Direct mail is a marketing tactic that lends itself well to implementing and offering coupons to customers. But what is the best way to create a coupon offer? How can you ensure your coupon does its job and gets people in the door? Our tips below will help you make the most of your direct mail coupon campaign, so keep reading to find out!
Creating A Compelling Coupon
A coupon offers prospective customers good incentive to make a purchase or contact a company for more information, and can help convert leads. While the discount alone is a good motivator for action, there are some additional things you can do when designing a coupon to encourage its success.
Keep It Concise
Coupons perform best when the text, or copy, surrounding the offer is very clear and concise. A single sentence or a few words will suffice, and the goal is to tell the recipient exactly what deal they are getting and how to use it. It’s also advised to use big print when possible, to highlight important messaging.
Use A Direct CTA
Similar to keeping it concise, implementing a strong call to action is an effective way to get your prospect to do exactly what you want them to. If the coupon is designed to be used in store, tell them to redeem the offer in store. If it’s designed to get them to go online and complete an interest form, or to give you a call, tell them how to do that. If they know what to do and it’s easy, they are much more likely to complete the desired action.
Use A Picture
While messaging is important, imagery is too. As with any direct mail campaign, one great benefit is that the piece is tangible, and beautiful imagery (printed on quality paper) can have a strong impact on catching a prospective customer’s eyes. This applies not only to a campaign in general, but also to coupons. Using compelling imagery helps your offering sell - whether that offering is a mouthwatering piece of pizza or a beautiful new home.
Make It Timely and Include an Expiration Date
While coupons can be offered any time of the year, a best practice is to offer a coupon around an event and during a restricted time frame. This could mean tying your offer to a holiday, season, or new product release. Additionally, it’s important to implement a deadline for the coupon to be used. Set an expiration date on the coupon, or limit the offer (for example, to the first 100 people who call). When people feel their time is limited, a principle called scarcity, they are more likely to act and to act quickly.
Include Tracking
We talked about tracking in a previous post, and it’s essential you track your coupon. This allow you to gauge the effectiveness of your campaign, which you’ll want to do as you’re spending precious time - and budget - on it. There are a few quick and easy ways to track sales or referrals that come directly from a coupon, which can be viewed here.
Target The Coupon
As with any piece of direct mail, you’ll want to make sure your coupon is targeted directly to the audience that makes the most sense. Sending your coupon to the people who need your product and service ensures it’s just the bump you need to get them in the door.
With these tips, your coupon campaign is sure to be a success!