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This is that time of year that flies by like a snowball whizzing by your head. Which means Black Friday is looming, and the high-stakes game of holiday selling and shopping begins. What could be the winning strategy—for both sides—is direct mail. 

While the uninitiated might still believe physical mails is as outdated as the flip phone, clearly, it’s not, as the creative and innovative work done by major retailers—Kohl’s, Macy’s, L.L. Bean, etc.—can attest. Using this “old school” approach has shown results are nothing short of spectacular. 

To illustrate, we have here 7 creative Black Friday direct mail campaigns from some of the world’s most famous brands—and some others. But this isn’t just about admiring pretty designs or clever copy. While it’s fun to just see what other marketers are doing, it’s also possible to extract actionable insights from the examples that you can apply to your own marketing strategies this year. 

From the art of creating urgency to the science of personalization, these examples are a masterclass in direct mail marketing. Whether you’re a small business owner looking to make a big impact or a marketing professional seeking fresh inspiration, there’s something here for you. And they’re just fun to look through, as well. 

Macy’s  

This attention getting postcard uses the entire front of the postcard to display one clear call to action and QR code, leaving no confusion for the recipient. 

Image Source: Who’s Mailing What 

Ashley HomeStores 

This mailer is a personalized letter sent in a double window envelope with a fake check to capture the attention of recipient in the mailbox. 

Image Source: Who’s Mailing What 

L.L. Bean 

A classic catalog from a classic brand. On the back cover, notice the personalized Promo Code in pink and unique customer code in yellow, ensuring L.L. Bean can track the success of this specific offer and customer engagement. There is also a barcode for retail whosstores to use if the customer chooses to bring the office into a retail store.  

Image Source: Who’s Mailing What 

Ulta 

The largest beauty retailer in the US sends multiple Black Friday direct mail campaigns, but this one aimed at loyal customers caught our eye. Ulta’s rewards program, Ultamate Rewards, gives exclusive members-only offers during the holiday season. This postcard boasts a simple $10 off offer and lets members know they can claim it either in-store or online. 

Image Source: Who’s Mailing What 

Hogan & Sons Tire and Auto 

Local businesses see great success with Black Friday offers too! This local tire and auto shop knows their customers will be out in force over the holiday weekend, so their offers included oil change and brake specials, a free alignment check, and winter tire specials. Note how they included a map showing their locations, hours, and convenient payment options.   

Image Source: Who’s Mailing What 

Harley Davidson 

El Patron Harley Davidson sent this personalized postcard with the recipient’s name on the front and a gift card offer, enticing a visit to the dealership for Black Friday savings. They utilized a friendly handwritten font to humanize the back, signed by a local team member.  

Image Source: Who’s Mailing What 

Kohls Corporation 

This postcard mailer uses Cyber Monday to capture customer attention. This offer starts before Black Friday and gives shoppers the flexibility to purchase in-store or online. It uses bold holiday colors and fun holiday imagery to connect with shoppers.  

Image Source: Who’s Mailing What 

More Holiday Marketing Resources 

Direct Mail: The Holiday Gift that Keeps on Giving 

FREE Holiday Planning Checklist 

2024 Custom Holiday Gift Ideas 

Shop 2024 Holiday  

By Tim Moran
VP, Brand, Printing for Less

Ghosts, demons, hauntings, psycho killers. . .they’re all the stock in trade of whatever you call it: Samhain, All-Hallows Eve, Halloween. The scarier, the more macabre, the bloodier, the better. Little kids, usually afraid of the dark, even dress up like Jason, or Freddie, or Chuckie. . . for fun. Yep, people like to be scared—when the horror isn’t real, of course.

What you’re not going to see is anyone dressed up like at Halloween as a letter, or a postcard, or box. Nobody ever responded to the age-old party query. “So what are you supposed to be?” with the words, “Oh. I’m dimensional mail.”  

Nevertheless, direct mail and its minions are the stars of the horror flick, “Be Very Afraid… Here Comes Direct Mail.” For some reason, the idea of bringing direct mail into the mix scares the bejeebers out of the most serious and stalwart marketers.  

But, just like the cinematic ghouls and slashers, the fears about direct mail are based on stories and myths from times of yore. Because there is really nothing about direct mail to be afraid of. So, let’s take a look at some of these direct mail “things that go bump in the night” to see what’s real and what’s not.  

The Friendly Ghost

This is a good one. With the advent of digital marketing and email, many believe direct mail marketing to be a thing of the past. C’mon, the world is digital today, they say, and the old analog ways don’t cut it anymore. Well, direct mail is no ghost (and if it were it’d be a friendly one)—it’s very much alive and working hard for quite a few marketers.  

• Direct mail has a response rate of 5.3%, compared to email’s 0.6%

The Money Vampire

While Dracula and his vampire friends are known for sucking blood, there are townspeople who believe direct mail is even scarier—it sucks money out of the budget and the organization. As with any marketing program or campaign, there are some upfront costs, but the ROI can be significant.  

• In 2022, direct mail showed an ROI of 43%.   

The Young Werewolves

Werewolves are often depicted as humans who can transform under a full moon into, well, wolves. Transforming the younger generation into customers doesn’t require a full moon but does call for a fully digital campaign. That’s a myth, too—the stuff of movies and song (don’t be eating at Lee Ho Fook’s, just in case). The reality is that younger consumers are quite receptive to physical, direct mail—they find it a refreshing change from the constant digital barrage.

• 72% of Gen Z consumers say they would be disappointed to no longer receive mail  

The Walking Dead

Some believe that direct mail is nothing more than a smelly, shambling Zombie—a dead thing wandering the night and unable to keep up with all the lively, modern marketing techniques that rule the day. Well, don’t be scared kids—something wicked this way does not come. It’s all just another spooky tale for books and movies. Direct mail has new life, seamlessly integrating with cutting-edge digital strategies to create powerful, multi-channel campaigns.

• The use of QR codes in direct mail grew from 3.96% in 2020 to 34.08% in 2023

The Resurrected Mummy

Much like its mythical cousin the Zombie (see above), the Mummy is said to be another of the walking dead—the embalmed and wrapped corpse of Imhotep who seeks and kills those who desecrated the Canopic jars buried with him. While no Egyptian High Priest, direct mail has lofty goals and a much higher chance of being seen and read than any digital counterpart. It turns out that, rather than fleeing in fear,  people still appreciate the physical experience of opening an envelope.

• 80% to 90% of direct mail gets opened, compared with only 20% to 30% of emails.

Halloween will come and go in no time, and soon enough we’ll be talking about turkeys and wreaths and candles—all stuff, good and nice—and the spookiness will be shelved for another year. But the real horror of it all would be missing out on the powerful marketing opportunities direct mail offers. Don’t let unfounded fears haunt your marketing strategy. Direct mail isn’t a ghost, a vampire, a werewolf, a zombie, or a mummy—it’s a vibrant, effective, and evolving marketing tool that deserves a place in your marketing mix.

By Amber Sikkink
Director of Merchandising and Creative Services, Printing for Less

Welcome to yet another festive season, when creativity meets celebration! We’ve heard your requests for fresh product ideas, and this latest “2024 Holiday Cheer Lookbook” is here to deliver exactly that—just in time for the holidays!

For enterprise organizations, this is the perfect opportunity to thank VIPs, show appreciation to employees, or welcome new customers. For small-to-medium businesses, it’s a chance to drive store traffic, boost holiday sales, or reward customer loyalty. No matter the holiday or the business, our “Lookbook” is designed to offer creative and thoughtful gift ideas that leave a lasting impression.

This year, we remain unwavering in our commitment to showcasing a curated selection of print products and promotional items that reflect your—and our—brand’s values. Our focus on diversity, community, and sustainability shines through with our choice of eco-friendly materials, partnerships with brands that support great causes, and products from women- and minority-owned businesses. You’ll discover on-trend items that make a statement—regardless of your budget.

Maximum Impact This Holiday Season!

When it comes to holiday gifting, keep these four key pillars in mind for maximum impact:

1. Make it Personal: Personalization is essential for showing your recipients they truly matter.
2. Adopt a Tiered Approach: Align your gifts with the sales cycle to ensure they correspond to the recipient’s journey with you.
3. Implement a Persona-Based Approach: Tailor gifts to the unique preferences and needs of specific audiences.
4. Incorporate Evergreen Themes: Draw on the key themes from your major campaigns throughout the year to make your holiday gifts even more meaningful.

Products That Make the List!

Holiday Greetings  

Cost-effective and versatile, postcards are enhanced by the power of variable data. The personalization aspect of this format truly sets it apart. By leveraging any data you have, you can create content uniquely tailored to each recipient, deepening connections and fostering engagement. Use these powerful tools for seasonal marketing to engage customers with crafted messages that resonate.

Brand (the) New Year

Calendars are an excellent holiday gift that keeps your brand top-of-mind all year long. They offer practical use and engaging design, making them a thoughtful choice. Plus, they can feature promotions or QR codes to drive customer interaction 365.

Feed Goodness

Goodies for Good RuMe® Snack Pack: Support women-owned businesses with this gift of goodies, all in a RuMe® Recycled Pouch (with 1-color imprint). This pack includes Effie’s Oatcakes, Lark Salted Caramel Almond Pearl cookies, an 88 Acres Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Seed Bar, East Shore mustard and pretzels, and J&M Brownie cookies. In addition to the edible treats, this kit includes a branded item to ensure your company name remains memorable long after the goodies are consumed! (Substitutions of equal value may apply.)

Pro Tip: Keep these best practices in mind for sending edible gifts:

• Consider Shelf Life: Place your holiday orders in October to avoid potential inventory shortages, shipping delays, and holiday outages. Aim to have all holiday orders placed by October 18th.
• Mind the Temperature: Chocolate and other perishables can melt in warm conditions. Consider your recipients’ locations and remember that deliveries might spend time on warm trucks.
• Batch Sends Only: Edible items are best for batch or bulk sends. Avoid storing them in inventory, as any shelf time can negatively affect quality.
• Choose Stable Items: Shipping can be tough year-round, especially during the holidays. Opt for sturdy products that are more likely to arrive in excellent condition.

Gift an Experience

Cast Iron Skillet Baking Set: Give a gift that is both delicious and functional! Whether it’s cookies, brookies, or brownies, these 5” cast iron skillet sets provide everything needed to make warm, delicious baked treats at home. Cookie kits also include mini chocolate chips. Customize the box with your logo or create your own design. Includes a 4-color imprint on the box.

Toasts for All

Fellow® Ruby and Rocky Tumblers: Introducing the Fellow® Ruby and Rocky Tumblers! Both Ruby and Rocky feature a ceramic lining, smooth internal geometry, and a drinkable thin lip that enhances flavors and aromas for a complete sensory experience. Ruby is the perfect wine tumbler, while Rocky is designed with a wide opening and flat bottom to perfectly fit a standard whiskey cube. Both tumblers boast a unique swivel lid that doubles as a fidget spinner, providing an engaging touchpoint while enjoying your favorite beverages. Each tumbler includes a laser engraving imprint for a personalized touch.

Home for the Holiday

Totally Bamboo Coffee Scoop with Clip Handle and Grounds & Hounds Coffee: Warm drinks and the holidays go hand-in-hand, just like this dynamic duo! The Totally Bamboo Coffee Scoop with Clip Handle and Grounds & Hounds Coffee make the perfect pair for your morning routine. Scoop the right amount of coffee, mess-free, while the built-in bag clip keeps your grounds fresh by fitting directly onto the coffee bag. Each scoop features laser engraving for a personal touch.

The other half of the duo, Grounds and Hounds Soul Pup Coffee, will help your customers start their holiday mornings off right with this rich and savory, medium-dark roast blend. Its complexity features delicious notes of Tahitian vanilla, walnut, and chocolate-covered strawberry. G&H is dedicated to eradicating unnecessary animal euthanasia and improving animal welfare, providing an exceptional coffee experience with every brew! Twenty percent of all G&H profits support rescue organizations working to give pups in need a second chance. Gifts that do good and serve that higher purpose make the holidays that much more special!

Spread the Warmth

Field & Co.® Buffalo Plaid Picnic Blanket: Give the gift they’ll use all year long with the Field & Co.® Buffalo Plaid Picnic Blanket. Featuring cozy polar fleece, foam padding, and moisture-resistant PEVA backing, it’s comfortable and easy to clean. This versatile blanket includes a 10.5” x 4.5” pocket for small items and features laser engraving. Measuring 47” x 53” unfolded and 7” x 12” folded, it’s perfect for sporting events, picnics, festivals, and more, making it an ideal holiday gift for any outdoor enthusiast.

Did You Know? Corporate gifting can increase the likelihood of future business, with 80 percent of companies saying that gifts help improve their relationship with clients, leading to repeat purchases and referrals.

(Source: The Daily MBA)  

Holidays in the Bag

PTX Backpack Cooler: This cooler is the perfect gift for all your customers’ adventures, combining the functionality of a picnic backpack, travel bag, and hiking daypack. With a fully insulated, water-resistant interior that holds up to 20 cans, padded adjustable straps, multiple pockets, and a cargo cord, it’s both versatile and convenient. Each cooler includes a 1-color imprint for a personalized touch.

Let’s Play

Dryfter RC Car: Drive your brand home this holiday season with the Dryfter RC Car, an action-packed thrill ride! Featuring two sets of replaceable tires, it offers 20 minutes of non-stop playtime controlled by the remote (included). Get ready to drift! For adult use only. Includes full-color dome decals on the hood, roof, doors, and rear license plate.

Tech the Halls

iLive™ Cinema Home Theater Kit: Show your VIPs how much you appreciate them with the iLive™ Cinema Home Theater Kit. This versatile kit transforms any space into an entertainment hub, allowing you to project your favorite movies, games, and photos with a powerful 2500-lumen projector that features Bluetooth connectivity and multiple ports. It includes a 120” foldable screen, an 8W Bluetooth speaker with LED effects, and a 42” adjustable tripod for the ultimate viewing experience. Each kit includes a 1-color imprint for a personalized touch.  

Elevate Your Holiday Gifting!

As we embrace the spirit of the season, let our “Holiday Cheer Lookbook” be your ultimate guide to thoughtful gifting this year. With an array of carefully curated products designed to make a lasting impression, you can spread joy and appreciation to your clients, employees, and customers. Whether you’re looking to enhance relationships, boost sales, or simply celebrate the holidays, our “Lookbook” offers innovative ideas that cater to every need. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to elevate your holiday gifting game—Download the “2024 Holiday Cheer Lookbook” now and get inspired to make this season truly memorable!

Recently, Jennifer Bellin, Printing for Less parent company P F L CMO, hosted a virtual event titled, “Beyond the Inbox: Unleash the Power of Direct Mail into Your Marketing Mix.” She was joined by Erica Shattuck, Programs Marketing Manager at SAP Concur. Shattuck and SAP have partnered with P F L on direct mail programs for more than five years. What follows is an edited version of the discussion between the two marketing pros, who talked about, among other things, how to integrate direct mail with other channels, how direct mail can be strategically implemented throughout the customer lifecycle, and how direct mail can foster deeper customer engagement and brand connection.

Jennifer Bellin: Good morning, Erica, and welcome. We’d love to hear a bit about how you got started with direct mail?

Erica Shattuck: Sure. The SAP Concur team was trying to expand our marketing reach to get our message to customers and prospects out beyond the email inbox. Unfortunately, sometimes direct mail can still be seen as an old-school method with everything being digital today. Many of our contacts receive numerous emails and targeted ads every day. So rather than mailboxes filling up with endless promotional messaging, now email in-boxes are filling up the same way.

But we’ve seen a shift in the market, where sending direct mail is seen once again as a welcome and effective approach to connecting with our customers and prospects. In my role as program manager, I’ve had the pleasure of partnering with P F L over the last five years to design innovative and integrated direct mail programs that resonate with our target audiences and align with all stages of our customer lifecycle.

JB: Well, thanks. That’s great to hear. We’ve loved working with you, too. We’ve had some great opportunities to share ideas and collaborate. Let’s look at a couple of different customer lifecycle marketing models. There are hundreds out there if you look online, so just pick one that works best for your organization. The hourglass one tends to resonate more with B2B organizations because the purchasing path is more linear and takes longer than it does for B2C. The circular model resonates more with B2C because those buyer interactions are, ideally, a continuous cycle of frequent purchases and frequent brand engagements. All that said, Erica, could you share how direct mail fits into your team’s omnichannel marketing focus?

ES: On my team’s side of the house, we focus on the top and middle stages of the funnel, while other teams within marketing focus more down-funnel. We incorporate direct mail as a supplementary tactic that’s integrated into our awareness and consideration campaigns. Additionally, we offer sales direct mail kits that they can send out to their contacts as part of their conversion and retention efforts.

JS: It’s great to involve sales. Now let’s look at some real-life examples of campaigns. How about the awareness-stage strategy around sustainability. Can you share a little bit about this one, Erica?

ES: This kit was part of a multitouch sustainability campaign to our targeted industries’ customers. We had received feedback as part of our yearly survey that sustainable business travel was a key concern as people returned to the office post-pandemic. However, they were unsure of how to reach sustainability goals and how to put new practices into place.

This kit was designed to show that there are SAP Concur solutions that can equip them with the tools they need to achieve their goals. We were very mindful to craft the messaging in a way that wasn’t greenwashing, but rather a presentation of facts and an acknowledgement that this is an important issue for companies. You don’t see it on the slide, but we included, on the sides of the box, some eye-opening stats from the corporate travel sustainability index to really grab recipients’ attention.

We also included a blurb about SAP’s commitment to sustainability to let them know that we’re walking the walk, so to speak. We also felt that it was important to include on the backside a call-out that SAP Concur works with a direct mail vendor— P F L—that’s an authorized partner of PrintReleaf. We also noted that the box and packaging that they received is 100 percent recyclable.

Our giveaway inside this kit was a modern sprout-rooted candle, which is a soy-based candle. It came with a packet of seeds that would allow the recipient to grow a thyme plant once the candle had been used up. We also included a QR code on the postcard that directed them to the sustainability resource page on our website.

JB: I just love this campaign—it’s so creative, so thoughtful. Many of our customers are focused on sustainability, and it is a big focus for Printing for Less. I love that you mentioned our PrintReleaf partnership. It’s important to us. The next campaign looks like an engagement-stage tactic. Can you tell us about your virtual events mailer?

ES: You’re right. The goal of this mailer was to drive engagement and increase the attendance rate at our virtual events. We found that during the pandemic—when all of our events became virtual events—we saw high registration numbers but lower attendance rates. We wanted to decrease that attrition rate by reminding registrants that they signed up for the virtual event and to keep our event top of mind.

 

This is a trifold mailer that was automated to be sent out to those who registered for the virtual event to the address we had on file. Through automation, we were able to set up customized fields that populated and printed the event details, the date, the time, and a link to a QR code directly onto the mailer. When scanned, that QR code directed them to our virtual event platform for that specific event. The mailer included a mini bag of popcorn for them to enjoy as they watched the presentation. I’m pleased to report that with this mailer, we saw a 20 percent higher attendance rate for our virtual events compared with the registrants that did not receive the mailer.

JS: Excellent success rate! We’ve seen that too, actually. We sent out chocolate bars a while back to individuals who had registered for a webinar, and we definitely saw an increase in attendance. I think it’s a great strategy. This next campaign we’re looking at aims at the consideration stage. It looks like an event follow-up.

ES: Exactly. The purpose of this kit was to serve as a follow-up to our virtual events as well as work as a lead-in for sales so that they can start a conversation. Due to the smaller box size, we opted not to include a postcard but instead included messaging on both the inside and outside of the box.

On the outside, we said: “The webinar might be over, but there’s still plenty to chew on.” On the inside we wrote: “We hope our webinar gave you some food for thought.” Both of these messages were a play on the giveaway inside of the kit—a jar of Sugar Spot gummy candies. On the inside top of the box, we had a QR code that directed the recipient to a custom landing page where we hosted a recording of the virtual event, as well as links to related sources.

The custom landing page is hosted on our end, so we’re able to update it for different virtual events. With the flexibility of this landing page—along with the design of the kit, which is not about one specific event—we’re able to leverage this as an evergreen kit to use for many different virtual events as a follow-up tactic. With this kit, we send a batch list over to P F L for fulfillment rather than through total automation, since we have filtering that we do on the backend to remove anyone from our attendee list that may have received that kit before.

JB: That’s very smart, and I love that it’s evergreen. I think many of our customers could benefit from doing that, where they have something that can fit lots of use cases rather than having to re-kit or create new content all the time. The next one looks like a consideration and conversion stage piece. Is this for sales enablement?

 

ES: Yes, it is. One of the reasons we started working with P F L was because you have technology that allows our reps to send direct mail to their contacts right from our CRM. They can do it as they see fit, rather than waiting for marketing to send direct mail on their behalf.

So, we created a store that had many different types of direct mail kits available to them—from solution-specific to what we call self-serve kits— that they can leverage for all of their account- planning needs. We knew that this tactic was going to be very beneficial in helping them open the door for conversations and then closing deals.

In addition to having an enablement session demoing how to do it all, we created this enablement kit to explain the benefits of leveraging direct mail in their account planning, as well as show them an example of what they would be sending to customers. In this kit, we included a Jenga set, which tracks with the messaging of building your business with direct mail. There’s also a printed booklet that shows, step-by-step, how they can order direct mail through our CRM.  

JB: That’s pretty clever. How about one, now, from P F L. This is a campaign that hits several stages, from consideration to conversion to customer. It’s what we call an “in-funnel-triggered program.” We’ve been running this program for the last couple of years, and it begins once a prospect agrees to meet with one of our sales reps. Once the meeting is set, we send a coffee self-mailer. There’s a QR code that goes to our “Idea Book” for them to learn more about how they might work with us. We’ve found that recipients are 15 percent more likely to attend the meeting versus postponing or canceling.  Overall, we’ve been really pleased with those results.

The next play occurs once someone has met with us, and they’ve moved further into the sales funnel—a sales qualified lead (SQL). We send to these folks what we call a “Rocket Book”—actually a digital notebook. With this we’ve seen people move to the next stage in the sales funnel 35 days faster than did those who didn’t receive this mailer. The triggered mailers continue once someone is in contract and then once when they become a customer. Now, Erica, tell us about this engagement and loyalty stage campaign you’ve created with poker chips.  

ES: Fusion is our in-person flagship event that we host every year for our customers. The day before this three-day event, we host a community forum for our targeted industry’s customers that’s exclusive for them and their industry peers. When we send out our invitations for Fusion, we send separate invites for the forum. Sometimes customers miss that invite and forget to sign up, or they think that they’ve already signed up when they signed up for the broader Fusion event.

To make this all work better, we sent a custom die-cut mailer to our targeted customers who registered for Fusion, but who didn’t register for the industry forum. This mailer included all the details for the forum along with two QR codes—one that linked to the registration page for the overall event and one that linked to our industry site, encouraging them to join if they haven’t already.

Since Fusion was in Las Vegas that year, we decided to lean into that theme and include a printed poker chip in the mailer stating that if they’d registered for the forum and brought the chip with them, they would receive an on-site gift as a “thank you” for attending. There was a printed tote that we handed out to the forum attendees, which was a huge hit—everybody wanted one.

JS: Tote bags are so popular at conferences, aren’t they? This is a campaign that everyone can replicate, I think. Anyone who has a big event with challenges getting people to sign up for all the different functions. Kudos to you.

Here is one more campaign that we’ll share today—another P F L campaign—addressing the retention and advocacy stages. We have a big focus on customer inspiration and engagement at P F L, and, in Q1 this year, we did a chocolate bar mailing that had significant results. Our campaign focuses were, one, to introduce our “More than Mail” campaign theme for 2024. Second, we wanted to educate customers about how to run a two-touch campaign. This was a way to actually demonstrate it to our customers. Finally, of course, we wanted to increase pipeline engagement and retention.  

So, how did this work? We sent customers a “golden ticket” mailer that allowed them to go online to select a chocolate bar and send it to a friend. In return, the customer also received a chocolate bar as a surprise “thank you” for participating. We actually generated 74 marketing-qualified leads (MQL) from this campaign, which was almost 150 percent of our goal. What can I say? People love chocolate as much as tote bags. It was very well received. One caveat: Make sure you run any campaign with chocolate in the cool weather. Melted chocolate is not a good customer experience. This is definitely a Q4 to Q1 campaign.

Next time, Part 2 looks at how all this fits into the customer maturity curve.

By Kyle Payton, General Manager, ThriftCart 

Starting up and then running a small business is complicated. It can involve complying with legal requirements, renting a storefront, purchasing inventory management software, designing your products or services, and so much more. However, none of that matters if you’re unable to market your business well enough to attract customers. 

Whether you want to acquire new customers or retain existing ones, your business requires a thorough marketing plan tailored to the needs of your audience. Let’s look at four dependable marketing strategies that will help you grow your reach and boost sales. 

1. Create Customer Personas 

Before you can revamp and improve your existing marketing strategies, you must first understand your customers. Start by creating customer personas— profiles of target customers that help marketers understand the audience—to design messaging, customer journeys, service experiences, etc., that will appeal to your ideal audience. 

Each persona should include the following information: 

• Demographics: Determine the age, gender, location, education level, occupation, and income level. 

• Interests and desires: Find out as much as you can about hobbies, core values and beliefs, and lifestyle choices. 

• Purchasing behavior: Does the customer prefer to buy in-store or online? Do they put a lot of effort into researching a product before they purchase or are they an impulse buyer? How loyal are they to brands they’ve purchased from before? 

• Marketing preferences: How does the customer prefer to be communicated with? Which channels do they use? How frequently do they want to receive communications? Are there any key individuals they’re influenced by? 

For example, let’s say that you run a thrift store. Your customer persona might look like this: 

Ashley is a woman in her 30s who lives paycheck to paycheck. She’s owned most of her clothes for a very long time and is looking for a way to spruce up her wardrobe on her very limited budget. She’s looking for thrift and resale stores in her area that stock reasonably priced and stylish clothing. 

Since she’s on a budget, Ashley always knows exactly what she wants to buy when she goes shopping. She prioritizes high quality over everything else, knowing that these clothes must last her a long time. As such, she makes sure to shop in-store so she can feel the materials and take her time choosing0 and trying on items she’s interested in. 

Ashley doesn’t spend a lot of time on social media, but she does check her email frequently and is open to receiving direct mail from businesses she’s interested in. 

Not only will this persona help you determine what type of marketing channels to use, but it will also help you shape the direction of the message. In this example, the thrift store might emphasize the impeccable quality of their clothing to bring individuals such as Ashley into the store. 

If you don’t have enough information from your existing data to complete a persona, try tapping external data sources. More information about your potential customers will help you create thorough and accurate personas, resulting in more successful marketing campaigns. 

2. Build Your Online Presence 

After identifying and creating your customer personas, it’s time to build your online presence. Your website is one of the first places potential customers stop to learn more about your business and your products and services. Ideally, your website should be: 

• User-friendly and easily navigable 
• Well-branded 
• Mobile-responsive 
• Search-engine optimized 

Be sure to include compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) pointing to key pages on your site. For example, if you sell a service, add CTAs that take visitors to your bookings page. If you sell software or other technology, direct viewers to book a demo with your team. It’s a little trickier If you sell products, but with the right e-commerce capabilities, you can direct viewers to the pages from which they can make a purchase. 

3. Don’t Overlook Direct Mail Marketing 

In an increasingly technological world, most marketing best practices point to digital channels, such as email and social media. While those channels are valuable for reach, don’t underestimate the power of direct mail for engagement. Because of very real “digital fatigue,” sending a postcard, letter, or catalog can successfully capture a prospect’s or customer’s attention. 

Here are a few types of direct mail you might consider using as part of your small business’s marketing strategy: 

• Postcards 
• Letters 
• Brochures 
• Catalogs 
• Dimensional mailers 
• Newsletters 

But don’t be afraid to incorporate digital marketing elements into print marketing as well. For example, you can direct interested individuals to your website by adding QR codes to your direct mail materials. Since you don’t want to overwhelm recipients with mailers that are pages and pages long, this is a great method to hook them in while still helping them conveniently explore all your offerings. Include your most popular services and products in your direct mail materials and encourage the viewer to scan the QR code to check out everything else you sell. 

4. Implement Referral Programs 

According to MassageBook, referral programs are a great way for small businesses to incentivize their customers to make a purchase. These programs take many forms: 

• Customer referral programs: When most people think of referral programs, this is what they have in mind. In a customer referral program, customers will send their friends and family to your business. Usually, both the customer and the referred individual will receive a discount when the latter makes a purchase. 

• Social media referral programs: This runs similarly to customer referral programs but leverages the power of social media. You’ll ask customers to share a referral link through their social media, giving them a small incentive to do so. When their peers click on the links and make a purchase, the original customer will receive another bonus. 

• Affiliate referral programs: Here, you’ll partner with a well-known individual or influencer. The affiliate will promote your business’s products and services, usually in exchange for a commission on sales generated through their referrals. The individuals they refer also receive a discount on their purchases. 

Further Develop Your Strategy 

Use the results of these programs to further develop your marketing strategy. ThriftCart notes that a robust point-of-sale solution allows you to store customer information, such as contact details and purchase history. This means that once a referred individual makes a purchase, you can record key information about them and use it to refine your customer personas. Then, adjust your marketing strategy to better cater to your audience and convert them into loyal, repeat customers. 

Regardless of what stage of the customer lifecycle an individual is in, your small business needs dependable, effective marketing strategies to keep them engaged. Evaluate your current marketing plan and assess it for any weaknesses. Then, adjust as necessary to create campaigns that drive the results you want to see and ultimately boost your business’s profitability. 

ThriftCart is an all-in-one point-of-sale product assisting nonprofits and small businesses in navigating the complexities of retail.