This is a guest blog post originally posted November 12, 2019 by Beacon Design.
Custom ornaments can be a great marketing item for a variety of industries. They can not only help you raise revenue, but they can also increase awareness of your organization. Nevertheless, many businesses and organizations are unsure of how best to market their custom ornament. Simply displaying them on your site and expecting people to buy them won’t be enough. Thankfully, though, there are a few ways you can market your custom ornaments without breaking the bank.
Social Media
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…This is the new battleground for promoting a company. The majority of people spend at least some time on one of these social media sites, and by advertising your custom ornaments on your social media accounts, you’ll be reaching an audience you otherwise wouldn’t have going the traditional route. You don’t even have to buy Facebook advertising—simply make a post showing off your new custom ornament and your followers will see it.
If your organization does not already have a social media account(s), I want to reassure you that it is not as complicated as you may think. This is not only an extremely effective way to promote your organization and ornaments, it is an exciting marketing platform to build and watch grow! To get started I recommend checking out, Getting Your Small Business Started With Social Media Marketing.
On the other hand, if you already have a social media account and are struggling to increase your audience, check out How to Increase Your Social Media Following.
Mailers
While social media can certainly reach a wider audience, you also want to target your potential customers with a more direct approach. For that, mailers are always a great choice. You can use a simple flyer to advertise your custom ornament(s), or better yet send mailers such as letters, postcards, brochures, or even monthly newsletters. In a blog written by Elisa Dopson, she states that one study shows, “Direct mail has a better response rate than email marketing, with 4.4% of campaigns receiving a response when delivered through the mail, compared to just 0.12% online.” That means if you were to send to 1,000 people, 43 more people will interact with a direct mailer! While marketing is not an exact science and this study isn’t always the case, you will find most direct mail studies show similar results.
I prefer sending postcards. My reasoning for this is simple. Think about how many envelopes you receive in the mail each day and automatically throw it away. That’s because you know when it’s probably what you would consider “junk” before even opening. Well, a postcard does not have to arrive in an envelope. This means chances are the recipient will notice your beautiful ornament image(s), inspiring message, or intriguing offer. That’s all that needs to happen to catch their attention – if even for a second.
Finally, there’s an email. Emails are still an effective way to communicate with your current or targeted customers. Not to mention, they are free! While you won’t want to rely on emails alone (people get bombarded with emails every day and often don’t bother to check all of them), sending out a quick e-newsletter, for instance, can be something you do in addition to your social media posts or mailers. It’ll be a way to remind people of your custom ornaments or to snag a few of your customers who aren’t on social media. To learn more about sending an effective email check out Ryan Pinkham’s, 5 Tips for Your Next Email Blast.
Parting Tips
If you are looking to give your social media posts, mailers, or emails a professional look go to Canva.com. Canva has thousands of FREE templates, images, backgrounds, etc. It’s user-friendly and easy to learn.
Here at Beacon Design, we partner with hundreds of organizations across the U.S. to create annual ornament programs that build collectors while raising funds. To learn more about creating an ornament program for your organization contact us today!