Direct mail provides potential customers with a physical piece of mail that they will see the moment they open their mail box. There is no immediate delete button as there is with an email. No ad skipping like there is in a YouTube video. No channel changing like there is on the television. No one will know what they get in the mail every day, so they have to look at each piece to make sure it is something they need. They will see your postcard.  

Most auto service shops perform services ranging from inspections and oil changes to fixing brakes and repairing engines. This is not just an add-on; service shops can generate significant revenue. In fact, in some dealerships, the service shops are able to cover operating costs. All those cars driving off the lot are profit. Now, how do you draw in the customers? 

Postcard mailings for dental offices can be tremendously effective and versatile. 

You Have Mail…and an Appointment
This is perhaps the most common use of postcards. Appointment reminders are especially helpful when patients schedule their next cleaning after their current cleaning. Six months is plenty of time to forget when you are in the chair again! This is a courtesy that many patients appreciate.

Specials!
Direct mail advertising through postcards is an ideal way to announce specials or discounts. You could, for instance, offer current patients one free cleaning or a free bleaching. You can also reach out to non-patients. Whether it is offering a free or discounted cleaning or a complimentary X-rays, these mailings are an effective way to spread the word about your practice.

Taking Advantage of Holidays
All that candy, cake, cookies, and other treats! Why not remind patients to schedule their cleanings, or offer some sort of post-sweet treat cleaning discount for non-patients.

Offering Teeth Health Education/Tips
Again, perfect for current and prospective patients, these postcards can offer tips on proper brushing, foods to eat for dental health, choosing the right toothbrush, etc. You can add a line inviting people to make an appointment or come in for a consultation. You are offering something of value for free (the tips) and encouraging new clients to come in.

Thank you!
A simple “thank you” is a great way to let patients know that they are valued. These can be particularly effective for people who have just completed their first visit or who have transferred from another practice. A “thank you” is also in order when a patient recommends you to a new prospective patient or simply at the end of the year.

Working with a direct mailing company can help you explore the many ways you can use postcards to give your dental business a boost. We’ll help you put together the right message for the right audience.

Planning and executing a successful campaign can seem overwhelming: you have to reach the right people, create a list of targeted prospects, design your materials…it not only sounds time-consuming, it sounds pricey! But it doesn’t need to be. Working with a professional direct mail advertising company can reduce the cost and provide a healthy return on your investment. That is plenty of reason to smile!

Not targeting the right audience
If, for instance, you specialize in oral surgery tools, you are wasting your time and money by targeting dentists in general practices. It is essential that you analyze the market and determine where your target audience is. The benefit of a dental office working with a direct mailing company is that this service is performed for you, and the process can uncover invaluable data to help you reach potential customers. This information can be used to design effective mailings as well.

Your message, or call to action, is unclear 
If the recipient of your direct mail advertising has to ask, “What do they want me to do?” it has failed. It doesn’t matter how attractive the postcard is, how witty or clever it is, or that it ended up in the hands of someone who might be interested. If there are conflicting or unclear calls-to-action, your mailing is going to go right into the recycling bin. Be explicit in stating what it is that a customer should do, whether it is email you, check out your website, or schedule a consultation.

Using generic postcards
Boring! And your audience has seen them before…a lot. Another problem is that you have to fit your message to meet the stock graphics, rather than using the graphics to support your message. You are not going to get any leverage in terms of branding because your logo is not incorporated. As a direct mail advertising company, we can offer you a great selection of options or work with you to create a completely customized postcard.

Not offering a “freemium”
We have all heard, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” In the direct mail world, it is “If you can’t send anything free, don’t send anything at all.” Why should a customer waste his/her time reading your postcard? Why should they look you up on Facebook or Twitter? Why should they visit your office or website? Because you’re giving them a coupon! Or offering them a free sample, a discount, a free monthly newsletter on the latest oral surgery tools and techniques. They will see the value in what you are offering and inquire for more information or complete your clear call to action. 

Advertising with direct mail is an effective, budget-conscious method of reaching your audience. If you are not seeing the results you should be, give us a call. We’ll help you get the most out of each postcard.

Direct Mail Advertising
Even with all of the technology at our disposal, direct mail remains a viable and effective method for generating leads for auto repair shops. When you work with a direct mail advertising company, you can analyze the market and target your audience in a careful way; rather than sending randomly, you are putting your postcards into the mailboxes of those most likely to “buy in” or become a good lead.

A two-step approach works best. The first postcard to potential customers should have some sort of offer: it could be a free oil change at your dealership’s service center or a cash back incentive. Whatever it is, it is giving the prospect something of value. The second step is to use another mailing to discuss benefits, overcome reservations, and seal the deal.

Social Media 
This is a perfect complement to direct mail advertising. It offers the chance to engage with potential customers and to build awareness around your brand. Social media can offer a platform on which you can share information relevant to your audience, answer questions, ask questions, build a network, and put old-fashioned word-of-mouth to work for you. Another benefit is that you can “cross pollinate.” You can include your social media handles and profiles on your mailings so people can find more information.

Sharing Valuable Content
Customers want value; and they want to get as much of it as they can for as little as they can. You can’t offer free cars (at least not that often!); but you can offer free information. Tips for taking care of your car; a recommended schedule for maintenance; a post on how to tell if you need new tires; new product information; deal and special announcements; video of test drives…whatever it is, ensure that the content is relevant and well-crafted.

Share this information online, and make it easy for visitors to go from your blog or social media profile to your homepage for a closer look. You can also share these tips and tricks via your direct mailing materials.

Generating leads requires a multipronged approach. Using a direct mail company like Mudlick Mail can help you identify your audience; from there, you can use social media, content, and other strategies to reach them.

Avoid mistakes in your direct mailing advertising with these tips.

• Print A Copy – We live in a digital world that often frowns on printing things out, but the simple truth is that we read differently on the screen than we do on paper. If you want an accurate look at your marketing flyers, print them out. Carefully look over the paper copy with a pen in hand so you can mark any errors you happen to spot. 
• Search for Homophones –You may have been taught to use the word homonyms, but the point is the same. These are different words that share a pronunciation. Think about the words to, too, and two. They’re three very different words, but using one in place of the other is certain to make you look nothing short of idiotic. Pay careful attention to errors like these. 
• Contractions and Apostrophes Matter – Nothing says your business is not worth patronizing quite like a misplaced apostrophe or a poorly used contraction, so make certain you don’t use buy’s instead of buys in your next postcard. 
• Look for Punctuation Problems – Words certainly matter, but the punctuation used matters too. Take the title example from Lynne Truss’ book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. Pandas eat shoots and leaves. When a grandmother in a restaurant eats, shoots, and leaves, you have a national news story on your hands. These are things your customers will most certainly be paying attention to, and so should you. 
• Ask for Help – You should never, never, never proof a marketing flyer on your own. Whether you use your direct mail company’s editing service or you simply hand it to someone else within your own company, make certain you have someone check it after you’ve taken a look at it. A second eye on a marketing campaign can never hurt, particularly when it comes to editing.

Editing can often be the key to success when it comes to direct mail. Make certain you look over your flyers and postcards carefully.

Social Media + Direct Mail = Marketing Success

Many of today’s biggest companies believe marketing has to either be all online or all offline. They often don’t see the value of a dual approach. Those who have taken the step to use both methods, though, see a far higher ROI than they ever thought possible. The key to this entire equation, though, is integration. You have to use one to promote the other, and it works both ways. Sure, you can put your Twitter handle on your next marketing flyer, but you should also issue a tweet about your recent flyer to make sure your followers received it.

Adding Social Media

For many marketers, it all starts with the addition of social media. In many cases, if someone has already taken steps to be part of your direct mailing list, you have the background necessary to put them in the right target audience for a direct mail campaign. Add a Twitter handle to your information phishing form for your direct mail list. You can even send them a personal tweet once they’ve been added. This works both ways too. If someone becomes a follower or a Facebook friend, be sure to add them to your direct mail list as well.

For more tips on how to integrate social media with your direct mail campaigns, contact a direct mail advertising company that can help. With decades of experience in both mediums, you’ll get the assistance you need as well as a carefully crafted list of followers for both the online and offline world.

1. Give a free gift – People like free stuff. Even in a buy-it-now world, people enjoy getting things for free, and this is one of the best was to entice potential customers. Whether you’re a service based business or a product based one, if you can come up with a free one hour massage, travel mug, or USB drive, you may have a new customer on your hands.
   
2. Use short copy to interest readers – People have less time than ever today, and that means that there’s not much of it to waste reading marketing copy. Short, direct texts are the best way to interest readers and get them to stick with you. 
3. Avoid buzz words – The love of jargon is long since gone, and nearly every industry in the country loves to overuse buzz words. Terms like game changer, at the end of the day, epic, and solution just don’t do it for most people anymore. Come up with creative language that carefully conveys your message without the buzz words. 
4. Make it easy for customers to respond – They can’t respond if they don’t know what they’re supposed to do. Make it simple for customers to get back to you. List a phone number in big print. Include a postage-paid envelope. Do whatever it takes to get those potential leads converted to customers. 
5. Use graphics that support your text – Graphics can be great, but they shouldn’t be used just for the sake of throwing in a picture. Make certain that you choose graphics that actually support your text.

Direct mail is absolutely the way to go, but you may need to refine your next campaign based on these tips.

First, it’s important to note that creating that sense of urgency may only come with the second, third, or fourth draft. When you’re creating marketing copy, the first draft is never good enough, so don’t expect it to be. Pour your heart and soul into the first draft, but understand that you’re going to have to revise it to get what you’re looking for.

One of the best ways to make your copy a bit more urgent is to start omitting part of what you’ve written. You may need to trim much of the first part of what you wrote so that you aren’t building up to what you wanted to say. Instead, you’re just saying it.

Along with that, make certain that you leave out any of those needless words. With a statement like “The benefits are clear. Buy my product now,” you can easily leave out at least four or five words to help create the must-act response. In many cases, those needless words will be adjectives, so don’t hesitate to take them out.

You should also move quickly through your copy. Sticking with any given idea for too long will ensure that you lose readers. Remember, with marketing copy, shorter is always going to be better. That applies to sentences as well as entire paragraphs.

You want your potential customers to know acting now is important, and you can do that by infusing that urgent tone into everything you write on your marketing flyers.