How CBD Brands Can Benefit from Direct Mail Marketing

In 2021, when there are innumerable digital ways to stay in touch with customers and attract prospects, many may miss out on the benefits of direct mail marketing. Even though it may sound outdated for some, it still is a highly effective way to boost sales and attract more customers. Although your digital marketing plan is crucial for your CBD brand, investing in direct mail marketing can help increase your sales and drive more traffic to your store, even if it’s online. Direct mail response rates range from five to nine times greater than email, paid search, or social media. So when done right, it can be beneficial to your CBD brand and help your business grow.

Why Is Direct Mail Marketing Still Effective?

Direct mail marketing remains one of the most effective ways to promote your CBD brand, especially after the COVID pandemic. Thirty-seven percent of consumers now say they are more excited to receive mail today than before the coronavirus outbreak. Among those surveyed, 30% are spending more time reading marketing or promotions they receive through direct mail marketing. Even if you haven’t yet given a try to this marketing channel, you probably have created email marketing campaigns to increase sales and gain more customers. Direct mail marketing is very much the same as email marketing, but you deliver the message physically to your prospects’ mailboxes. The correspondence you send can be postcards, catalogs, flyers, etc., all of which should include a call to action (CTA) and a way to contact you.

There’s Less Competition with Direct Mail

Although the internet is where you can find most of your prospects, it’s a crowded place. You are perhaps among hundreds of CBD companies who send promotional emails to your prospective customers who sometimes may not open your messages and read about your offers.

Because so many believe offline marketing methods are outdated, not many use them. Significantly few CBD companies invest their resources in direct mail marketing, so there’s much less competition. While there are hundreds of emails in your prospects’ inboxes, there might be just a few letters in their mailboxes. It means that there might be much less competition compared to some digital marketing channels.

Direct Marketing May Increase Brand Exposure

The lower competition may cause more engagement, as someone may not open their cluttered inbox but will want to check out your beautiful postcard they can physically touch, which is lying in their empty mailbox. As a result, more people learn about your CBD brand so you can increase brand exposure, build trust, and increase sales. It’s crucial to craft the message of your CBD brand carefully so your prospective clients understand what to expect from your products.

With Direct Mail Marketing, There’s More Room for Creativity

With direct mail marketing, you can get as creative as you want to be. You can craft a unique and eye-catching design and include items in your mail that prospects can use. These can be discount coupons, gift cards, or other gifts that will encourage recipients to visit your store.

Moreover, you can take your letters to the next level by making them interactive. For instance, you can include scratch-offs on your letter for a chance to win a bottle of CBD oil or a discount coupon. When users invest their energy into finding a coupon, they may be more likely to use it online or in-store.

Asking questions to test your prospects’ knowledge of CBD may be another way to increase engagement; these can be as simple as “What do CBD and THC have in common?” Indicate where they can submit their answers and what they will get in exchange. The prize can be a free sample, a discount coupon, or even an informational piece they can download for free.

Direct Mail Marketing Helps You Reach More Prospects

You may ask, “How can direct mail marketing help you reach more prospects? Because the internet allows you to target everyone, and what’s better than that?” But not quite so. Even in 2021, not all your prospects use the internet to find CBD companies, not many of them scroll their social media, and some don’t even use the internet daily. Your email marketing campaign may not reach those who aren’t active online but still love to shop for CBD in the real world. So, with that in mind, direct mail marketing can help reach a wider audience.

How to Create Digital Mail Campaigns

Combine Your Offline Marketing Methods with Your Digital Marketing Plan

Many brands who create digital mail campaigns fail to combine their offline marketing methods with their digital marketing strategies. Sending out postcards doesn’t mean you have to make a separate offline world for your prospects and approach online users differently from your mail recipients. In 2021, the majority of your direct mail receivers are, in fact, online users. More than 8 out of 10 Americans are online, so the marketing campaigns you create ideally would combine online and offline channels.

To maximize engagement, instead of sending out a traditional letter, you can add digital elements to it, such as a QR code. This code can take users to your desired online destination such as a specific video, page, article, online survey, checkout page, etc.

Create a Design You Would Want to Keep

Creating a stunning or functional design for your direct mail campaign may be pricey but can be more effective and memorable. Create something you would want to keep because of its design or functionality. It can be a tiny magnetic notepad with your message on the first page and your logo on its header so they can remember your brand. A paper that transforms into an image is also an effective way to grasp the recipient’s attention. For example, you can send a letter that transforms into a CBD gummy bear to promote your new product – in this case, CBD gummies. Producing such letters is expensive, so it’s best to send them to highly targeted recipients.

Promote Events

Direct mail marketing is a beautiful way to promote your events to boost attendance. On the other hand, inviting recipients to an event through direct mail can make your campaign more effective, so it’s a double win.

Organize an event your recipients will want to attend, such as cooking with CBD and use direct mail to invite people. Get creative and spark their interest through the letter you send. For instance, include a ripped piece of paper with only a part of a CBD cake recipe on it. In your CTA, let the recipient know they can acquire the full recipe at the event if they decide to attend. Such techniques can encourage more people to come, and as a result, they will visit your store for the event and get to know your brand better. Direct mail campaigns can help bring more prospects to your events, so you can build relationships with them and grow trust in your products.

Promote New Products

Let’s say you have a new CBD product in your inventory. You can spread the word about it through your direct mail campaign, and why not include a special deal for first buyers? Your prospects love good deals, plus they will feel appreciated to be invited to an exclusive offer. 46% of shoppers are now more interested in discounts, coupons, or promotions than before the pandemic, so it’s a great way to attract more customers.

Send Offers

People will have to invest their time into reading the message, and they will value it if there’s something they get in exchange for their time. Offer a special discount to the recipients or provide a promo code they can use at the checkout page.

Change the Message of Your Campaigns to Keep People Interested

Although it can be highly effective to promote your new products through direct mail marketing campaigns, it doesn’t mean you need to send out letters once every new product arrives in your inventory. Nor that all your letters need to address the products you sell. It’s essential to change your campaigns’ message so you keep your recipients interested and engaged.

One campaign can be about your CBD brand in general and products you offer, while another one can include special offers for customers or an invitation to the event you plan. Another campaign could be talking about a social cause that you support, such as donating 1% of all sales to save the planet.

Supporting social causes is crucial as many among your prospects and customers want to be a part of a bigger experience. Millennials, in particular, prefer brands with purpose. So if there is a social cause they can support after receiving your mail, it could drive more engagement. Such campaigns allow your customers to do the right thing with you, which creates a more personal connection with your brand. Therefore, you build trust and brand loyalty, and may create long-term engagement.

Include CTA-s in Your Letters

As you invest time, resources, and energy into crafting eye-catching designs and direct mail campaigns, it’s vital to include a CTA – Call-to-action in your mail. It’s what you want your customers to do. It can be as simple as a coupon code for their first orders, or an invitation to attend a local event, watch an informational video, take a survey, submit answers to a quiz, or donate to charity. Whatever your goal is, ensure the recipients have all the necessary instructions on how to proceed, but keep the CTA simple and straightforward.

Without a doubt, direct mail marketing is still effective in 2021. It can help your CBD brand grow, drive more engagement, increase brand awareness, and acquire more customers. We hope the steps above will help you increase sales and grow your business through direct mail marketing.