Direct-Mail

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 cost-effective methods to create new customers and retain current ones.

There are several reasons why direct mail works so well, says Steve Main, national sales manager of Data Dialog Marketing, Inc. in Sunrise, Fla. "For starters, it’s very targeted," he says. "Mailing-list databases contain a great deal of marketing information on consumers."

This information not only includes demographic information like age, income and homeownership status, it also includes buying preferences and lifestyle-interest information. This information allows small-business owners to target a very specific audience that most likely would purchase their product or service.

"Along with the demographic information, small-business owners also can select specific geographic locations to target their message," he says. "Many small businesses have a very concentrated geographic area where they work. It may be their neighborhood or it may be a particular radius around their business. Direct mail allows them to send a mail piece to a specific target area."

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.

"Because small businesses don’t have large marketing budgets like Coca Cola or Pepsi, direct mail is a cost-effective way to target their marketing communications based on their available budgets," Main says.

"Direct mail is a good idea because it promotes your salon like no other mailing since it’s an exclusive mailing for your salon only," says one Missouri salon owner. "With Valpak, ValuMail and other coupon-mailing services, your salon’s ad is distributed along with many other businesses’ ads."

He uses direct mail to promote his salon’s anniversary, several holidays and whenever he needs to stimulate some additional sales.

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.