Most schools across the country are getting ready to close their doors for the summer, if they haven’t already. As marketers, many of us connect summer with slower sales—but it doesn’t have to be that way! Use this 3-4 month period to reach your customers through a direct mail campaign and offer your customers unique deals for the summer. If you want to increase sales and draw in new customers during this challenging marketing season, consider these ideas for running a summer direct mail campaign.
Throw a BBQ
If your company has a physical location, it’s always a great idea to become more involved in your local community. Purchase a mailing list that targets households in your town and invite them to an event sponsored by your company. If you’re not interested in running your own event, consider getting involved with another local event. Getting involved in your community will help people remember you and see your company in a positive light. It will also help you connect and engage with potential customers.
Send Your Recipients on Vacation
Summer is the time when most families go on vacation, so now is when you should help them plan and prepare for their trip. Design a direct mail campaign that focuses on vacations and lets your recipients know you want to help them save money. Give customers a discount on vacation-related items, like clothing, personal items, rentals, etc. If you don’t sell anything vacation-related, you can always swing it to fit your company. For example, use summer or vacation imagery in your direct mail campaign and offer them a discount on your products to help them save money.
Share a Recipe
Giving your customers summer tips and advice is a great way to humanize your brand and make your company relatable. If you’re looking for a good way to do this, consider sending out a direct mail postcard with a recipe. The postcard will be easier for recipients to access in the home and it will serve as a reminder to check out your company. This is great if you sell food products or items that would relate to a summer BBQ, party, or holiday. Find clever ways to incorporate your company into a useful direct mail campaign for your company that your recipients will appreciate and interact with.
Prepare them for Back-to-School
I know most people don’t like to associate school ending with the back-to-school season, but many college students will be heading back to school sooner than you think. According to AdAge, “Back-to-school and back-to-college spending accounts for $84 billion in sales, making it the second-biggest season for retailers.” Much like the holiday season at the end of year, marketers must prepare for the back-to-school season a couple months in advance. Sending out direct mail pieces early and often will get your recipients thinking about your company when they begin shopping.
Incorporating the summer season into your direct mail marketing will help you increase sales and plant the seeds for future campaigns. Does your company have any plans for sending out direct mail campaigns during this time? Share with us in the comments!