From Inbox to Mailbox: Enhancing E-commerce Strategy with Direct Mail

Think snail mail is a thing of the past?

We’ve got news for you—direct mail marketing, AKA “snail mail,”—which could be just what the doctor ordered for your e-commerce sales strategy.

In this post, we’re exploring how integrating direct mail into your e-commerce strategy can differentiate your brand and deeply engage your customers in a way that clicks and swipes simply cannot.

So, let’s unpack the resurgence of this tried-and-true method and how it can elevate your ecommerce game.

Standard Ecommerce Sales Strategy Techniques

If you have an e-commerce store, you might use one of the following e-commerce advertising strategies to create more leads and conversions.

Content Marketing

Content marketing is developing valuable, informative content that gets ‘likes’ and engagement.

This content can include blogs, videos, or infographics to educate customers about products and industry trends.

Using SEO optimization in the content is also important in increasing visibility in search engines for the content provided.

Social Media Marketing

Next up is social media marketing.

Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are essential for showcasing products and engaging with your audience.

Another cool thing about social media marketing is that you target specific demographics. Social media sites make it easy since their entire model is based on user data.

You can also encourage user-generated content to keep building a community around your brand.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is another method of selling your eCommerce products. Sending out newsletters, promotional offers, and cart abandonment emails to engage customers are all great methods for attracting new eyeballs to your products.

Segmenting email lists can help you send precise offers to each target group.

Automating email campaigns for improved consistency and efficiency can help build a healthy audience.

Next, let’s take a look at direct mail and the tools you leverage within it to capture leads quickly.

Direct Mail Tools to Capture Leads—Fast!

Sales Letter

One of the easiest methods for direct mail is the sales letter. While it won’t be a fantastic graphic production, a sales letter that is well-written is something your audience is likely to read in completion.

So, how do you make your sales letter irresistible?

We recommend offering something free, such as a free demo, a sample of your eCommerce product, or some discount.

Identify a problem that your audience has, present a reasonable solution, and then offer a freebie. This simple strategy is highly effective with direct mail.

The most straightforward letter mailing strategy should include a one- or two-page letter and a reply card. Remember that your ultimate goal is to ask for more information from your audience, not necessarily to make a sale.

Postcards

Postcards are a great way to generate leads from direct mail. They are easy and print to cheap. For small ecommerce startups, you can print postcards through various online printers.

Ensure your postcard is at least 3.5” x 5” and a maximum of 4.25” x 6”. That is if you want to stay within a smaller budget for your direct mail campaign.

Postcards are beautiful tools for securing a quick phone call or driving people back to your website. They are small and offer little room for copy.

Of course, most people barely glance at postcards and don’t typically read them from top to bottom. Put a powerful call to action on them, your phone number, website, and maybe your email if it fits.

Make the next step for your audience clear, and you’ll fare far better with your postcard campaign.

Flyers

Do you want to save some money on your direct mail campaign? Send out a flyer. Use plain paper, fold it, place your mailing label and a stamp, and send it out.

This clever method is both cheap and results-generating.

It’s highly unlikely that your audience expects you to send them fancy mailers anyway, so why waste money on fancy-looking print mail?

Dodge “ad blindness” with somewhat ugly flyers that don’t look like what your competitors are sending. It sounds weird, but it works.

The only thing we recommend is to make sure your flyer is designed where your website address, etc., is placed on the side your audience reads when they pick it up.

Invitation

What do you think when you get an invitation in the mail? You probably think twice before tossing it in the garbage. At least out of curiosity for whose wedding you’re missing.

But invitations can come in many forms. And we like it because it’s a simple yet effective way to get people to stop and look at your direct mail offer.

To get people interested, we highly recommend you start with a headline like “You are invited to…” and follow it up with a promotion you’re running, etc.

Make your audience feel special, and watch them appear at your online store in droves.

Special Package

If you can swing it, opt to mail a select group of people a special package from FedEx. Inside the package, you should ship an overnight brochure or a sample of the product you sell via your online store.

This sort of package is guaranteed to be opened. None of us can resist opening an overnight package.

Try it out and send a package to a select few customers, and you’ll build customers for life.

Integrating Print with Digital (Best Practices)

But what about your existing digital campaigns? Is there a way to integrate your new direct mail campaigns with your digital strategies?

Leverage Postcards to Point to a Landing Page

The best way to get your prospects to see what you want them to see is through a landing page. A landing page clearly shows your audience the product or service you want to sell them. Because your eCommerce site is cluttered with products and distractions, a landing page can effectively point your audience in the precise direction you want them to go.

But how do you get your audience to the landing page?

Well, you could spend loads on Google ads or target an audience you know wants your products with a direct mail campaign.

Never let your audience wander. Tell them what you want them to do, and watch your direct mail campaign increase your sales.

Use Print to Follow Up via Remarketing

Not every lead closes or buys right away; in fact, as the rule of 7 states—your prospect has to see your brand at least 7 times before committing to a purchase.

The easiest way to do this is through remarketing.

If you have an AdWords account, you should have a large database ready to tap into. From there, you’ll know where your audience is tuning out your advertising and then build a campaign that retargets them via direct mail.

You’ll be amazed by how effective this can be. Use Direct Mail to Collect Email

You can also use direct mail to benefit your digital marketing campaign. Email provides an affordable method to stay in front of customers and prospects and asks them to engage.

For example, if you share the link to your landing page via your direct mail campaign, you can also get customers to connect with you via your digital landscape.

Integrate them With Loyalty Programs

The numbers don’t lie; loyalty programs produce results. In fact, some 75% of US companies with loyalty programs get a return on investment.

Customers respond well to them. That’s just a fact. Also, 83% of customers say that loyalty programs are more likely to make them want to continue doing business with an existing company.

And most businesses know it’s easier to sell to existing customers than to try to make new customers.

All of this is to say it’s important to target your existing customers with your loyalty programs—you never know when it will pay off.

What Are The Benefits of Direct Mail Over Digital Campaigns?

While it’s important to keep both as a part of your e-commerce sales strategy, direct mail does offer some benefits that digital marketing does not.

Targeting!

A targeted direct mailing list is much easier to segment than a digital campaign. For example, SEO casts a wide net.

Google can’t guarantee the audience you want.

But you know where you’re sending mail, and you should know the details of who they are, like age, sex, and purchasing habits. At least, our lists do at BuyLists.com.

Put your ad in front of prequalified leads, and your marketing campaign will fare better—it’s science!

More Eyeballs

A direct mail piece, even one that ends up in the garbage, will very likely be read by your audience. So, the more you send direct mail, the more brand awareness grows in the hearts and minds of your audience.

Relationship Building

The benefits of establishing early relationships are many. It’s important to nurture and educate prospects throughout the sales cycle.

As you do so, your audience starts to see you as the only solution to their problems, not the other guys. And isn’t that exactly what you want?

So, out-position your competitors by building a relationship with your audience through direct mail.

Of course, it’s important not to waste your resources by properly segmenting your mail to individuals who fit your ideal customer. Otherwise, your ROI is likely to tank.

Ready to Enhance Your E-commerce Strategy? Direct Mail Awaits

Wrapping it up, direct mail isn’t just a relic of the past; it’s a breath of fresh air for your customers. It’s impactful, and it’s extremely powerful.

Direct mail's tangibility and personal touch stand out, making it an invaluable tool in your marketing arsenal.

By combining the insights and strategies discussed in this post, you can harness the power of direct mail to capture your audience and drive meaningful results for your e-commerce business.

Why not give your customers something they can touch, feel, and remember?

Of course, it all starts with your mailing list. Check out our e-commerce direct mailing lists, our other list types, or buy a list now.