Buyers are still looking for three main things when shopping in-store; a connection with the brand, convenience, and a great product deal. The key to delivering what your customers expect lies in strategic direct marketing approaches. So how can you engage current customers, gain new ones, and maintain their loyalty? We’ve compiled some tips and tricks below!
- Personalize your brand! Everyone loves a great deal, but personalizing that experience closes those deals. Both online and offline people look for the human interaction that sets your business apart from the rest. Make sure to present images of store managers, floor personnel, assistants and owners through your messaging. Interjecting your personal touch on all that you do keeps your customers coming back.
- Make sure to customize your copy! Pull geographical details, local and provincial imagery, calendar events and certain locational key words to let your customers know that your message was specifically meant for them. Go beyond just putting the consumer’s name on a form or email, it truly makes the difference.
- Find ways to relate to your customers. Go beyond text and lay out visual cues that a consumer can relate to. Relevant product imagery in your store can be put into digital media and mail to bring your brand from boring to beautiful!
- Deliver content that has value to the consumer. From direct mail, catalogues, newsletters, and digital ads – people crave information. So when you’re delivering ads to your consumers make sure they include product or service knowledge to empower them.
- We all want to inspire our buyers. Add meaning to your product or brand through your ad’s copy. Does your message answer the following questions?
- How does this product or brand work?
- How will it make me or my life better?
- How can this product or service solve my problems?
- How will it make my life easier/better/more interesting/more convenient?
- Engage your consumer with a game. Most consumers love to play games when there is a reward involved. Both online and offline, games can be a great tool for gathering additional data. From quizzes, to contents, to puzzles and trivia – there is always an option to engage consumers beyond a product description.
- Coupons have long been a way to drive consumers into stores both online and in person. Coupons today can be customized with PURLs and codes to help track buyer activity online and offline. Drive your customers to shop at their convenience with a discount!
- Loyalty programs have become a trading platform where consumers can receive value and discounts in exchange for personal information. It’s a great way to target your ideal audience and continually drive these consumers into your space.
- Retarget consumers who abandon carts while online shopping with pixel tracking. After combining a buyer’s IP address with GPS technology you can target social ads and emails to the consumer encouraging them to finish their purchase.
- Trigger programs target messages to clients before, during, and after key points – birthdays, thank you’s for purchases, upselling after abandoning carts etc. These are ideal for optimizing store visits, but be careful not to overdo it and fatigue the reader. Use this technique sparingly to maintain your personalized level of service
- Invest in omnichannel marketing such as intelligent mail barcoding, target analytics and digital mapping. Identify and engage your customers before they ever enter your store. BNP Beyond Mail utilizes the most advanced omnichannel marketing tools to bring your business to the next level.
- Deliver the best creative you can. Utilize web designers, copywriters, and display ad artists to amplify your brand through clear branding and tone guidelines. Prepare for their advice and diverse approaches – they’ll have ideas you’ve never even thought of!
- Make sure to energize your staff about all your direct marketing promotions so all customers receive a uniform experience. Channel this energy to encourage repeat visits and engage new and old customers alike.
In order to be successful with your customer’s journey both brick and mortar as well a digital storefronts are essential. Though our ultimate goals of the best customer experience has not changed, the way we reach our customers has evolved and expanded with the times. We’re now bringing together traditional media like direct mail with services such as email and targeted social ads to inspire new purchases. We have the ability to access more customer data than ever before and we’re finding new ways to leverage this information to benefit our customers and our business by creating an engaging experience for all. Contact us today for your free quote!