| Direct Mail Advertising is a great way to grow your | | | | them out. A successful campaign is a bit more |
| restaurant business. Unlike newspapers, radio or TV, | | | | complicated than that. To gain some insight into the |
| direct mail allows you to put your advertising dollars | | | | process, I suggest reading blogs and online articles |
| exactly where your potential customers live. You can | | | | such as this one, which contains ideas and tips on |
| target geographically by neighborhood or | | | | design, mailing lists, direct mail strategies etc. |
| demographically by age, income, ethnicity, etc., or a | | | | Of course, everyone wants to hit a home run the first |
| combination of both. | | | | time at bat, but prepared for some hits and misses. |
| Direct mail advertising also allows you to control your | | | | Every mailing is important and provides an opportunity |
| budget, by the size of your mailings (how many | | | | for you to learn more about your market area. Results |
| pieces) and the frequency of your mailings. | | | | will vary, even if no one responds, that is still a result |
| There are many other advantages, here are just a | | | | (obviously not what you were hoping for) and the |
| few: | | | | result, that no one or few people responded, can be |
| - It's personal, between you and your prospect | | | | used to make a course correction. |
| - It's not as public as other media, your competitors | | | | So, if you have decided to start a direct mail campaign, |
| won't have access to your coupons and special offers | | | | begin with a mailing that is large enough to establish a |
| as they do in newspapers and other media | | | | base line of results, usually about 2000 to 3000 pieces. |
| - It's limited to one mail piece per household, which | | | | Don't be tempted to save money on printing by |
| means special offers will not be abused, for example, | | | | ordering large quantities to be used in future mailings. |
| by prospects buying more than one newspaper and | | | | What if your offers fall flat and don't work. Then you'll |
| clipping multiple coupons | | | | be stuck with the extras or worse, feel obligated to |
| - Response is easy to track | | | | mail them and repeat the results. |
| - You can compare results by neighborhoods and | | | | Direct mail advertising works. It can work for you. But, |
| determine your best market area | | | | unless you are prepared to stick with it, you may be |
| At this point, you might be asking yourself, if direct mail | | | | wasting your time and money. It is going to take some |
| is so powerful, why isn't every restaurant in town doing | | | | trial and error. The good news is, that over time, with |
| it? | | | | experience, results will become predictable. That's |
| It's true, direct mail can play a big role in growing your | | | | when you can expand your efforts, and direct mail |
| restaurant business, however, it is going to take some | | | | advertising won't be costing you money, it will make |
| effort and a budget. It's not just a matter of putting | | | | you money. |
| your menu or a few coupons together and mailing | | | | |