Do you have a business, product, or service you wish to grow by gaining new customers? Try out direct mail advertising! According to Epsilon’s statistics, 73% of consumers prefer brands to communicate through direct mail, because it allows them to read it at their convenience. An additional 59% agreed with the statement, “I enjoy getting postal mail from brands about new products.”

While you may still be tempted to adopt a marketing strategy like email or social media, as of 2018, The Direct Marketing Association found that the response rate from direct mail is 4.4%, while email is 0.12%. We already knew direct mail was successful, but this stat blew our minds, too.

How to Create a Direct Mail Advertisement (The 40/40/20 Rule)

To create a successful direct mail advertisement for your business, the 40/40/20 rule will be your new best friend.

40% of a successful direct mail advertisement will come from your mailing list effectiveness. It is vital to refine your mailing list if you desire to reach new clients or customers. Make sure to constantly update and proofread your mailing list, utilizing the National Change of Address database to check for address changes.

There are two main types of direct mailing lists: target and saturation. Target mailing utilizes a mailing list that has been “boiled down” to the correct audience for your business through parameters such as proximity, age, and income. Saturation mailing sends your information to every door within a particular carrier route and/or zip code. Either type is a wonderful option depending on your strategy and Southwest Solutions offers both!

40% will depend on how captivating your offer or call to action is. You want to engage your potential new clients or customers with a unique and customized offer or call to action. Make sure these are clear and concise to move your customer in the direction you want.

For example, you can offer a percentage off of your services, allow people with the card to receive preferential treatment (like skipping lines at a job fair), or even offer additional services for those who sign up for a long-term plan.

An awesome way to get creative with this is to also include add-ins in your direct mail advertisement as well. This may include a gift card, product sample, or a QR code to play online games and win prizes. These kinds of calls to action encourage potential customers to take immediate action, moving them from potential to actual customers. At SWS, we love to have fun with the add-ins; we even did a mailing recently including a dollar bill in the mailing with a message “call us and we’ll give you another $2999 off your tuition”!

20% will come from everything else, such as text, design, and mailing methods. Make sure to take adequate time to design and proof your mailout before sending it out. If your mail has any punctuation, grammar errors, or typos, it will either get sent back to you or end up in the recycle bin.

Additional Expert Tips

Test Your Market. Testing will depend on the size of your targeted market. You will need to begin by measuring your Return On Investment (ROI) and the effectiveness of mail by running sample test batches. Send out multiple types of direct mail advertisements by changing only one variable each time. This will allow you to find the optimal combination for a successful direct mail advertising that not only engages new customers but is also an appropriate use of your time and money.

Follow Up With Customers. Don’t just leave them hanging in limbo, but make sure to send them additional follow-up information. This is crucial to create a great first impression with new customers by being proactive to move them further through the conversion funnel. Check out our follow-up blog post for a more in-depth guide.

Utilize Southwest Solutions for Your Direct Mail Advertisement

Have some cool ideas brewing? Our in-house graphic design team at Southwest Solutions will make anything you think of come to life! There is no need to worry about hiring outside designers, spending time trying to design mail yourself, or settling for cheap, stock images. Our team of experts will help you create a customized mailing, tailored to your business, that is sure to engage new possible customers.

Southwest Solutions vows to aid you in every step of the mailing process so you don’t have to worry about the nitty-gritty. As a direct mailing house with the United States Postal Service, our experts will do all of the heavy lifting, so you can sit back, relax, and watch all of your new customers roll in! To start your direct mail marketing campaign or if you have any questions at all, please give us a call at (520) 207-1900. Let’s get creative.

Got Questions?

Until next time,

Vera Minot

Vera is a creative-minded, heart-first promotional products (and print/apparel/direct mail/signage/etc.) professional who approaches all aspects of life with intention and enthusiasm. Vera is passionate about vocabulary, self-care, and authenticity (even in business!), and in her free time you’ll probably find her rock climbing or mountain biking, growing things, cooking, reading, and generally finding ways to get up to no good with her wife, Christa.

Best Employee Swag Gifts: Show Your Appreciation and Market Your Company (At the Same Time!)

Name: Southwest Solutions
Price range: $$

Employee swag gifts can boost employee engagement and build a strong company culture, while effectively marketing your organization–if you do it well.

While plaques or paperweights may come with heartfelt appreciation, they tend to end up on office shelves–a missed marketing opportunity, not to mention a waste of resources. No one can see your logo on the shelf behind last year’s family Christmas card photo.

A better strategy for employee gift-giving is to offer branded versions of frequently used items, such as mugs, badge holders, or metal key chains. When your employees actually want to use the gifts you give them, they feel appreciated and morale around the office improves. If they use those gifts outside the office, they promote your brand at the same time.

Increase your company’s visibility and grow your brand while recognizing the employees at the heart of your business with high-quality custom employee swag gifts from Southwest Solutions.

Custom Mugs Beg to Be Photographed

A custom mug is a great gift for your employees for three reasons:

1. Everyone can use it. Mugs aren’t just for coffee! They can be used to enjoy other hot beverages such as tea or hot chocolate, as well as cold drinks like water, soda, and juice. A customized mug with your company name or logo makes a great desk decoration and even a handy place to store pens.

2. People love to post them on social media. #butfirstcoffee has been used more than three million times on Instagram, and nearly every post includes a mug! If that mug has your company name on it alongside a fun saying or design, you’re making brief and subtle contact with every person scrolling through the feed. Get your company name and logo in front of an internet audience by giving your employees photo-friendly mugs from Southwest Solutions. We have many different options, from engraved mugs to insulated tumblers to custom glass mugs, all with options for customization.

3. They’re long-lasting. You’re investing resources in promotional employee products that help turn your team into built-in brand ambassadors. Of course, you want to get the biggest return on your investment. An employee who drinks coffee from your mug every day might interact with that one gift thousands of times. Get something that is well designed and built to last, and you’ll continue to experience payoffs in morale long after your initial investment.

Custom Printed Badge Holders Build Community

Custom printed badge holders are the ideal employee gift for organizations looking to foster a sense of community and belonging.

Successful organizations thrive on teamwork. Give new employees a branded badge holder as a way of welcoming them to the team. (We have these in our own office and call them Zoop Zoops! It brings such an enjoyable and fun touch to the workplace!)

If you require employees to display their badges, support them in that endeavor with a gift of a custom branded badge holder. Not only is it a thoughtful gesture that fulfills a specific need but most people won’t bother to switch to something else.

Now your employers are wearing that great gift around the office every day. Each time they look at their colleagues, they get a visual reminder–we’re all on the same team. These subtle reminders help increase morale in the office and encourage cohesive collaboration.

The benefits of giving your employees branded badge holders don’t stop outside the office. Most employees don’t take their badges off during lunch breaks or immediately after work, so your logo will get additional visibility around town as they run errands. A branded badge holder helps get your company name and logo seen by post office clerks, restaurant workers, and dry-cleaners.

Custom Metal Key Tags Are Effective and High-Use

Metal key tags customized with your organization’s name are one of the best gifts you can give to reward your employees and subtly promote your company.

There’s a good chance your employee will begin to use it immediately, appreciating the reassuring weight of the metal and attractive, yet functional appearance. Thanks to the high perceived value of a metal key tag, it might stay in use for years or even decades. They can even become ingrained in the employee’s visual memory as a way to search for and identify their keys.

As the employee goes about their daily life, they take their keys out for more than just unlocking the car door. A custom metal key tag with your company name could be shown to any number of people, from the cashier scanning your employee’s loyalty program key fob to anyone watching them entertain a baby on the bus.

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These are just three of the many options that can be used to start an effective employee appreciation campaign - and two out of these three are under $5 each! Raise employee engagement, increase morale, and market your company at the same time using custom promotional items. Southwest Solutions has the ability to create countless types of custom gifts to show your appreciation for your employees. If you feel proud of the gift you’re giving and confident it aligns with your overall brand, you can’t go wrong.

If you’re not sure how to choose impactful employee gifts that boost morale and support your marketing strategy, give us a call at (520) 207-1900 or send us a message at [email protected] for expert advice! We’d love to work with you to design promotional items that meet your employee appreciation goals and increase your brand presence.

How to Create a Direct Mail Advertisement (The 40/40/20 Rule)

Additional Expert Tips