Maximize Digital Marketing Campaigns by Engaging Direct Mail

As the digital landscape continues to shift, many marketing teams feel pressure to rollback or abandon their direct mail campaigns completely. With the popularity of digital formats and various options for receiving digital content, the perceived logic goes that tangible mail is a thing of the past. 

This is the mindset of unproductive marketers that either misunderstand or are ill informed of the power digital mail can have on digital marketing campaigns.   

In order to truly maximize digital marketing operations, increase consumer response rate and witness higher ROI, marketing teams must engage (or re-engage direct mail) into their marketing schemes. 

 

Recognize Strengths 

First off, it’s vital for businesses to recognize the strengths of direct mail and the positive effects it has, not only on consumers, but on the bottom line. It’s also important to understand the benefits of these two mediums acting in tandem. Surprising to many, this is especially the case with their most common target audience: millennials. 

Despite the hyper-wired connectedness of millennials today, millennials as a group report that they open 66% of the direct mail they receive, and 63% of them who respond to a mail piece within three months made a purchase. According to a recent report by Mintel, millennials are more likely to agree that reputation is the most important aspect of a business—and 76% say that they trust direct mail over digital channels when it comes to making a purchase.

Aside from its widespread use among millennials, direct mail also boasts the highest response rate among consumers generally, and is the second-most used medium (57%), tied with social media. The best marketing strategies recognize the strengths of direct mail, as well as understand how to effectively make direct mail work together with a digital marketing strategy.

 

Utilize the Power of Social Media

As mentioned above, direct mail is second only to social media when it comes to widespread use. One of the reasons for this is due to the ideal position social media channels are in as a means for immediate engagement with consumers on a day-to-day basis. Businesses should recognize this position, then use direct mail as a way to engage consumers in a more personal, tangible way. 

For example, if your business runs a survey on Facebook to ask about a specific topic, you can then use the collected data in your direct mail campaign to showcase the popularity of your product or service. Something along the lines of, “95% of our Instagram followers agree that (enter product or service, here) has helped them X.” 

Social media is also a powerhouse when it comes to obtaining reviews or opinions from consumers. It’s a simple way for a customer to provide there feedback without expending virtually any energy. Take advantage of this in your direct mail strategy. With consent, social media reviews can be placed in direct mail pieces to reinforce your product or highlight the favorability of your service by consumers. 

Closing the Loop

Direct mail is also a great way to follow up with consumers after a social media or other digital marketing campaign. Businesses can use the data gained from these campaigns, such as visitors to a site or products added to a shopping cart but never purchased, and follow up with a reminder or similar piece of direct mail. 

According to the USPS, 67% of consumers feel that direct mail is more personal than the Internet, and over half will purchase a product if they are reminded through a more personal medium, such as direct mail. The one-two punch of a digital campaign followed up by a piece of personal mail is an ideal combination and will show consumers how important they are to your business.