DIRECT MAIL AND DIGITAL MARKETING

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1 THE ART OF INTEGRATING DIRECT MAIL AND DIGITAL MARKETING FOR BIGGER BUSINESS

2 The battle between direct mail and digital marketing still rages, with both sides offering credible, and even powerful, arguments against the other. Die-hard direct mail marketers tout the lower cost per lead, while digital marketers say results can t be measured with direct mail. The truth is that the two really need each other if you want to implement a marketing campaign that s designed to succeed. That s right; you have to play nice with the enemy if you want to see results. But before you cross that line and start shaking hands, it s a great idea to have a strategy. Both marketing types include a lot of moving parts, and each of those parts will require your attention. Because there are so many different pieces to both direct and digital marketing, we ll break down each to show how they can work together.

3 Direct Mail and Social Media When social media marketing rolled around, staunch direct mail marketers had no idea how this new and flashy tool could ever stand the test of time. As social media gained a foothold and then became a true worldwide phenomenon, the tables turned. Suddenly, Twitter and Facebook users everywhere couldn t understand how direct mail marketing could possibly still get the job done.

4 In truth, both sides have accomplished and maintained tremendous success. Direct mail marketing still costs less per lead than any other form of marketing. Social media marketing helps brands reach larger numbers faster than ever. Can we now say that both are relevant? We definitely can. And we should go one step further to say that direct mail and social media marketing are absolutely made for each other. Why? Let s consider the possibilities. INCLUDE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS ON DIRECT MAIL How do your customers discover your social media accounts? If they re not actively looking for your Twitter or Facebook profiles, they may never find you. Sometimes they need a little nudge a reminder that you re out there with more information and fun. That s how direct mail has become such an important ally for social media. When your customers hold your postcards or pamphlets in their hands, they re reminded to follow your social media accounts. Of course, you have to let them know you re online, so include the account information where it can easily be seen.

5 DRIVE MORE TRAFFIC TO LANDING PAGES After you create a Personal URL for your direct mail marketing pieces, you re prepared to track the success of your campaign. There are ways to expand the reach of those campaigns. By sharing the PURL and content of the landing pages on your social media accounts, you can greatly increase the number of people who see your offers. With a second PURL for the same landing page, you can still determine where the traffic comes from. You never have to guess whether the social media shares or the direct mail campaign brought in more traffic.

6 GET BUYERS INVOLVED WITH INTERACTIVE MAIL If you really want your direct mail marketing to make a lasting impression, explore ways to get your buyers involved. A QR code is the most-often used interactive tool, but you can try several other options, too. For instance, what if you sent out an offer to all your customers that promised a discount for liking a Facebook page or following a Twitter account? With one piece of mail, you ensure two or more touches.

7 Direct Mail and Marketing When you subscribe to only one type of marketing, you limit your chances to reach your target audience. With consistent branding and messaging between your and direct mail campaigns, you can quickly build a following and start turning those touches into leads.

8 STAGGER YOUR CAMPAIGNS FOR GREATER REACH As consumers, we burn out on even the most exciting things pretty quickly. If they re not already excited to receive your direct mail marketing pieces, they re not likely to look forward to the next. Even those who are waiting to hear from a company just like yours will grow weary with your messaging after receiving postcard after letter after flyer. The same is true with your marketing blasts. Those who have purchased from you in the past will still begin hitting the delete button before opening the if you re peppering them with multiple messages. To keep things interesting, mix and match your campaigns. Start first with an introduction by direct mail and then follow up with an . This is especially powerful if you re offering discounts or other special offers. Those who were interested upon receiving the physical mail will appreciate the reminder when the comes in.

9 A We Want You Back campaign can be powerful. WIN BACK CUSTOMERS When you notice that previously engaged users are no longer opening your direct mail, re-engage them with an campaign. When paired with a special offer designed specifically to reel those buyers back in, a We Want You Back campaign can be powerful. You can reverse this plan to reach out to users who have started dropping your s into the trash bin without opening. It s easy to overwhelm or exhaust them, but they ll sit up and take notice when you reach out with a catalog and gift card. Once they re re-engaged, you ll keep them around a while.

10 DRIVE NEWSLETTER OPT-IN EFFORTS When you don t have addresses and your target audience isn t already following you on social media, how else can you reach them? By sending a postcard with a PURL, you can drive new traffic to your website and achieve a higher number of opt-in requests. By offering something of value to these buyers upon their first visit, you may experience even higher conversions. This may be a PDF guide to your products, a discount for purchase, or even a discount for their friends. Buyers love to bring their friends along for good deals. SEE REAL RESULTS A combined and direct mail approach will garner better results for you. Not only will you see more opens and higher engagement, but your order values both in store and online will also increase.

11 Direct Mail and Landing Pages A PURL is one of the smallest but most important ingredients in a healthy marketing mixture. Direct mail does still have the highest success rates for opens and conversions. Still, there are those who prefer to conduct their research online, however they may have first discovered your company. In other words, that direct mail piece you sent could be the item that grabs a buyer s attention, but it may not convince. This is where the PURL comes into play.

12 WHAT IS A PURL? The PURL, or personalized URL, serves several different purposes, the first of which is to direct traffic from your flyers, catalogs, letters, and postcards to landing pages on your website. The PURL gives those potential customers a place to go when they want or need more information. Could those prospects use Google to locate your business website? Of course, but do you want to take the chance that they might forget? Converting a prospect into a lead and later into a customer is hard enough without creating roadblocks for your buyers. Give them that website address and take the guesswork out of their research. Besides, a PURL does so much more than just provide an address.

13 TRACK YOUR RESULTS It s not easy to track metrics for direct mail marketing. Aside from increased sales, there are really only three ways to be sure recipients are receiving your direct mail. First, there are coupon codes, which give you an idea of how many people chose to participate in your special offer. Then, there are customized phone numbers that can track how many people call your company. Finally, personalized URLs help you keep up with how many people visit your website after receiving your mail. Tracking those results relies on individual landing pages created for each direct mail piece. You can generalize the PURL to track numbers only, or you can get even more specific. With truly personalized URLs, you can learn as much about your website visitors as they re learning about you.

14 The more you learn about your customers, the better you can serve them. CREATE TRULY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES If you re willing to take the biggest step and track individual visits, then you can learn a lot about your customers. With information about the pages they visit within your website, you gain a better understanding of the products and services they really need. Maybe the direct mail you sent advertised a product they don t need but made them curious about other things you sell. The more you learn about your customers, the better you can serve them. Product searches and purchases will help you segment your contact lists so that you send information about the things your customers need and want most.

15 Your First Touch No matter how large your social media following or contact lists, direct mail has the ability to reach new customers in ways your digital marketing efforts can t. Whether you send a postcard, letter, flyer, or catalog, your first touch is the most important. You may not see results right away, but you will have made an introduction. This is the first step in brand recognition.

16 An introduction through direct mail carries more credibility than one made by . Consumers today receive so many s from brands they already know that new messages simply get lost in the shuffle. To complicate the marketing process, legitimate brands must fight the stigma created by spammers. We receive plenty of junk mail in our mailboxes, too, but we re more likely to at least scan the message before making decisions. With this introduction, you open up the door to a relationship. How you carry out that relationship, through both digital and direct mail efforts, will ultimately decide your success. If you d like to explore the many ways you can combine your direct mail and digital marketing efforts, reach out. We re experts in helping you grow your business, whether you re just starting out or an enterprise-level success story.

17 AMi, a Certified Woman-Owned Business and accredited member of the Better Business Bureau, is your one-stop shop for direct mail marketing. From postcards and flyers to coupons and QR codes, we can help your business with any direct mail solution.