The question is, does every door direct mail still work in 2022? You can either read this blog about my opinion on it, or feel free to watch the video below that dives deep into the topic as well.
If you don't know my background, I started my home service company back in 2012. It's hard to believe it's already been ten years since we started. I became obsessed with marketing and figuring out how to get customers. I had to do it on a limited budget as well because the truth is, I didn't have hardly any money. Every dollar I made went back into the business. I worked my face off for multiple years. Walking neighborhoods every month putting door hangers on front doors. Thousands on thousands of pieces of print marketing until one day, we finally could afford our first every door direct mail campaign.
I was so nervous, it was more expensive than doing it by hand and what if it flopped? We decided we were going to start with 2,500 postcards. Looking back now, it's funny how small that feels. I remember working so hard on the design and offer. We packaged our services to make it look like we were running discounts but it was our full prices. What day of the week should I mail them? What routes should I choose? What size postcard do I pick? These were all the questions I remember asking myself in the beginning.
Fast forward 5-7 years, and we have looked back. We send tens of thousands of postcards every months to the same routes. So does EDDM work in 2022? I'll give you my opinion on it from a user and a marketers standpoint.
I believe it works better today than it did 3 years ago and here is why. Many advertisers have moved their marketing budget to platforms like Facebook, Google, and TikTok. That means a lot of their traditional marketing budgets have been allocated elsewhere. What's that mean for you? It means there is less competition in the mailbox. I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but people haven't stopped getting the mail. This means your postcard has a much better chance of being seen because less marketing material is landing in the mailbox with your postcard.
Now I need to put out a disclaimer. Direct mail WILL NOT WORK if you don't do it correctly. Just like anything, there is a formula that works best and consistency is key. If you go send one direct mail campaign, yes you'll get jobs, but chances are it won't be a home run. But if you choose to be different than all your competitors and go all in, it's a game changer. Send campaigns to the same route every 30 days. Position your offers to look like outstanding deals without discounting your services. Design the postcard in a way that actually converts. There's a lot of small things you must understand to have the right results. But if you can figure out the formula, direct mail is a consistent customer acquisition monster. It's literally one of the core ways we built our entire home service company here in Michigan.
If you aren't confident you have the knowledge and skill set it takes, we'd love to help you with your EDDM. We do design, printing, and will ship them to your front door for a super reasonable price. If there are ever any questions, do not hesitate to reach out. We are happy to help answer any questions
Shop EDDM postcard here
- Matt Smith
Service Industry Coach