Hiring for the Holidays? Don't Forget Direct Mail!

This is the time of year that retailers with brick-and-mortar stores hire extra staff for the holidays to ensure they are well prepared for the influx of foot traffic at their stores. If you are a retailer selling primarily online you may find yourself doing the same thing, only for you it may take the form of filling out their logistics team to ensure your delivery system doesn’t miss a beat.

But in order for that online foot traffic to get there, your prospective customers have to know your brand exists, what you offer, and why they should be interested. Now, you probably wouldn’t hire extra marketing staff to get the job done, but you could “hire” a direct mail promotional campaign instead. This extra “employee” could range from a simple postcard campaign to a more elaborate booklet or catalog of products. Drop in a discount on the order or shipping, and you’ll find yourself converting more customers this holiday season.

Not yet convinced? Here are three pretty compelling reasons to “hire” direct mail for the holidays:

1. Direct mail drives website traffic. People are naturally curious. Someone interacting with your brand for the first time is going to wonder who you are and why you are mailing to them. Their first instinct is most likely going to be to go online and learn more, whether or not they are actually ready to purchase. Plus, when you include links or PURLs to specific product pages, you put them one step closer to making a purchase.
2. Millennials love it. This may sound surprising, but the response rate among 18-21 year olds is 12.4%. Millennials spend a majority of their time online anyway. Sending them a piece of mail directing them to your products goes a long way.
3. It works well with your digital efforts. Everyone thinks it’s direct mail VS. digital. It’s not. Direct mail’s ability to cut through the clutter helps get your message noticed, so your customers and prospects are more likely to remember and recognize your brand when they see it later in emails, banner ads, or social media posts.

The Bottom Line

If you’re looking to staff your e-commerce site this holiday season, don’t forget to give direct mail a shot. Hiring direct mail for the holidays–especially campaigns that incorporate user-generated content– is a great way to boost your holiday sales and end the year on a great note.

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About Compu-Mail, LLC.

Compu-Mail (www.compu-mail.com) provides end-to-end direct marketing and business printing services to companies across the U.S. and Canada. Headquartered in Grand Island, NY, Compu-Mail services include direct mail, email marketing, data driven marketing with database management, statement rendering, variable imaging, and digital retargeting through Google, Facebook, and Instagram. Compu-Mail’s subsidiary company, Dual Print & Mail, provides complete commercial print solutions. Compu-Mail can be reached at 800.255.0670 or marketing@compu-mail.com.