money. This will allow you to get a return on your loss leader investment.
Make Your EDDM Postcard Attractive
Again, you are asking people to change their routine and do something different – namely, to give your business a try. But before you can convince them of the value of your offer, you have to get them to take a look at your postcard. Here you’ll want to follow basic wisdom with regard to color scheme and layout. Avoid garish reds and yellows. Yes, they are bright colors and likely to draw a glance or two from your audience. But they are also colors that have come to represent desperation on the part of advertisers. Most people subconsciously associate these colors with bargain basements and McDonald’s. So go instead with some harmonious color schemes and some slick designs. You may opt for neat clean lines, or an awesome graphic, a photograph, or something thought-provoking. Whatever you choose, make it tasteful, compelling, and unique. Your potential clients will be intrigued if you go the extra mile. If you shortcut your way through with a cheesy, over-the-top design, they will put the ad down – or toss it out – before they even have a chance to read about the killer deal you’re offering.
You can saturate your neighborhood with captivating, profit-generating postcards, even if you have limited time and a strict budget. Try Elite Flyer’s EDDM service and see the new faces start rolling in. Once you’ve got them through the door, all you have to do is perform as the excellent, one-of-a-kind establishment you know you are, and you’ll have a client base that will keep you running for decades to come.
About Jenny DixonJennifer has been apart of the EliteFlyers.com team for over 15 years. She brings a deep understanding of web marketing, thoughtful strategies, that she's able to design, manage, print, deliver multi-media campaigns to meet all client's goals. Her personal portfolio includes high-end design and printing of business cards, flyers, post cards for elite businesses and individuals from all over the world.
