I know the holidays are about to sweep us all up in parties and gift giving —

But I can’t stop thinking about how fast 2019 will be here.

To help you prepare your business for the new year, I decided to research marketing statistics to help guide where you invest your money for your 2019’s marketing plan.

And the best part:

It will help you SAVE BIG on this year’s tax bill!

Yes, you read right —

I want to help you start thinking NOW about your marketing plan for 2019.

Pre-planning your 2019 marketing isn’t just a good idea —

You can make it a tax write-off for your business and save money.

And SUPER important —

I want to ensure you’re basing your 2019 business growth strategy off cold hard data (and actual case studies) —

Not just “trendy” marketing hype that doesn’t generate leads nor grow small businesses! 

So without further ado…

Here are 8 marketing studies I found —

Most of which, I bet, will surprise you!

1. 98% of consumers bring their mail in the house the SAME day it’s delivered

I was even a little surprised by this, since 98% is just 2% short of ALL people.

Apparently people diligently bring in their mail, according to this survey by the U.S Postal Service. So what does that mean for you??

Consumers are definitely still paying attention to their mail!

In fact:

2. 84% have purchased an item after seeing it in a direct mail catalog

Yup —

This same survey by the USPS states that people:

• Bring in their mail (on the same day it’s delivered)
• Look through the mail
• Read through and/or respond to it
• And even actually purchase something (84%!)

Along the same vein…

3. 80% of direct mail recipients read or at least scan their mail

Here’s why that’s significant:

• 93% of all online inquiries begin with a search engine
• 74% of all searches happen on Google (#1 search engine in the world)
• 79% of internet users use Facebook
• 76% of Facebook users check the platform every single day

What am I getting at?!?

Despite the dependency we all have on digital channels (myself included!) —

People still check and LOOK at their mail!

I found this 80% study on Neil Patel’s blog — who is a renowned digital marketer, by the way.

That’s right:

Even huge digital players (like Google) know the importance and value of direct mail.

4. Direct mail response rates for customers jumped 37%

AND —

Prospect response rates almost TRIPLED both stats from just a few years ago, according to the DMA’s 2018 40th Edition Statistical Fact Book. 

In other words…

BOTH customers and prospects respond to direct mail…

Which makes complete sense when you consider #1 – #3 mentioned above.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

I know I’m the owner of a direct mail company, but hear me out:

My team and I constantly follow small business marketing trends, and there’s been PLENTY of naysaying as digital has emerged.

I’ve heard all kinds of talk about “print being dead” and “it’s all about digital” for almost as long as I’ve been in business.

(Since 1998 — exactly 20 years ago — and would you look at that… we’re still around and just had our more successful year ever!)

The reason I share stats and studies like the ones above is because I’m guessing you’ve probably heard that “direct mail doesn’t work” a time or two…

I mean, two of my most successful clients even said themselves direct mail would never work for them!

BUT:

The numbers simply don’t support the direct mail haters and naysayers.

And then you have tried-and-true case studies like Pride & Prejudoodles.

Pride & Prejudoodles is dog breeder that specializes in a specific type of breed that doesn’t shed or irritate your allergies.

Labradoodles and Goldendoodles are one of the most popular types of these dogs — and they are amazing companions. 

When the owners began their business, they realized they had a unique problem:

People didn’t even know their product existed.

So where should these busy business owners and dog breeders even start?

Here’s the #1 marketing strategy we helped them with when they contacted us:

Identifying WHO is their ideal prospect.

After all —

If you don’t know WHO you ultimately want to ring your business’s phone…

Then how on earth can you REACH them with your marketing?

FREE report: Here’s how to easily find your ideal customer for YOUR business

It’s worth mentioning that the owners had never found a mailing list that would effectively target their ideal prospects…

So we helped them acquire not one but 3 mailing lists targeting the top 1% of America’s income bracket.

This targeted mailing strategy enabled them to ONLY mail postcards to people who could afford high-end dog breeding and training services. (And who might want a dog but be too busy to train one themselves.)

They started out mailing 4,000 postcards per month for 3 months in a row, then doubled their mailings to 8,000 postcards every month consistently.

Check out their postcard front:

Postcard back:

They added Google and matching Facebook and Instagram ads to their mailing strategy to exponentially increase their reach and response using Everywhere Small Business.

Here’s the Google banner ad:

And the Facebook ad:

All of that means:

The same people receiving their postcard in the mail also saw matching Facebook, Instagram, and Google ads across mobile devices and hundreds of websites in the Google network — 100% automatically!

Check out their results:

• 1,047,021 ad impressions across hundreds of websites online
• 2,698 clicks back to their website to see their cute puppy photos
• AND guess what: all their dogs SOLD OUT.

In fact —

They’ve had to hire more staff and to train even more puppies to fill the demand of their growing business!

So if someone tells you print marketing doesn’t work anymore, show them the Pride & Prejudoodles’ case study —

And share this study with them too…

5. 70% of Americans say mail is more personal than the internet

Not surprisingly, people appreciate direct communication over feeling like they’re just part of the crowd…

Which is why direct mail delivered to the comfort of your own home is preferred by 70% of Americans. 

Personalized marketing is surging now that technology makes individual, personalized messages SO much easier, such as:

You’re probably used to personalized emails that use your first name. Well, that technology is expanding out into all types of advertising platforms.

For instance:

Personalized postcards, where the first name of each and every recipient from your mailing list is automaticallyprinted.

Like this:

You can even personalize each postcard so that every recipient receives a different special offer tailored to them —

Like this:

Here’s the good news:

Personalizing your postcards costs sheer pennies extra per piece.

This next bit is interesting…

6. 84% of millennials take the time to look through their mail

Business owners I talk to are usually surprised by this one!

And for good reason — millennials have a reputation for being glued to smartphones…

But that may be why they prefer direct mail according to the USPS Mail Moments Review.

If you’re targeting millennials AND you integrate Google, Facebook, and Instagram ads into your postcard mailings, then you’re all but guaranteed to reach them with your marketing!

7. 64% of millennials would rather scan for information in the mail over email

Again, kind of surprising, right?

Email marketing is best used as a follow-up tool — not as a lead generation tool. I recommend using it to gently remind leads who don’t close right away to contact you.

If you need help implementing effective email marketing, you can grab this:

FREE report: Easily automate your lead follow-up with email marketing to close more sales

So here’s the last stat that might change how you approach marketing in 2018:

8. Customers who see retargeted ads are 70% more likely to contact you

Retargeting ads are ads that follow your website visitors around after they’ve been to your website. They serve to continually remind people of their initial interest in the hope of bringing them back to your site.

Here’s why retargeting is an important marketing strategy:

Your prospects need to see your business’s name and marketing special offer repeatedly in order to

• Remember you
• Trust you
• And ultimately, contact you to become a new customer!

Plus:

Adding retargeted ads — like Google and Facebook ads — to a postcard campaign enables your prospects to see your ads all over the internet yet still hold a tangible marketing piece in hand (your postcard).

Remember:

Prospects who see retargeted ads online are 70% more likely to contact you.

So it’s worth flanking your postcard mailings with these online follow-up ads.

Case in point:

One of my dental clients grew his average monthly new patient numbers 350% with this coordinated offline-online strategy.

Here’s his story:

Dr. Kevin Tanty started out with just 8 new patients per month, yet knew he needed to up his marketing game to drive in more new patients.

After wasting $9,000 on Yelp ads only to see ZERO new patients from that expenditure, he contacted us for help.

Dr. Tanty committed to mailing 6,000 postcards per month — EVERY month.

15 months into his ongoing monthly Everywhere Small Business campaign, here are his results:

• 22 new patients per month (a 350% increase!)
• 1,171,175 online ad impressions
• 583 clicks on his ads
• 369 prospect calls

Here’s his postcard design —

Front:

Back:

Here’s his Google ad:

And here are his Facebook and Instagram ads:

Dr. Tanty’s been mailing for 15 months straight — with more postcards and digital ads scheduled to go out!

Aside from the numbers, check this out:

The practice has become SO busy, he’s brought on another dental associate to assist him, AND he’s planning to open up another office!

I hope these stats and case studies inspired you!

If coming up with a bona fide marketing plan for your business stresses you out, you can grab a FREE sample marketing plan here.

If you prefer one-on-one help, you can contact one of my marketing consultants at 800-628-1804… you’ll receive a FREE customized consultation to find the best strategy for your business and budget for 2019.

Or, you can always email me at support@maximizeprinting.com.

Best,
Tony Joseph
Maximize Printing