Everyone has an off season. The question is, what are you going to do about it?
By way of example, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the related tourism industries are fairly close to our location. January and February are extremely down times in their market. Here, we’ll outline some of the ways we’ve developed to help businesses use Direct Mail to combat this.
Membership cards are particularly well suited to this market. They allow these vendors to offer a “locals discount” without having to risk the tourists getting in on the act. By mailing the cards to local customers, they control the distribution, build affinity and loyalty with their neighbors, and boost their revenue when they need it most.
Mailings of time-limited coupons to the same customer list is also useful and effective. The expiration date has the added benefit of limiting the discount to the off months.
The use of specialty mailing lists and/or highly tuned selections on standard lists can be another good way to speed up a slow sales period. Often partnerships are formed between complementary companies to co-sponsor a mailing. For example, a winery might want to do a mailing to the subscribers of Wine Connoisseur magazine. By teaming up with other wineries they can offer a “wine tour”. They also couple this with a special promotion from a nearby hotel. Now, the cost of the mailing has been split four ways, and the reasons for the consumer to be interested are multiplied. Add in fun passports and prizes, and you’ve created an event!
These are just a few ideas to get you started. Play around with them and see what you can come up with. Remember the main strengths of Direct Mail…
Targeted Audience – You mail to the exact people you want to reach
Controlled Geography – Effort and expense isn’t wasted on people who can’t reach you.
Measurable Results – Coupons, discount cards and offer codes tel you where they came from.
Tangible Presence – You’re giving them something to touch, read and hang onto.