I remember back in the day I used to actually look at the local coupons and shopping mailers that came in the mail. Local business mailers offered some decent deals and let me know about some local businesses that I might be interested in. In fact they probably still have some value depending on what kind of business you are running but in many situations they are simply a waste of money.
Hooray for the Internets
There is this new thing called the Internets and many of your potential customers are looking for you there. Most of the old school mailers that come to our house are tossed in the garbage before I even get to see them. I’m sure that I’m not alone and there is a significant number of people who look to search engines to find local businesses instead of local mailers and shopping guides. If your business is not available you are not reaching a large percentage of your potential customers.
Mailers are expensive and offer limited ROI
I was speaking to a local oil change establishment and he was complaining about how much he spent on a coupon in the local mailer. He had just opened his business and wanted to get the word out but really had not seen any sort of return on that investment. His spend certainly outweighed the revenue he was seeing. Instead of investing in snail mail spam he could of invested in a focused and optimized local listing in the local directories and major search engines. His listing would have been found by people who were actually interested in his services and it would be available for as long as he wanted without paying the recurring monthly or weekly cost of the mailers. With local search listings it is also possible to offer multiple coupons and provide much more detailed information that can be updated regularly without spending additional money.
Local search will continue to kill mailers
Just like print newspaper publishers the old school direct mail industry is on its way out. The cost is too high for the limited return. Most people just toss them in the garbage without even looking at them. For a similar up-front investment local businesses can get a local search listing set up and capture customers when they are specifically looking for the service or products they offer. While mailers may still benefit some businesses the return is getting smaller and smaller while the potential ROI for local listings continues to grow. If you own a small local business it is in your best interest to look into local search listings to see how they can help you attract new customers instead of throwing money away on mailers that end up in the garbage before anyone actually sees them.
No related posts.
