Convenience Converts in Local Marketing

Driving to the post office after another snowstorm last week, I saw that a local coffee shop tucked in the corner of a strip of stores had closed. The few times I was there it always seemed quiet, unlike the crowded Starbucks on a nearby major road with its big parking lot and a line to the drive-in window.

I thought about other small businesses that I’ve seen come and go over the years I’ve lived in my little town. Is success (or failure) really as simple as “location, location, location”?

According to a recent survey of marketers done by Neil Patel of NP Digital, the answer is clearly “Yes.”

61% said that “Location/Proximity” mattered the most for local marketing conversions.

The next largest factor was “Ads & Offers” at only 22%, followed by “Reviews & Ratings” at 13%.

Surprised? I was.

If a business is close and convenient, it has a built-in advantage. Sure, offers help. Reviews help. But distance is often the deciding factor.

There are a lot of things you can do to move customers from being browsers to buyers. It would take a webinar to run down an entire strategy, but maximizing Google Business Profile (which is free, BTW) is a good step. Also local ads on Google and other social platforms.

But of course, I really want to talk more about direct mail because of the opportunities it provides to raise the visibility of restaurants, dry cleaners, hair salons, and dental offices, among many others. If proximity drives local conversions, then a good mail strategy should start with geography.

Make Proximity Visible

You can make proximity tangible using variable data printing (VDP) for your mail campaign. Instead of simply listing the business address, and hoping where the recipient knows where that is, the mailer shows a personalized map with the recipient’s neighborhood and a highlighted route to the store.

There should be a brief message with relevant location information:

• “You’re 2.7 miles away.”
• “Only 8 minutes from your home.”
• “Next to Wawa off Turnpike Exit 320”

Geomarketing is powerful because it shows how convenient a location is to their address.

Saturation or Precision?

Thinking about who is close enough to convert is also important.

If the goal of you or your client is to reach everyone in a specific area, USPS’s EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) works best. You don’t need a list, just choose specific zip codes or carrier routes. When you mail with its discounted postage, a saturation campaign can be cost-effective.

Not every campaign or business type calls for blanket coverage.

When you tap into data on income, age, purchasing history, or interests, you can more closely identify people who are likely to fit your ideal customer profile. This means less mail volume but potentially more engagement, higher intent, and higher conversion with that target market.

Reviews, offers and discounts, and website experiences shouldn’t be ignored. They can provide needed information to back up a decision, and be tested in a print or direct mail piece. But it’s hard to overcome the value of convenience.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.