Eight Marketing Tips for Print and Mail Service Providers
Are you launching a new direct mail marketing campaign? Maybe you are looking for the best way to maximize customer retention through marketing. Whatever your business’s interests are in the field of marketing, check out the following suggestions if you want your ventures to be as successful as possible.
- Almost Any Marketing is Better Than No Marketing:
The time and effort it takes to plan and run a marketing campaign can be measured in dollars, time and/or energy. To understand the true value of marketing, however, you must consider what would happen if didn’t use it well or, even worse, didn’t use it at all. If you don’t use any print collateral, direct mail, emails, websites, and social media then you have no way of attracting any customers. People have to know you exist in order to do business with you, and that’s just the minimum requirement. Marketing can help spread the word about your company, but it can also highlight specific qualities about your company, like trustworthiness or intrigue. - Begin with the Basics:
If you’re just now getting serious about marketing, don’t worry about being too innovative right off the bat. First, narrow down the most important things you want the world to know about your business. Essentially, how are you going to brand your business? Then, just get out there and do it. Make sure you give yourself both an online and offline presence. Start hitting people with those mailers and status updates that explain just exactly who you are and what you can do for them. Don’t overthink it in the beginning. It’s important to be thorough when planning a marketing campaign and to do things that stand out, but don’t take so long during these early stages that things don’t get sent or posted in a timely fashion. - Support Your Print Campaigns Online:
If you are a print service provider, of course, you want to be sending out direct mail, and you want that mail to be impressive! After all, if you can’t provide your own company with quality and exciting print collateral, then what can you do for somebody else? Once you have that mastered, however, check in on your online presence. Specifically, your website. Your customers might want you to print things for them, but they want to learn about these services that you provide from your website, so make sure it’s attractive and user/mobile-friendly. Your customers will also want to ask you questions through your social media; being on top of your phone calls and emails is not always enough in this day and age. Even if you don’t think online marketing is that important, some of your competitors definitely do, so make sure you keep your business up to date! - Nurture Your Brand:
Once you’ve figured out what your branding will be, make sure all of your current and potential customers know what it is, too. Use marketing to let people know why you’re better than the other guys. This doesn’t have to be hard; just apply your knowledge of your industry to your marketing, and then keep on learning! Read up on the news in your field and publish knowledgeable content through all of your channels. Hit up your social media followers with tips of the trade, publish relevant posts on your website, and of course, print some of your stellar information on your attention capturing direct mail. - Get Your Employees on Board:
Another thing to keep in mind is that your employees directly represent your business. Customers remember things like how your employees speak on the phone, act during sales meetings, listen to concerns, and respond to complaints. Make sure your employees understand your brand as much as you do so that they can help you deliver your message. Never forget that good customer service is important at every level of business. - Communicate with Your Customer:
Communication is key, especially in business. Not only do you want to attract new customers with your marketing, you also want to retain those that you already have. Make sure you plan plenty of direct mail campaigns and that you stay on top of your online conversations. Don’t let your contact with your customers become too monotonous, too infrequent, or too irrelevant. Make sure you mix up your content and use all possible channels of communication in ways that are clear and interesting. Don’t annoy people by contacting them the same way too often either, it’s a fine line, walk it gracefully! - Be Memorable:
Most consumers store only a few brands per category in their heads. Assuming you are not alone in your industry, you’ll have to do some fighting to be on the top of someone’s mind. The good news about print collateral is that most people feel bombarded by online junk these days, which makes beautiful pieces of direct mail really stand out to them. Show some personality in your marketing, both online and off. Once you’ve got the basics down, your uniqueness is what will help you differentiate your brand from that of your competitors’. Lighten up, have fun, and get some colored envelopes into that mailbox already, would you? - It’s the Little Things:
Never underestimate the impact of small actions. A birthday card, thank you note, or an individual offer will pay for itself, with interest! When establishing this contact with a customer or lead, you are building a good rapport, which is far more important in regards to making and keeping a professional relationship than the prices of your goods and services.
There is no denying that marketing campaigns can be incredibly valuable for any kind of business to run. By knowing your customers, industry, and communication channels you can build a fantastic brand image. Once you’ve got everyone’s attention and trust, make sure you continue to use your marketing skills to foster the positive professional relationships you’ve entered into.
