Believe it or not, it is time to start planning your holiday marketing strategy. Now I know what you’re thinking, “I have plenty of time.” You are probably right when it comes to your digital marketing efforts, but what about your end of the year direct mail? The hustle and bustle of the holiday season will soon be upon us and you don’t want to miss your window to deliver meaningful marketing to your customers. Don’t wait another day; get started today.
Everyone loves receiving holiday cards, right? If you’re like me, you probably display them on your fireplace mantle, hang them from your office door, or maybe you have one of those holiday card holders. When you receive a holiday card, you feel happy, mostly because someone took the time to send it. Are you reciprocating that same feeling to your customers? Demonstrate your appreciation for your customers’ business, strengthen your customers’ affinity for your dealership, and create top-of-mind awareness, with holiday greeting cards. Plus, you can almost bet the dealership down the street won’t be sending out holiday cards, which will give you a step up on your competition.
Create Your Holiday Message
First, determine what type of message you’ll deliver to your customers by way of your holiday greeting cards. Will you thank them for their business? Will you present them with a gift card? Or, will you simply wish them a safe and happy holiday season? The possibilities are endless and can be tailored to fit your specific needs to receive maximum results.
Design Your Greeting Cards
Next, decide what type of design will work best for your holiday greeting cards. You can choose pre-printed cards, which are a quick, efficient, and a low cost way to get your message out. Or, if time, resource, and budget allows, you can create a custom design for your dealership’s holiday greeting card. Either way, your piece will make a great impression with your customers.
Target Your Mailing
Once you have your message and design figured out, you’re ready to determine which customers you’ll send your holiday greeting cards to. You may be thinking, “I’ll send greeting cards to my entire database,” but that may not be the most effective way to spend your marketing dollars. If a customer has not been into your dealership for two or more years, sending a holiday greeting card could result in them tossing it into the trash. So, start with customers who have been into your store in the last 12 months as they are most likely to understand your goodwill and reciprocate it with increased traffic throughout the holiday season. Then, if your marketing dollars allow, start going back in time to gather more recipients to spread your holiday cheer.
Timely Reach
Lastly, you’ll want to ensure your holiday greeting cards arrive at their destination in a timely manner. Typically, holiday cards should arrive between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Depending on your mailing postage option, you can determine when the cards should be sent out to ensure they hit mailboxes in your desired timeframe. If your holiday greeting cards don’t make it to your customers in a timely manner, they will appear as an afterthought, which is not the message you want to be sending.
Holiday greeting cards are an inexpensive way to connect with customers. Not only does it show a genuine gesture, but it is a cost effective way to show your dealership cares. You could spend oodles of marketing dollars on your next TV or print ad, but a simple, personal holiday greeting to customers will create a bond with your dealership and increase loyalty and satisfaction. Stop stalling and start planning your holiday marketing today, especially if you want to deliver increased goodwill in the form of direct mail greeting cards.