Digital marketing, including display ads and other digital advertisements have become cluttered and increasingly invisible. While many businesses are muddling up new ways to stand out and utilizing every new digital marketing tool they can, successful marketers are closing more business by marketing just around the corner.

Marketing in certain neighborhoods, or neighborhoods around your business while utilizing proven marketing materials and advanced direct mail solutions, generates successful results. This is because people have a strong connection with their community which extends to businesses who express interest and commitment.

What is Neighborhood Marketing?

This form of marketing may sound old school or self-explanatory but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Neighborhood marketing has evolved into one of the most complex forms of marketing with multiple approaches that can be utilized for you to gain more leads and close more business.

To put simply, neighborhood marketing is a form of targeted marketing that reaches individuals who live in the surrounding area of each other or your business. Marketing based on locality is one of the most effective forms of marketing because making purchase or service decisions are almost always influenced by location.

To prove local marketing is truly beneficial, say you are in the market for a new couch. You found one online with the right price and it is across the country, but there is an established furniture store right around the corner that just sent you a post card offering free delivery because of your proximity. Not only would you get free delivery, but you also are able to quickly visit the store and test out the couches comfort.

Advancements in Neighborhood Marketing

Neighborhood marketing is a concept that has been around for quite some time. In fact, things like passing out flyers, leaving behind business cards at your neighboring shops or hanging posters in the surrounding area of a business are still common neighborhood strategies that increase ROI. But with the advancements of technology and direct mail, neighborhood marketing has extended its strategies to be even more effective.

There are many tactics that you can take advantage of within neighborhood marketing. And using more than one can increase your results exponentially and ensure effective neighborhood marketing. The more your prospects see your brand the more likely they will remember your business when it comes time for them to make a purchasing decision.

Proximity Mailing

One of the most effective neighborhood marketing advancements is the ability to target consumers who surround your ideal customer or your business. With Proximity Mailing it is easier than ever to reach individuals who are most likely interested in your products or services you offer.

For example, if you’re a landscaper, sending your customer’s neighbors a postcard marketing the beautiful new yard near them, will get those individuals interested. They will search around looking for the fresh new greenery while keeping your business top-of mind when they decide their yard needs an update as well.

EDDM

Every Door Direct Mail or EDDM is a bulk mailing option that allows your business to reach consumers who live in a certain ZIP Code. This neighborhood marketing strategy is a perfect and cost-effective way to reach a large audience of potential customers without knowing their address. If you're looking to generate leads from a large audience or multiple neighborhoods, EDDM is the neighborhood marketing strategy for you.

Targeted Mailing List

The capabilities in today’s mailing technology allows you to pinpoint a targeted audience within your mailing list. Choosing from various rules and demographics to filter and market to a specific consumer base is a game changer for so many businesses.

If you own a car dealership and have high priced vehicles and want to advertise to a large group of consumers, you can mail to consumers based on home income, to ensure you are reaching the ones who are most likely interested.

Propensity Mailing

Propensity Mailing is a targeted marketing solution that utilizes data selects to predict a consumer's behavior. With this neighborhood marketing strategy, you are able to mail to individuals who will likely perform a certain action.

For example, if you are a relator, you can target individuals in a certain location that are likely to buy their first home, likely to move into a larger home, etc.

Look-alike Mailing

Look-alike mailings provide you with a list of potential new customers that share similarities with your most successful customers. With this comprehensive report, you can then match these individuals who live within a certain location to better benefit your neighborhood marketing campaign. Marketing to consumers who are similar to your customers—including similar housing type, marital status, education level, etc.—increases the chances that you are delivering your message to the individuals who matter most for your business and who are most likely interested in your product or service.

Common Neighborhood Marketing Materials

Distributing and mailing marketing materials is a physical way to advertise your brand that gives consumers something tangible to hold onto and engage with.

Choosing the right material to have for canvasing or for your neighborhood direct mail campaign is dependent on what your business’ goal is. Do you want to promote a sale, entice consumers to visit your website, establish yourself in the community? No matter what your goal is we have some proven materials that will get your message across successfully.

Postcards

When it comes to your direct mail campaign, postcards are one of the most recommended marketing materials. They are short, concise and get your marketing message across in an effective and affordable way. Whether you are targeting new leads, presenting a new product or service, or launching a big sale, postcards are an effective marketing tool that stands out from the moment your recipient opens their mailbox.

Catalogs

Another great direct mail material is catalogs. Although one of the more expensive materials, catalogs offer one of the highest ROI. This is because people generally enjoy flipping through pages and they hold valuable information about your business which leads consumers to visit your website or visit your store.

Catalogs don’t have to be just a means or advertising products or services for sale either. They can be a coloring book to market to families with children, a guide, an annual report, or even a photo book.

Business Cards

Business cards are one the most well used forms of marketing. Whether you are handing them out at local events or leaving them behind at a neighboring store, business cards are the perfect way to get your brand out there. Being such an essential business tool, business cards can increase your brand awareness for an effective neighborhood marketing campaign.

A business card doesn’t have to be something you hand out or leave behind either, you can send consumers in your business’ neighborhood a punch card that advertises a promotion, for example, on their fifth visit, they can receive 40% off to entice your audience to keep coming back.

Door Hangers

Door hangers are the perfect neighborhood marketing strategy and one of the most effective tools to utilize within your marketing campaign. This is because, more than any other material, they are impossible to ignore and let’s your audience know, you were in the neighborhood.

By placing a doorhanger in a place that is guaranteed not to be ignored, you can have a peace of mind knowing that your intended audience will engage with your message.

Yard Signs

Yard signs, the mini billboards of the neighborhood. It’s hard to miss a yard sign when you’re taking a walk or driving through your neighborhood. By placing yard signs in places, you received permission from, you can ensure your brand is getting noticed and that you’re spreading your marketing message successfully.

Q: Is neighborhood marketing just for small businesses?

A: Large and small business alike should incorporate neighborhood marketing into their strategy. Although it may seem more likely for a small business to market in neighborhoods or locally, larger businesses can struggle in the market by only marketing outside of their radius. Especially with the advancements like proximity mailing, and targeted campaigns, large businesses should not neglect neighborhood marketing within their campaigns.

Q: Does neighborhood marketing work the same way for larger communities?

A: Yes, for a larger community, where there is more competition surrounding you, it is more crucial than ever. The hesitation usually lies within the fact that larger communities mean more people and money spent on each person you market to. But, the bottom line is, with data technology allowing you to market based on certain demographics, you can choose who you reach based on age, net worth, if they are married, etc. and narrowing down the list of consumers you market to.

Q: How does neighborhood marketing fit into your local marketing strategy?

A: Your local marketing strategy may consist of participating in community events, sponsoring your local little league, or even advertising in the town's newspaper. When implementing neighborhood marketing into your local marketing strategy, you increase your brand awareness while making sure that your business is marketing to more than just a handful of individuals.

Q: How do I get started with a neighborhood marketing campaign?

A: To get started in your neighborhood marketing campaign, it’s important to understand what it is you want to get within your results. Do you want to reach a large area or a smaller and more local one? Do you want to target individuals based on certain demographics like age groups or married couples? Understanding what your goal is will help you get started. Once you have decided, simply choose your strategy and materials. Then, if your provider is like Conquest Graphics, they will help you get your neighborhood marketing campaign ready to go.

Not sure what option is best for you? Check out one of our leading neighborhood marketing solutions or contact one of neighborhood marketing experts by calling (804) 591-3352!