This year has been crazy to say the least. As a small business owner, you’ve no doubt experienced ups and downs more than usual, but there’s a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. It looks like things will improve in 2021 for small business marketing, and you want your business to be ready to grab more of the right customers.
In your marketing plan, you may be debating which and how many channels to use to reach these potential leads. Here’s a crazy, yet effective, idea—use all of them! Read on to learn step-by-step how to integrate digital and direct mail marketing to bring in more business and make sure you’re getting the most return on your investment.
Start with Direct Mail
Although it may seem outdated in this increasingly digital world, direct mail marketing is still very much alive and well. In fact, it usually drives a higher response rate than email, PPC, and social media ads combined. A well designed and planned postcard gives potential customers something to touch as well as look at, making your business feel more concrete and reliable. It also serves as a model for the appearance of your other ads.
Coordinate Social Media Ads
Obviously, in order to get your business in front of your target customers, you need to have a strong online presence—where they are. It is estimated that 69 percent of Americans are Facebook users, which means that placing ads on social media sites is a great way to attract their notice.
Using your mailing list, you can match records to user profiles on the Ad Manager. This helps you specifically target prospects from your postcard campaign and people who visited your website but didn’t convert.
Match Google Ads
Like social media, Google is a huge part of everyday life, which means you’ll want to integrate this marketing into your strategy. Did you know that 90 percent of consumers use Google to search for local businesses? And one in every three smartphone searches ends with a store visit.
Although you should create a Google My Business page, you can also take advantage of Google Ads, which can reach up to 90 percent of sites on the internet. Once a consumer has visited your site, they can see ads for your business on ESPN, CNN, and other Google partners, helping to increase your chances of conversion.
Don’t Forget Gmail Ads
At first glance, you may think you don’t need to send out ads to Gmail users, especially if you’re utilizing a Google Ads campaign. However, people tend to check their email for more than 5 hours every day on average. Since Gmail takes up 28 percent of the consumer market share in emails, focusing on Gmail ads is a safe bet to reach your desired audience after they receive your direct mail.
Ultimately, you want to use every possible arrow in your quiver in order to bring in more customers. By taking advantage of all the channels mentioned above, you can make sure your marketing truly works for you and helps your business succeed in the coming years.
About Strategic Marketing Solutions
Strategic Marketing Solutions is a full-service marketing company that specifically serves small, local businesses. We specialize in creating a complete marketing campaign, including direct mail, PPC ads, and other channels. In addition, we also provide call tracking to help report the response rate of our marketing. If you would like to learn more about our services, you can contact Strategic Marketing Solutions by clicking here.