Direct Mail Marketing Ideas For The Holiday Season

When it comes to being ready for the holidays, this means different things for different people. To the professional marketer or business owner it usually means taking advantage of a typically strong spending season by selling large quantities of your products or services.

Direct mail is a great way to achieve that. Studies show it produces a high return on your investment. In the U.S. alone, direct mail generates a nearly 30% median ROI. When you throw in the fact that Americans are set to spend over $700 billion this holiday season—well, you can see where this is going. Your sales expectations should be pretty high. And that’s a good thing because we’re going to help you achieve direct mail success this holiday season.

We have provided you with some holiday direct marketing ideas you should put into practice to get the most out of this year’s busy shopping season:

We’ve established that most of the people who get your holiday direct mail marketing campaigns are going to at least look at what you sent. Doesn’t it stand to reason that you should go the extra mile to make sure they open it? How do you accomplish that? 

There are ways to help increase the chances your customers open your holiday direct mail piece. The key is to be different. Make them notice you. Yes, sending a box or tube or some kind of “lumpy” mail might accomplish that, but it may not be a cost-effective strategy. Rest assured, there are other methods. Here are a handful to consider.

• Texture. A “regular” envelope can take on a whole new appeal with some added texture. Consider how a raised design element will help increase intrigue.
• Color. Many of the personal cards and envelopes people receive during the holidays are red, green, silver, or gold. If you choose one of these colors, you’re immediately providing the illusion that you’re sending a personal greeting of some sort. Don’t worry so much about blending in. Nobody’s so tired of receiving green holiday envelopes that they start tossing them aside in disgust. They’re going to want to see who they’re from.
• Contrast. To play off the subject of color, take that green envelope and add a bright white, textured snowflake to it. Now you have the best of both worlds. You’ll blend in (in a good way), but you’ll also set yourself apart.
• Messaging. In addition to texture and/or color, a great way to lure your recipients into the contents of your holiday mail piece is the message you print on the outside. Use your imagination and come up with some ways to make the consumer say, “I have to see what this is all about!”
• Handwriting. A handwritten message gets noticed. It stands out amidst our usual daily barrage of emails and text messages. When you add handwriting to your holiday direct mail campaigns, you’re telling your customers how much you care. Try digital handwriting and see the difference it can make.
• Contents. If you have a product that appeals to your recipients’ sense of taste and/or smell, include a free sample. Be wary of potential allergies or dietary restrictions, though. You don’t want to turn something well-intended into a problem. Also, be sure everything is securely packaged and clearly labeled. Other kinds of samples work, too. It’s always a good idea to include a coupon as an incentive to buy for the holidays

Think Outside the Holidays: This means the entire month of November and December—and even a little beyond that. More specifically, that’s Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s opportunities that play into the holiday season as a whole.

Pre- and post-holiday sales events with incentives to buy quickly are powerful marketing strategies. You can offer the event of a once-per-year sale with a limited window of opportunity to make a purchase. You see this a lot with Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Black Friday is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year—so busy that retailers typically start their sales on Thanksgiving Day. Online retailers who want to offer their customers great deals with the convenience of no crowds use Cyber Monday as their big day. After all, from a consumer’s perspective, what could be more appealing than sitting in the comfort of your own home to “clean up” on a holiday sales event?

You can use a similar approach with the New Year. It’s like a second chance for those who missed the mark with their holiday shopping—or a fresh start for anyone else. Let people know they can start their year with a great deal that will make their life easier and save them money.