Direct-Mail Campaigns

Direct-Mail Campaigns

Direct mail is a written communication providing information or an offer intended to elicit a response. It is a precise and well-crafted offer that targets prospects and turns them into dollar-wielding customers. Salons that apply this form of advertising find it one of the best and most cost-effective methods to create new customers and retain current ones.

Direct mail uses targeted information like demographics, age, income and homeownership status, as well as buying preferences and lifestyle-interest information to help small-business owners target a very specific audience. This audience is often comprised of those most likely to purchase a product or service, and can be narrowed down by geographic location.

Direct mail also is scalable, which means salon owners have the ability to adjust the amount of pieces it sends out based on their business cycle. For example, if a salon wants to take advantage of the spring months, they can send out more pieces during that time and scale it back during slower summer months. It’s up to the business owner to decide, based on budget, the market-area or market-penetration factors.

The Message 

Salons typically focus direct-mail campaigns around customers in their database. A typical mailing will reinforce information such as the salon’s address and services, and advertise any specials or new offerings. It’s a good way to notify former clients of anniversary specials or salon improvements.

Direct-mail marketing is a very large business in the United States, and small businesses have many options available to their limited budgets. There are a number of companies that offer small businesses all the tools they need in order to plan, create and execute a direct-mail campaign. With most marketing companies, salon operators can create a direct-mail campaign from their desktop with no human intervention, or they can take advantage of marketing specialists on staff to help with each step. There also are companies that do individual components. Finally, some companies handle all the pieces of a direct-mail campaign and specialize in helping businesses that have never done direct mail before.

Small-business owners also can put different codes on different mail pieces to indicate specific demographics of the list or different geographies. This allows the mailer to track the results accurately to determine the effectiveness of a particular part of the mail campaign or the overall campaign. Be sure to provide the recipient with an easy way to respond, such as a telephone number, e-mail address or business reply envelope.

Direct mail probably is the most cost-effective marketing tool available for salons because it is scalable to the budget available and there are a host of options available that affect the cost.

Studies have shown that every $1 of direct-marketing expenditures generates $11 of revenue. Experts agree that successful direct mail is writing, designing and targeting your offer and/or services in a way that makes them irresistible, understandable, credible, applicable to the recipient, and easy to respond as well.

Small businesses are successful with direct mail because they often possess huge amounts of historical data on their existing customers, and want to leverage this data to target customers more effectively for upgrades, new product launches, etc. It has been around forever and it’s the one form of direct marketing that lawmakers aren’t trying to outlaw.

E-mail, telemarketing and fax blasting are forms of direct marketing with legislative restrictions.