Reviving Hospitality Marketing—The Direct Mail Advantage

In the bustling world of hospitality, standing out is not an option; it's a requirement. But how do you carve your niche in a market flooded with hotels, luxury resorts, expensive restaurants, and tourism companies on any budget?

The answer lies in the power of direct mail marketing.

In this article, we'll look at how powerful direct mail marketing is by the numbers—not just our opinion.

Whether stepping into the scene or looking to revamp your existing strategy, you're in the right place.

So, let's dive into the hospitality direct mail marketing world to see if we can make your company all the rage with the right audience.

Hospitality Marketing and Direct Mail Marketing

Whether you own a restaurant, travel agency, or hotel, marketing your business is essential.

Because, like with all businesses, without customers, there is no business.

And direct mail may be an underused tool in your marketing belt.

Direct mail marketing can radically transform your business leads and conversions from building brand loyalty to retargeting.

So, where do you start if you haven't used direct mail or only used it sparingly?

How Can Direct Mail Fit into My Marketing Strategy?

So, let's say you have a successful email campaign for your hospitality brand. It's going well; you're getting a solid click-through rate, but your sales are still slow.

What should you do?

You could double down strictly on your digital marketing efforts and see if that helps.

Or… you could add direct mail marketing into your strategy. But what do the numbers say about this strategy?

First, using two channels results in a 35% increase in engagement vs. single-channel marketing.

Direct mail also offers your audience a chance to develop a more robust emotional response since it's proven that physical advertising creates a stronger connection than digital ads.

Direct mail has a tactile component to it. This makes it harder to toss aside without some connection.

Other advantages of direct mail include:

• You can use QR Codes, barcodes, augmented reality (AR), or near-field communication to link from your direct mail to a digital campaign.
• Direct mail is available in various sizes and formats, making capturing the attention of a wide range of audience members easier.
• More advertising real estate makes it easier to deliver your marketing message.

Pro Tips for Combining Direct Mail & Email

-Deliver important info via both channels to reinforce messaging.

-Build on what you communicated through one strategy via your other channel. Harmonize them.

-Break up the expected routine using direct mail.

-Leverage your branding materials in email and direct mail, using the same graphic standards that reflect the same tone of voice and brand promise.

-Use direct mail to spark a conversation with individuals whose email addresses you don't have yet or to follow up with people who haven't responded to your digital advertising efforts.

What's The ROI for Direct Mail for a Hospitality Business?

Now that you know a little about how to use direct mail with your digital marketing campaigns, you might want to know why you should.

Hospitality companies interested in getting a solid return on investment for direct mail campaigns might be pleased to know that direct mail has a better ROI than email marketing alone.

You can calculate your ROI by dividing your net return by the cost paid to achieve those goals and multiplying it by 100 percent.

Direct mail marketing statistics reveal that the average ROI for direct mail campaigns is up to 29%. Clearly, when you do it correctly, direct mail can be highly profitable. The beautiful thing about direct mailing strategies is that you can segment your campaign in any way you like to target any audience.

Not only that, but research shows that your audience prefers direct mail. In fact, 73% of consumers say they prefer direct mail over other forms of marketing.

The evidence is clear: direct mailing strategies work.

How Can I Target the Right Audience with Direct Mail?

Here's a step-by-step guide for how your restaurant, travel agency, or hotel can target the right audience with direct mail.

Demographic Segmentation

-Identify key demographic characteristics (gender, age, income, marital status, occupation, etc.)

Geographic Segmentation

-Target customers based on their location—regional, local, national, etc.

Behavioral Segmentation

-Analyze customer's past interactions, such as purchase history, loyalty program participation, feedback offered, and frequency of visits.

Interest-Based Segmentation

-Segment your audience based on hobbies, activities, interests, and preferences. You can also target by dining preferences, recreational activities, event attendance, etc.

Loyalty Segmentation

-Recognize and reward loyal customers by creating segments for VIP or loyalty program members.

Life Stage Segmentation

-Consider customers' life stages, including newlyweds, families, retirees, etc.

Channel Preference Segmentation

Recognize your customers' preferred communication channels via social media, direct mail, email, or SMS and target them accordingly.

Purchase Behavior Segmentation

Segment customers based on purchase behavior, such as high spenders, occasional visitors, first-time guests, or lapsed customers, to target them with relevant offers to drive repeat business.

Leveraging sophisticated segmentation techniques and targeting strategies, hospitality businesses can ensure that your direct mail campaigns reach the right audience.

What Content Should I Include in My Direct Mail Campaigns?

Creating a successful direct mail campaign for your hospitality business involves including content that captures attention and motivates your audience to take action. Here is a quick breakdown of essential content elements to incorporate:

Compelling Headline

Begin with a powerful headline for your direct mail marketing campaign. We call this a 'hook'. Make it engaging immediately, whether it's an intriguing question, a bold statement, or a promise or value.

Personalized Greetings

At BuyLists, we hammer the advantage of personalization because it works! In a world where your competitors' messaging is extremely loud, personalization is the way to get attention.

Clear and Concise Message

Your core message should be straightforward to understand. Focus on how your product or service solves a problem or enhances the recipient's life.

Eye-Catching Visuals

Hospitality marketing solutions should include high-quality images or graphics that complement your message and draw the eye.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Highlight what makes your unique offer stand out from your competitors. Emphasize the benefits that directly address your audience's needs and desires.

Special Offer or Incentive

Include a compelling offer, incentive, or discount to promote immediate action. Ensure that it is clear, valuable, and easy to redeem.

Clear Call To Action (CTA)

Your CTA should be easily identified and direct. Your audience should know exactly what you want them to do next!

Include these elements in your direct mail campaigns to significantly improve the ROI of your hospitality marketing direct mail campaign.

How Can I Personalize Direct Mail Campaigns for Better Engagement?

While the aforementioned were the basics of what to include in your direct mail campaign, there is even more you can do to increase engagement.

Leverage Predictive Analytics

Take advantage of data analytics to predict the needs and preferences of your recipients. By understanding their behavior, you can send direct mail that is more likely to resonate with them.

Use Variable Data Printing (VDP)

VDP technology enables you to customize each mail piece with the recipient's name, specific text, images or offers that appeal to their interests and needs.

Incorporate Personalized URLs (PURLs)

Create unique URLs for each recipient to track their engagement with your campaign. PURLs can lead to personalized landing pages that continue the customized experience online.

Provide Customized Incentives

Tailor your offers or discounts based on the recipient's previous purchases or interactions with your brand. Personalized offers are more compelling and can drive higher conversion rates.

Use Personal Messaging

A great way to touch your customers is by sending a handwritten note or thank you message—even if you own a big business, hotel, or luxury resort.

Test and Refine

Continuously test different personalization strategies to see what works best for your audience. Use feedback and engagement data to refine your approach to future campaigns.

How Often Should I Send Out Direct Mail?

How often you send out direct mail depends on a few variables.

First, your audience.

A monthly or quarterly mailing might be appropriate for existing customers to keep your brand top of mind without being intrusive. New prospects, however, might want a more cautious approach with less frequent mailing.

Second, your campaign objectives.

If you're promoting a specific event or exclusive offer, your mailings might be more frequent leading up to the event. Less frequent mailings might be more effective for general brand awareness or loyalty programs.

Third, base it on customer feedback.

Monitor how your audience responds to direct mailing frequencies. Increased engagement or bookings means your hospitality marketing strategies are working, and you should keep going. However, a high unsubscribe rate may mean you need to reduce your frequency.

Testing and adjusting your frequencies are great ways to compare the effectiveness of different mailing schedules and adapt based on performance.

What Are The Costs of Running a Direct Mail Campaign?

The costs of running a direct mail campaign vary, like all hospitality marketing solutions, depending on the following.

Type of mail and packaging. Oversized mailers and catalogs typically cost around $10 because of their weight, while standard postcards generally cost 44 cents per card.

Ad design is another element that can increase the pricing. If you're not a graphic designer, you may need to hire one, which can add to your costs.

Printing can also get expensive. Printing costs range from three cents to $2 per piece.

Mailing distribution costs vary based on current postage rates and how much mail you must send.

Keep these aspects in mind when you're calculating the costs of your direct mail campaign.

Bringing It All Together

Hospitality marketing can be complex, but direct mail can be a powerful tool for connecting with customers personally and effectively. However, the success of these campaigns depends on more than just creativity. It's grounded in strategic planning, legal compliance, and deeply understanding the audience's needs.

Hospitality business owners are encouraged to consider the aspects we've shared above to optimize your next direct mail campaign.

And if you're looking for the correct direct mailing list. We help companies in the hospitality industry target the best audience for their business with our direct mailing lists.

We also offer an intuitive user interface, high-quality data, low prices, advanced filters, map tools, and more.

Learn more about our hospitality segmented list, our other list types, or buy a list now.