Somehow the holidays are almost here, are you ready? As you start to plan out your holiday direct mail campaigns you should be considering how to be different this year.  Both customers and prospects are on the lookout for great deals during the holidays, so now is the time to get started planning yours. Staying ahead of your competition is important this time of the year. Are you ready to get started creating great holiday direct mail?

5 Ideas for Your Holiday Direct Mail:

1. People – Make sure the people you are targeting with your holiday messages are the right people. Your offers need to be targeted and appropriate to the recipient. The better you target and personalize, the better response you will get. Look at your data to make sure you have the information to target people correctly.
2. Fun – Everyone needs a laugh right now, how can you make them laugh with your holiday direct mail? This time of year is full of fun so join in and create a mail piece that is not just an offer but a really fun experience. Think outside of the box about what you can do differently to have more fun with your prospects and customers. It does not have to be super expensive. Get creative!
3. Discounts – Make sure you are offering discounts on items that matter to your prospects and customers. This time of year, they expect it. Remember it’s all in the wording of the offer. Interpretation is the key, so a higher percentage off a lower cost item is seen as a better deal than a lower percentage off a high price item. Target the discounts based on things they are interested in. You can use variable data to make a highly targeted coupon.
4. Sharing – Offer a fun way for people to share the savings with friends and family for the holidays. Consider how you can tie in social media to expand your reach. Perhaps a photo contest or treasure hunt? This time of the year people love to have fun and share it! You can have your message expand well beyond your list when they do. This can really help to increase your ROI and make customers and prospects happy they can share.
5. Giving – Consider donating to a charity on behalf your customers and including a message encouraging them to do the same. Include links to make giving easy.

It’s a special time of year, so make sure that your holiday direct mail reflects the special types of offers customers want. Be creative for the holidays and stand out in the mailbox and get people to respond.  Also, don’t wait for December, be sure to send mailings for Halloween and Thanksgiving too. Really get into the holiday spirit and have fun. Customers will appreciate it.