Millennials aren’t at all times in regards to the digital expertise. That’s excellent news on your advertising division.

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It turns out that millennials’ reputation for being digital-first may be misinterpreted. And that could be a very good thing for your company’s marketing department.

As a generational cohort, most millennials are at the level of their consumption, according to Morgan Stanley. This makes them a natural target for advertising campaigns. However, the best way to grab a millennial’s attention isn’t necessarily through email or texting. Instead, it could be via a greeting card delivered the old-fashioned way.

The power of direct mail for millennials

Why should you use greeting cards as part of your millennial-targeted marketing campaigns? Society hasn’t lost its passion for sending sentimental warmth and goodwill in bright, cheerful envelopes. Every year consumers buy more than 6 billion cards. Millennials spend more on these cards than any other generation, including baby boomers. In other words, they go offline when it matters most.

Related: 3 foolproof ways to attract millennial customers

This is important information, especially if you want to ensure your company survives to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Only 30% of startups can do that expect to reach this milestone. Therefore, if you want to buck the trend, you must consider your marketing media. Surely you always want to focus on digital strategies. However, it is worth testing the greeting card waters.

One of the most appealing benefits of baking offline marketing into your online practices is that physical mailboxes are far less cluttered than their digital counterparts. According to the United States Postal Service, the average household receives 454 mailings per year. In contrast, Tech Jury research suggests that most consumers can expect 120 emails end up in their inboxes Daily. In other words, the odds of someone opening an unwanted card are much higher than the same person combing through an email.

Greeting cards don’t just quash marketing noise, however. They also strengthen your relationship with customers. By nature, greeting cards are usually exchanged among loved ones and friends. When your business mails a personalized card, you foster a different connection with the shopper. For example, you can commemorate a customer’s anniversary with your organization with a card or postcards around the end of the year holiday.

Here’s the bottom line: Millennials are extremely open to direct mail. Therefore, you are able to grow your business by betting on greeting card marketing. Below are some suggestions to get you started.

Have a good sense of your brand.

Done well, direct mail card marketing becomes an extension of your brand’s personality. Of course, you need to know what your business is up to for every message to count. Otherwise your creativity will not reach the customer. For example, some brands are more reputable than others. Sending out a silly direct mail may not make sense for a stoic brand.

Related: 3 direct mail methods to reach your best prospects

Are you wondering how to capture the character of your brand? Discover other companies that have positioned themselves successfully, like Airbnb. The tourism industry leader embodies the spirit of freedom and discovery. from unique experiences to inspiring stories from guests and hosts, Airbnb’s content embodies its carefully crafted image. By getting to the heart of your “why,” you can create similar emotional connections with your millennial direct mail recipients.

Define the preferred tone of your customers.

Want millennial loyalty? Take a customer-centric approach to direct mail and avoid glossing over your image. 84 percent of millennials said yes preferred brands that showed authenticity. When you send direct mail, you should not only reflect your brand’s highlights, but what your millennial base deserves to hear and know.

Patagonia excels at very open, customer-centric marketing. The company has never been shy about its commitment to sustainability. Yet its marketing remains refreshingly humble and ambitious. Once Patagonia warned buyers not to buy the product it sold. Why? The manufacturing process of the product has impacted the earth in an unhealthy way. In other words, Patagonia focused on building trust with consumers by being honest with them in the language they need to hear. It’s a bold branding move that you can emulate.

Rely on direct mail to drive digital exchanges.

Direct mail may seem like an isolated offline silo, but it can be incorporated into a solid digital marketing plan. How can you make the offline-online relationship as seamless as possible? Use technology to customize everything from the copy of the greeting card to the landing page. It’s now possible to drill down to segment customers into micro-targeted “audience buckets” and create creatives specific to each bucket. That’s what Thinx did with its direct mail, which lasted specific calls to action for multiple members a specific household.

Related: How dynamic QR codes became an essential tool for every business out there

Another option would be to include a QR code on a small insert in a millennial customer’s greeting card. The customer can scan the QR code with his smartphone and gets to a landing page. Once the customer arrives at the landing page, they can be instructed to take other actions.

Measure your direct mail to shape its future cadence.

Currently, Valassis suggests about 7 in 10 are buyers Overhaul of direct mail ads. Why? You know that direct mail content usually promotes significant sales and special discounts, especially with local businesses. Those are exciting numbers, but they don’t make a difference if you don’t use measurement methods.

Measuring the impact of your greeting card marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. If you send millennial consumers to a website or survey, you can measure how many take up your offer. On the other hand, if your direct mail campaign is about brand awareness, you might want to see if you have a corresponding increase in social media followers or hashtag usage from the company. Just make sure you take action to learn what works.

Building relationships with millennial consumers doesn’t always mean meeting them in a virtual space. Sometimes the best way to turn them from mere buyers into world-class cheerleaders is by sending an unexpected hello through their physical mailbox.

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