So often in this digital age, the quick and easy answer is to go electronic with your marketing – it’s an ideal and cost-effective way to communicate, especially with your existing customers. But sometimes when you are looking to build and strengthen a customer base, a strategic direct mail campaign is still a prudent use of your marketing dollars.
Earlier this year, we started working with a leading tree care company in New Berlin, American Tree Experts. They were looking for a more intelligent way to tackle their marketing. After several weeks we developed a comprehensive marketing plan to meet their needs. It contains digital elements to be sure, but not to be lost in the shuffle was our recommendation for taking a fresh, strategic approach to direct mail.
Mining new customers can be challenging, but if done correctly, direct mail can help. When working with American Tree Experts, we took a deep dive into their customer database and performed a detailed quintile analysis on their primary profit centers from a geographic perspective. We then identified their most likely future customer base and procured a matching list of names and addresses that strategically made the most sense for American Tree Experts to target with their marketing materials.
With our audience identified and our list in hand we were free to start work on the creative – developing a series of post cards that helped position American Tree Experts appropriately. To date, two mailings have gone out and a third is planned during the coming weeks.
The primary takeaway from this shared story is to understand that direct mail can still have its place in this digital world – but as with anything, it needs to be researched and executed in a thoughtful and strategic manner.
“Rows of Mail Boxes” flickr photo by Image Catalog https://flickr.com/photos/image-catalog/24795367852 shared into the public domain using (CC0)
