Why Mail this Month? Take Advantage of New Beginnings

 

Post-holiday doldrums. Post-holiday mailings can be a great way to really stand out once the holiday mailing rush has diminished (and people start missing the season's greetings and special offers in their mailboxes). Plus, once holiday season credit card bills start arriving, consumers will be looking for good deals. So some January mailing ideas include:

 

• If you're a local business serving a wide range of customers in your area, use Every Door Direct Mail to advertise your post-holiday specials (consumers have shopping fatigue this time of year, so your special needs to be great)

 

• Tie your promotion into the post-holiday season (for example, send a postcard with an eye-catching photo and bold headline "All those sugar plums got your kids bouncing off the walls? Bring them to PlayZone where they can, literally, bounce off the walls") and remember to include an enticing offer ("2nd child gets in half price!")

 

New Year and new beginnings. For most of us, January is a time to start anew. We make our list of resolutions - all the things we wish we had done differently last year and resolve to "get right" this year. For businesses, too, January is a time of new beginnings - a new budget, a new strategic plan, a new outlook. So whether you sell to individuals or businesses, January is a great time to capitalize on this "new beginning."

 

• Explain how customers' New Year's resolutions could be easily fulfilled with your product or service (if you're a gym, for example, send a newsletter flyer self-mailer highlighting how people can use your gym to easily keep their resolutions; include an introductory offer coupon)

 

• Make your clients aware of important dates in the coming year (including new deadlines for your product or service) with a jumbo postcard designed as the year's calendar, with those important dates marked

 

• Use MailJack to explain how your product or service can fit within your clients' new annual business plans - and mailing a letter to your entire customer list is as easy as clicking "Print"

 

Beginning of the first quarter. More companies mail regularly than mail for specific holidays or seasonal promotions. January marks the beginning of the first quarter - a good time to put out that regular mailer (if you don't mail monthly, you should at least mail once a quarter to keep yourself at the front of your customers' and prospects' minds).

 

Financial Wellness Month - Credit cards bills with the holiday shopping charges will be arriving this month; combined with the fact that January is Financial Wellness Month, it's a great opportunity to offer your customers an "Extra break you need" coupon. If it's relevant to your business, consider sending a guide to financial wellness.

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - January 16. Commemorates the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. You might consider sending a direct mail piece that plays on the concepts of freedom, perseverance, courage, or leadership - all qualities embodied by Dr. King.

 

Get to Know Your Customer Day - January 20. It's not a well-known holiday, but make it an "excuse" to get to know your customers better. Mail a customer survey reply card - that will allow you insight into how satisfied your customers are with your service. And even better, if you ask the right questions, it will allow you to build a more robust in-house mailing list. Remember, the better you know your customers, the better you can target your mailings, and the more successful those mailings will be.

 

Chinese New Year - January 23. The most important of all Chinese holidays. 2012 is the Year of the Dragon. Tie your direct mail message to hope for prosperity and good fortune in the Lunar New Year.

 

Groundhog Day - February 2. If the groundhog sees his shadow when he peeks out of his hole this morning, it's 6 more weeks of winter. If not, spring is just around the corner! Tie your mail to the groundhog's prediction (or, maybe, what your hope is). Or, you could send a mailer just after Groundhog Day to say "No shadow for the groundhog! To celebrate the near arrival of Spring, we're having a sale."

 

Super Bowl - February 5. More than 100 million Americans tune in to watch the Super Bowl every year. Even people who aren't football fans watch for the multi-million dollar commercials, at least. Clearly, if your business is sports related, or your audience is sports fans, it's a great time to send mail, perhaps offering your own "Super" special event.

 

Whenever you mail, whatever the occasion, Click2Mail is here to make it quick and easy. Visit Click2Mail.com today to get started. And if you're looking to plan your direct mail campaigns beyond the month of January, look no further than Click2Mail's Annual Mailing Calendar (now updated for 2012!).  For your copy, send an e-mail to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).