How to Sleigh Your Holiday Direct Mail Campaign

It’s never too early to start thinking about the holidays when you’re trying to market to consumers who do most of their spending during the holiday months. However, with costs rising, you can expect shoppers to be searching for the best deals to put under the Christmas tree. Standing out requires more than another discount—it requires reaching customers through trusted channels with relevant, timely offers.

Direct mail marketing tops the list (tied with email marketing) as the second most influential ad type over consumer purchasing decisions, and 89% of marketers have increased or maintained direct mail investments in the last year. So, if you don’t already have a holiday campaign slotted on your schedule, you should.

The following holidays present a great opportunity for your brand to send a piece of direct mail this season:

Thanksgiving
Black Friday
Small Business Saturday
Cyber Monday
Giving Tuesday
Green Monday
Hanukkah
Christmas Eve and Day
New Years Eve and Day

Keep reading for three tips to develop a holiday direct mail marketing strategy that is sure to drive sales and make spirits bright.

1. Offer a Seamless Omnichannel Experience

Especially during peak shopping seasons, it is critical your direct marketing strategy seals any gaps between your online and offline channels.

Holiday shoppers are moving quickly between discovery, comparison, and purchase, often researching earlier, looking harder for value, and engaging with brands across multiple touchpoints before they buy. If your mail piece, landing page, offer, promo code, store experience, and follow-up messaging do not work together, you risk creating friction at the exact moment consumers are most ready to act—and most likely to choose a competitor that makes the next step easier.

Brands with strong omnichannel strategies see a 9.5% yearly increase in annual revenue and 7.5% decrease in cost per contact.

91% of consumers are omnichannel shoppers, engaging with retailers across multiple channels before making a purchase.

95% of marketers agree integrating direct mail and digital marketing c h annels has a positive impact on campaign performance.

Direct mail’s effectiveness lies in its ability to reach consumers at home, integrate with digital channels, show attributable conversions, and subconsciously influence consumer purchasing positions the channel as a strong foundation for your holiday advertising campaign.

The lookalike models that were built with your direct mail data can be activated across the digital channels your audience naturally interacts with, such as social, display, email, and CTV for a targeted and relevant campaign. The strategic sequence of cohesive physical and digital touches during your mailer’s in-home window will reinforce your message, increasing the likelihood that your customer will act by as much as 120%.

To further polish the omnichannel experience, leverage direct mail personalization tools such as variable printing data (VDP) or personalized URLS (PURLs) to optimize the checkout process. QR codes are an interactive element consumers love that grant direct marketers an option to tell a longer story and gives consumers the ability to digitally engage with extended content such as video or interactive landing pages.

2. Use Holiday Direct Mail to Market Throughout the Shopping Season

Amazon’s Prime Big Deals Days are expected to return early-to-mid-October, lengthening the holiday shopping window that traditionally began during November’s Cyber Weekend (Black Friday – Cyber Monday). With consumers “primed” and eager to shop, marketers can leverage the visibility and demand surrounding these notable ecommerce events to capture sales of their own with a well-timed direct mail piece their audience will find irresistible.

When building your holiday mail strategy, determine tactics to engage with your audience throughout the buyer journey (and even post-holiday!) with loyalty deals and valuable offers.

More than 80% of shoppers look forward to Black Friday deals, so focus on building brand awareness and prompting customer acquisition early in the season. Consider how you can use your mailer to drive behavior, such as foot traffic to your retail store locations with in-store coupons or early access to sales with completed reviews.
Your mid-season direct mailers could retarget abandoned carts or invite lapsed customers back who haven’t yet returned for the holiday season with limited time offers, free gifts with purchase, and complimentary shipping.
72% of consumers say loyalty programs make them more likely to spend on their preferred brands. Activate your CRM data and house lists with a retention mail program to reward loyal customers with exclusive products, unique savings, and store credits or gift cards that can be redeemed in the new year.

Brand and product relevance, environmental impacts, and sustainability programs have a strong impact on consumers’ behavior, especially during the giving season. Younger generations who have the most buying power are especially mindful of genuine and authentic marketing. They will not hesitate to leave a brand that is not reflective of these values in a competitive market.

Nearly three-fourths of consumers notice when ads feature diverse people, and over half say it matters to see themselves represented
Most consumers choose products and brands based on how well they align to their values and will pay more for them.
80% of consumers shop local businesses for a more meaningful experience.

Consider how your direct mail tone, copy, or offer can share your brand’s community, values, philanthropic actions, or sustainability initiatives. Ensure your imagery is inclusive of race, social class, sexual orientation, disabilities, and religious beliefs. Consider using eco-friendly papers and inks to show your brand prioritizes sustainable direct mail practices. Include location maps and local reviews on your mail piece to share your community with new customers. ‘

Wrap Up Your Holiday Strategy

An authentic, omnichannel strategy to your direct mail marketing campaign throughout the holiday season is an effective approach to efficiently reach your best audience and maximize a tight budget.

As the shopping season quickly approaches, now is the time to polish your direct mail marketing program. Working with a full-service direct response agency eases the stress surrounding campaign strategy, list building, creative package, testing, production, and analytics—allowing you to focus on spreading the holiday cheer through bright messaging, meaningful customer experiences, and product fulfillment.

Looking for more holiday direct mail resources? We’ve got you covered.