Small business advertising is competitive. There are 31.7 million small businesses in the United States and more than 600,000 new small businesses are opened annually. Now granted, the U.S. Small Bureau defines a small business by firm revenue ($1 million to over $40 million) and employment (100 to 1,500 employees), depending on the industry. Regardless of a business’s size, the competition in the market is higher than it has ever been. Your business can no longer afford to rely on any one advertising channel, but rather needs to develop a full marketing strategy that works across all channels. On average, multi-channel marketing increases business revenue by 38%, 120%, and 190% with each additional channel. Your business is losing valuable dollars and customers by restricting your budget and attention to only one marketing channel.
Still not convinced? Here are some recent stats that will blow your mind.
- The average American sees 4,000 to 10,000 ads every single day
- Yet, we notice less than a hundred ads a day
- For comparison, in the 1970s we saw 500-1,500 ads per day
- 8% of Americans use ad-blocking software
- There are over 300 billion emails sent and received on a daily basis
- The average email open rate for all industries is 18%
- The email market size is estimated to be $73 billion by 2023
- 3% of emails are spam messages
- It is estimated that 82% of Americans use social media.
- Mobile, social media, and email marketing campaigns have a response rate of 0.1-0.2%
- While Direct Mail continues to have an average response rate of 9%
- 80% of consumers act on direct mail advertisements
- 77% of consumers say print marketing is more easily remembered
- USPS reported that an average American household only receives 454 pieces of mail each year
- Over 70% of consumers say they would prefer to connect with businesses via various marketing channels
Small Business Advertising for each Generation
It is clear that consumers are burnt out and overwhelmed by digital advertising. In a survey of Millennials, 75% of respondents said receiving personal mail makes them feel special. Gen Z follows suit, with many stating that “receiving cards, letters and packages makes them feel happier than receiving video calls, emails or text.” There is a growing nostalgia with younger generations to receive items in the mail like their parents and grandparents did. So, not only will you have less competition mailing your young customers, you will also generate a better response via direct mail than any other digital advertising channel.
On the other hand, Baby Boomers and Gen X are more likely to respond to digital advertising and email marketing than direct mail advertising. If your customers and target audience include a mixture of these age groups, you need to combine your efforts to advertise across all marketing channels. This will give your business and marketing campaign the greatest chance of success.
On average, it takes 8 touchpoints just to get an initial meeting or phone call with a prospect. And it will take many more touchpoints before your prospect will convert to a customer. The only way to close that gap and speed up the process is through multi-channel marketing. It is a proven fact that the more senses the ad engages, the more likely the consumer will remember the ad. Video ads perform better because they engage the sight and hearing. Direct mail campaigns perform the best, because they have the opportunity to engage all 5 of the human senses.
How can my small business advertise to consumers?
Get creative with it! If you receive a customer lead from a specific landing page, follow up by mailing a brochure or pamphlet that has more information related to the page they visited. Incorporate QR codes on your tradeshow displays and direct mail pieces that direct users to your social media, website, or a landing page with relevant information. Create forms to collect customers’ information in exchange for an automated email with helpful templates. Reward your top spending customers by mailing and emailing discount codes or coupons to encourage them to spend more. Strategize your blog and social media postings with relevant topics that your latest direct mail campaign prospects might be interested in.
Small Business Advertising Services at Walker360
There are so many ways to integrate your marketing tactics together so that each one “helps” or “plays off” of the next one. Advertising across all channels includes incorporating direct mail marketing campaigns. Our printing experts have been helping small businesses succeed for over 75 years. Using variable data printing, we can make your print ads more relevant and targeted to your prospects, current customers or even lapsed customers. This will tie in nicely with all your digital marketing efforts and help your small business grow. Need help deciding on a good strategy? Contact us today to get a free quote!
