With direct mail you can target the exact prospect you want, at their exact address with the ONLY MEDIA THAT GUARANTEES a 100% OPEN RATE and the highest attention rate of any media. Isn’t that the holy grail of marketing, being able to target the exact prospect  you want, at the exact time, with the exact message, and guarantee that they SEE IT.

This is exactly what direct mail delivers and just two of the many reasons that make direct mail so powerful when done right. Let me repeat that, when done right as there are so many things that will kill a direct mail campaign before it even begins. Furthermore, for most industries, direct mail is one of the easiest media to track response rate and ROI. Therefore, you can take if from does direct mail work to this is exactly how well it worked for my business.

With all that said, the reason behind asking the question “Does Direct Mail Work.” Boils down to either one or a combination of the following 6 reasons.

1. I have tried direct mail in the past and it just didn’t work.
2. XXXX told me direct mail doesn’t work. Often this comes from a digital marketing company trying to sell the direct mail or could be a friend or colleague has told them that direct mail doesn’t work.
3. I just don’t really understand marketing in general and/or do not understand the capabilities of direct mail and how it really works.
4. I just don’t think it will work for my business.
5. Let’s really break down each of these reasons and bring some transparency to the heart of the questions.
6. I’ve tried direct mail in the past and it just didn’t work.

If this is you, here are the important questions that need to be asked.

Do you know who and where your mailers were sent to?

There needs to be a sound strategy behind selecting the right areas and prospects to target. Nothing will kill a direct mail campaign more than a bad list and sending your mailers to the wrong prospects in the wrong areas.

Do you have a copy of your last mailer?

This is an easy checkpoint to identify If your direct mail marketing was designed properly both from an aesthetic perspective and content perspective.

If your direct mail marketing wasn’t easy to read, easy to scan, did not have a strong call to action, a compelling offer, contained technical jargon and did not include strategic ad copy that would resonate with your prospective customers, you might as well toss your money down the toilet.

How did you track and/or gauge the effectiveness of your direct mail response and ROI?

Tracking your marketing efforts and determining how customers are finding your business is arguably one of the hardest parts. This becomes even more difficult when deploying a multi-channel marketing approach.

I often hear that call tracking was used to a client’s direct mail response rate. Unfortunately, in 99.9999% of all cases call tracking is NOT an accurate method to track direct mail response.

The reason being is that many prospects who receive your mailer will go online, read reviews and call from the number on Google or your website. The minute a call is made from any number other than the call tracking number on your mailer, you have lost all accuracy.

Although call tracking will show some results and does have some merit, It will only show you those that called from the number on the mailer and is not inclusive or indicative of all calls made from the number on google or your website, thus making it grossly inaccurate.

However, for businesses such as Home Services, HVAC, Plumbing, landscaping, Power Washing, Construction, etc. Auto Repair, Dental Practices, Fitness Centers, Insurance, Financial, Education, etc. etc. etc. that acquire their customers address when they become a customer, it is very easy to attribute ROI.

This is done with a very simple report called a match back report. The match back report takes the new customers your business acquires after your direct mail marketing has been sent out and compares It to the list of prospects who have received your direct mail marketing matching back a detailed list of every new customer acquired that was targeted with direct mail.

Of course, it cannot tell you if your direct mail was the only reason,  they became a customer. For example, the direct mail got their attention but your website and google reviews is what pushed them over the edge. The latter you will likely never be able to solve for at scale and you could spend a decade determining if you want to consider it first, touch last touch, etc., but it surely does give you the ability to  attribute direct mail as one of the touches, if not the primary touch that got them to become a customer at your business.

For other types of business such as restaurants, retail, etc. that are not able to acquire a customer’s address at time of purchase, it is likely you will never know your exact response rate. In these cases, the best you can do is count coupons or try and track special offers with unique codes to tie them back to an offer directly from one of your mailers. Many suggest look at sales as a determining factor. As intuitive as those sounds, I have seen a customer who are getting a response and have declining sales due to operational issues.

XXXX told me direct mail doesn’t work.

First, we must ask, who is providing you with this information. If it is a company trying to sell you another form of marketing and they are bashing another marketing channel, then you should probably just disregard it and/or ask them to provide you with fact-based evidence to substantiate their claim as opposed to what they think or what they say they are seeing. I’d be willing to be they can’t provide you with anything accurate.

If it is a friend, family member or colleague, it can only have come their opinion or from an experience they have had in the past with direct mail. If it is opinion based and not fact based than it can be disregarded. If it is based on previous experience, ask them the questions above addressed above to uncover if they executed their direct mail campaign properly and/or accurately tracked their direct mail campaign results to substantiate their feedback.

I just don’t really understand marketing in general and/or do not understand the capabilities of direct mail and how it really works.

This is a fair concern. Most business owners and managers aren’t marketing experts. Even those business owner managers that do understand marketing or have some expertise may not be the authority on a specific channel of marketing like SEO, Direct Mail, etc. Therefore, it’s always a best practice to find an expert in that field and rely on them to help you.

The key is finding the right expert which is the biggest challenge. Fortunately using google can help make this process much more efficient. I recommend by starting by looking for companies that have expertise with your specific industry and have the google reviews to match.

I just don’t think it will work for my business.

You may be right about this concern. Direct mail may not work well for your businesses, or it may work, but you may be able to

get a much better ROI using another form of marketing. This can only be determined by consulting with a real direct mail expert.

For example, let’s assume you owned an auto body repair shop. I would not recommend direct mail as the best use of your marketing dollars and the most viable way for your business to acquire new customers.

The reason being is that the need for auto body repair cannot be determined by someone’s demographic or where they live and there is no direct mail list you can buy that breaks down vehicle owners that may need auto body repairs. A vehicles owners need for an auto body repair will typically be determined by a recent event or immediate need they have to repair  their vehicle.
A better use of an auto body repair shops marketing dollars would be better deployed to channels like local SEO, optimizing your google business profile, executing PPC. These channels will ensure you are optimized so that when a prospect has a need arise and they head to google to find a local body shop that yours is at the top of the list.

In summation, direct mail is extremely effective when executed strategically for the right type of business.

To learn more about how Best4mailing can help your business strategically acquire and retain more customers the right way. Contact us today.

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As a direct mail marketing professional, I know having a strong offer on our client’s direct mail marketing in the form of a coupon or special is a major catalyst to entice new customers to try their establishment for the first time as well as getting current customers to come back and become loyal repeat customers. 

However, when speaking to many of our clients, it can be difficult for them to understand that offering a small discount is well worth it when comparing the discount amount to their customers lifetime value. Your customers lifetime value is the amount of money a customer is expected to spend at your business during the entire time they remain a customer. You can easily google “customer lifetime value” and read endless articles on the topic. 

Furthermore, there is still a misconception as to who uses coupons. For example, we often here from our clients in areas with higher incomes, that wealthier people aren’t looking for coupons or that their clients wouldn’t be interested in a coupon. 

 Of course, we know this is not the case based on previous data and many studies that have been done in the past. However, we wanted to refresh the topic with current relevant data and find out how many wealthy consumers use coupons compared to those with lower incomes. Furthermore, we wanted to see if and how these numbers changed based on the product/service being offered. E.g., Are more consumers using coupons for pizza than for auto repair service, HVAC services, etc. etc.  

Therefore, we decided to take four industries (in no specific order) Auto Repair, Pizza/Restaurants, General Dentistry & Home Services (HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical) and conduct our own research to get the answers and provide updated current data to the old question. 

Below we will cover our key findings by industry. If you would like to dive deeper into our survey methodology, how we conducted our survey, parameters to be included in our survey as well as more details regarding these and many other key findings, we have provided a link at the bottom of this article to each specific consumer research and insights report entitled “Cracking The Code.” Cracking The Code is our full industry specific consumer research and insight report that answered these questions to consumers in addition to many others.  

Home Services (HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical) 

We asked 5,818 homeowners: 

 If you received a coupon/special in the mail from a reputable home services provider offering a discount on services and/or product you need, would you use it? 

Results based on income:

Dental: 

We asked 5,842 consumers: 

If you received a coupon/special offer in the mail for dental services that you need, how likely are you to redeem that offer?

Results based on income:

As you can see based on each industry we analyzed, the consumer interest in coupons is high regardless of income and in many cases, those with higher incomes have reported they would use coupons more than those with lower incomes.  

The only outlier to this happens to be in the restaurant/pizzeria industry. Although over 50% reported using coupons for their favorite restaurants, this is the only industry analyzed where respondents with higher incomes reported less usage of coupons/specials than those with lower incomes. 

So quite simply it appears that some of the wealthier demographics are more interested in using coupons where the savings are greater. All in all, the answer to our original question is a resounding YES consumers use coupons and YES consumers with higher incomes use coupons. The challenge for you now is to develop a strategic coupon campaign that will appeal to the market you are targeting.  

Below you will find links to each industry specific consumer insight report that not only contains the details of our coupons research above but is chalk full of other key insights that will help you better understand the consumers you are targeting as prospective new customers.  

 Josh Davis, CRO 

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Key Takeaways

• 51% of consumers reported they use coupons for restaurants they frequent.
• Over one out of every three (37%) of the highest income demographic bracket of $150,000 report they do use coupons for restaurants they frequent.
• Having one generic coupon offer that can be used off many items will appeal to the widest audience.

We’re sure you won’t be surprised that many consumers look for and use coupons at restaurants. The results of our national consumer research and insight report “Cracking The Code,” 9,162 consumers indicate that 51% reported they use coupons for restaurants they frequent. What you may also find insightful is the correlation between consumer income and coupon use. Our latest data shows as consumer income increases, the likelihood of them using coupons at restaurants slightly decreases. However, although reported coupon use decreases for respondents as income increases, it does not mean that wealthier consumers do not use coupons. Over one out of every three (37%) of the highest income demographic bracket of $150,000 indicate they do use coupons for restaurants they frequent.

Which of the following statements applies to you?

Which of the following statements applies to you?

Food For Thought When Considering Coupons For Your Restaurant

• We recommend using at least one generic broad discount that can be applied to all or most menu items, e.g., $5 off any order of a certain amount or more. Generic offers like this have the widest appeal and the highest redemption rates. Narrow offers also work well but should be used in addition to at least one generic broad offer.
• Coupons offering something FREE with the purchase of another item receive high redemption rates. You can also minimize the discount cost by strategically choosing to give away a FREE item that has a lower food cost. The perceived value is high from a consumer perspective because they are saving the retail value of the FREE item, yet the cost to you is much less based on the food cost of that item.
• Knowing your audience is also critical to developing strategic offers. For example, if you are in an area with a high percentage of families with kids and your restaurant is kid-friendly, consider the highly effective Kids Eat FREE strategy that has worked extremely well for many restaurants.
• If your restaurant offers dine-in, consider creating a dine-in-only offer. By getting customers to dine in, you can profit from higher-margin items like fountain soda and upsell customers on appetizers, desserts, alcoholic beverages, and other items, all leading to a higher ticket.
• If your restaurant offers online ordering, consider offering customers a discount on their first online order.
• Always ensure your coupons are legible. Too often, we see coupons that have either too much content or content that is small and hard to read. Consumers don’t want to have to squint to read your offers.

Download Cracking The Code Pizza Industry To Learn More About Your Restaurant’s Customers,

Access Best4mailing’s Latest Consumer Research And Insights Report.

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Key Takeaways

• In every incremental decrease in your online reviews so too does the number of customers that will consider eating at your restaurant
• Addressing poor reviews and working to correct them quickly is critical.

There aren’t many industries that receive more reviews and, in our opinion, more unfair reviews than the hospitality industry. It seems almost impossible to achieve a perfect 5-star rating when customers leave negative reviews because their milkshake contained dairy, their Coke wasn’t Pepsi, their mild wings weren’t spicy, there was salt on their saltines, and the list goes on.

Unfortunately, however, your restaurant’s reviews matter – the question is how much they matter. To provide some additional insight, we conducted a nationwide consumer research and insight report “Cracking The Code,” and asked 9,161 consumers the following:

Based on a Google rating system of 1–5 stars (1 being lowest, 5 being highest), which of the following applies to you?

I would only order from a restaurant with a Google rating of ___ or higher.

Although most consumers aren’t as selective as the 13% who reported they would only eat at a restaurant with a 5-star review, the number of customers who will consider patronizing your restaurant drops as your Google rating decreases.

Download Cracking The Code Pizza Industry To Learn More About Your Restaurant’s Customers,

Access Best4mailing’s Latest Consumer Research And Insights Report.

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In our latest consumer research and insight report “Cracking The Code,” we asked 9,161 consumers which social media site they prefer to follow their favorite restaurants. Based on our data, Facebook remains the number-one choice for most consumers, with Instagram coming in second. It will be interesting to monitor this over time and see how these numbers change as new platforms enter the market.

Which social media site do you prefer to follow your favorite restaurants?

Download Cracking The Code Pizza Industry To Learn More About Your Restaurant’s Customers,

Access Best4mailing’s Latest Consumer Research And Insights Report.

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Are you currently signed up for any loyalty or rewards programs at your favorite restaurants?

You said previously that you are not signed up for a loyalty program – would you sign up if one was available?

The compelling number of 87% suggests it may be worth looking into the ways a loyalty plan can help incentivize more repeat business and increase the average order value for a restaurant.

Download Cracking The Code Pizza Industry To Learn More About Your Restaurant’s Customers,

Access Best4mailing’s Latest Consumer Research And Insights Report.

The post Do Consumers Want Their Favorite Restaurants to Offer a Loyalty Plan? appeared first on Best4mailing.

In our latest consumer research and insight report “Cracking The Code,” we asked 9,161 consumers how often they want to hear from their favorite restaurant about new menu items, updates, special offers, news, etc., and it turns out that it may be more frequently than you thought. Take a look at the numbers below.

How Often Would You Want To Hear From Your Favorite Restaurant With New Menu Items, Updates, Special Offers, News, Etc.?

It’s clear that your best customers want to hear from you frequently. The key is to act, plan, and put in place a strategy that leverages customer data. From there, you can choose a frequency, whether once a week, once a month, or other, and monitor the response. Once you have a baseline, it’s easy to increase or decrease your contact.

Download Cracking The Code Pizza Industry To Learn More About Your Restaurant’s Customers,

Access Best4mailing’s Latest Consumer Research And Insights Report.

The post How Often Do Your Loyal Customers Want to Hear From You? appeared first on Best4mailing.

With more consumers placing orders for delivery and more third-party delivery services, we wanted additional insight into how long consumers felt was an acceptable time to receive their food when placing an order for delivery.

In our latest consumer research and insight report “Cracking The Code,” We asked 9,161 consumers the following question.

“How long of a wait time is acceptable until you receive your order, when ordering food for delivery from a local restaurant?”

We found that 82% of consumers reported anything beyond a one-hour wait is not acceptable.

Unfortunately, if your restaurant is already busy, it’s a weekend, or you are short-staffed, an hour or over an hour delivery time may be unavoidable. The key here is communication. In instances with potentially longer-than-normal wait times, ensuring your counter staff communicates clearly to the customer that their order may take longer than usual is critical.

At that point, if the wait is unacceptable to customers, they can decide to cancel their order. Otherwise, they will be waiting for their food longer than may be acceptable, leading to a lost customer and/or poor review.

Download Cracking The Code Pizza Industry To Learn More About Your Restaurant’s Customers,

Access Best4mailing’s Latest Consumer Research And Insights Report.

The post How Long Are Customers Willing To Wait For Their Food When Ordering Delivery? appeared first on Best4mailing.

Key Takeaways

• Most customers prefer to phone in their takeout/delivery orders.
• More customers prefer to place online order directly from a restaurants website as compared to a third-party site e.g. (Grubhub or Doordash)
• Increase profits by creating a plan to convert customers from placing their orders on third third-party site e.g. (Grubhub or Doordash) to your restaurant’s website

As much as restaurant owners would prefer that customers order online, most still prefer to call their orders in by phone. In our latest consumer research and insight report “Cracking The Code,” we asked 9,165 consumers how they prefer placing orders for pickup and delivery. We found that 52% of those surveyed reported that they still prefer to call in their orders. However, many customers prefer to place their orders online, with 49% of respondents preferring to order directly from a restaurant’s website and only 30% preferring to order from a third-party site such as Grubhub or Doordash. The remaining 1% responding “Other” mostly comprises those reporting a restaurant’s app as their preferred choice.

Interestingly, a closer look at survey respondent age reveals that the older demographic, aged 50–64 and 65+, has a lower propensity to purchase from third-party websites. However, that isn’t because respondents don’t place orders online. According to the data below, the older demographic is almost as likely to order online as younger people. We can only assume this has something to do with the older population not trusting third-party sites they may not be as familiar with. What do you think?

The fact that consumers prefer placing orders directly from your restaurant’s website versus third-party sites is great news. The more orders you can drive from your restaurant’s website, the more you can avoid the high profit-draining fees associated with orders placed via third-party sites.

The key is taking action to get more customers trained to order directly from your restaurant’s website and not from a third-party site.

Download Cracking The Code Pizza Industry To Learn More About Your Restaurant’s Customers,

Access Best4mailing’s Latest Consumer Research And Insights Report.

The post How Do Customers Prefer Placing Their Food Orders For Delivery and Pickup? appeared first on Best4mailing.

With cases of COVID significantly declining over time and less news about the pandemic, it’s easy to forget that COVID is still here and many consumers are still very fearful of contracting the virus.

We wanted to know how comfortable consumers felt in the current environment eating at restaurants that do not require employees to wear masks and/or have socially distanced seating.

In our latest consumer research & insight report “Cracking The Code”, we asked 9,162 consumers how they felt on the subject, and we found that almost 2 out of 3 (65%) reported they don’t care either way or are comfortable with employees not wearing masks.

What Is Your Comfort Level With Employee Mask Policies At Restaurants?

However, a larger percentage—just over half (51%)—still feels that restaurant seating should be socially distanced.

With that in mind, there is also a regional component to these numbers.

Download Cracking The Code Pizza Industry To Learn More About Your Restaurant’s Customers,

Access Best4mailing’s Latest Consumer Research And Insights Report.

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