The average person is bombarded with ads and sales pitches every day. With this constant state of marketing overwhelm, how can a brand capture ad keep customers’ attention and nurture loyalty?

The format of advertising may be the answer. Since offline communications have higher response rates than online channels, reaching customers through direct mail yields better results. Mail pieces are more likely to be noticed and boost customer relationships than digital content.

Learn what makes direct mail marketing so effective for building customer loyalty below.

How Direct Mail Can Increase Customer Loyalty

Direct mail has many benefits, all of which can encourage loyalty in a current customer base.

Get Them Back in the Door

Sending mailers to customers who haven’t purchased in a while can encourage them to return, either in person or online. Incentives work incredibly well with this group and can keep them from going elsewhere for their next purchase.

“We’ve missed you” ads with coupons for something free or a percentage off can bring them back in the door. One clever tactic is offering a free product or service to customers that take their mailer to the store.

Discover Six Ways to Build Real Customer Loyalty for Your Business

Build Brand Advocates

Word-of-mouth is possibly the most effective way to spread brand awareness, with 92% of consumers saying they trust recommendations from a loved one more than any other form of advertisement. Combine that with a bonus for the loyal customer to reap the most significant rewards. Referral programs are an excellent way to balance getting new clients and maintaining relationships and support with returning ones.

Offer a percentage discount on a future purchase after referring a friend. Most brands will also require that the referred customer buy something before the loyal client gets the reward. Ideally, both parties will receive some form of incentive to make that next purchase. For example, you can send a mailer with two coupons or gift cards, one for the brand advocate and one for a friend.

Move Returning Customers up the Loyalty Program

Mailers can encourage new customers to sign up for loyalty programs. Entice them with perks they will receive by signing up for free. A physical mailer will grab their attention and highlight the benefits of being loyal to your company.  

Additionally, mailers could target loyal members close to the next membership level. List the benefits of the next tier and show customers how close they are to moving up. A significant 37% of shoppers are willing to spend more on premium loyalty programs, so companies should do what they can to make them feel pampered.

What Each Mailer Needs for Success

There are four key ingredients that each direct mail marketing effort should include.

• Consistent Branding

Brand recognition is essential to building loyalty. Therefore, every piece of direct mail that consumers receive from a company should have similar branding. The same colors, fonts, style, and language will reinforce the connection between the business and the customer’s experience with it. Branding humanizes a company and encourages loyalty and trust.

• Personalization

Businesses should make their marketing efforts personal. Use segmentation to target certain groups with specific offers. For example, customers are more likely to buy into a new line when they receive an ad for it if they’ve already purchased something similar from a brand.

Also, mailers with a custom message that includes the customer’s name can go a long way to make them feel special. These work quite well for people who haven’t purchased in a while or loyalty program members.

Discover Ways to Achieve Personalized Marketing at Every Touchpoint

• CTA

Marketing efforts are pointless without a call to action. What should be the ultimate customer reaction after receiving the direct mailer? Simply reading it would probably not build much brand loyalty.

Encourage customers to visit a store, interact on social media or refer a friend. Walk each person through the desired journey by giving them an actionable next step.

• An Incentive

Rewards are the most crucial part from a customer standpoint. Customers want to know what the benefit of loyalty will be. People that don’t have an incentive will likely see no reason to interact further with a brand.

Coupons and freebies are great ways to encourage customers. Another option is to incentivize purchases by making donations to a charitable cause of their choice with each purchase. This offer makes the client feel like their values are important and align with the business.

• Less Is More

The most important aspect of direct mail marketing is to be intentional and specific. Use marketing segmentation to target the audience that would be best suited for each type of offer. Customers appreciate personalization and will be more loyal to brands that seem to understand their particular needs.

How Inkit Send Can Help With Direct Mail Loyalty Campaigns

Send is a direct mail automation API provided by Inkit. Integrate it with your current systems to implement automated mail printing, delivery, and tracking. Thanks to it, you will deliver custom print communications based on real-time triggers. For example, when a customer shows interest in your new collection, they will receive a reminder flyer with the selection of products. Such personalization shows customers you value their needs and increase loyalty.

‍Start using Inkit for free to see how it can benefit your customer relationships.