Best-Practices and Tips for Integrating Direct Mail Into Email Marketing Campaigns
The
following sets of stats, facts, and tips support the wisdom of integrating
direct mail into email marketing campaigns.
The
also provide some best-of-breed guidelines for effective ways to doing so.
Adding direct mail to email campaigns makes good economic sense:
- Using the two channels results in an up to 35% lift vs. a single channel (source: IWCO).
- 57% of Millennials have made purchases based on direct mail offers (source: USPS).
- Direct mail brings advantages to a campaign:
- People spend more time with physical advertising than digital (source: Temple University, USPS).
- People have a stronger emotional response to physical ads and remember them better (source: Temple University, USPS).
- Because direct mail is tactile, it's harder to ignore.
- You can use QR Code barcodes, near-field communication (NFC), or augmented reality (AR) to link your direct mail piece to your digital campaigns.
- Direct mail comes in a variety of sizes and formats that can be used to attract attention.
- Direct mail offers additional real estate for delivering your marketing message.
Use these five tips for combining direct mail
with email:
1. Consider delivering critical information in both channels to
reinforce the message and increase the likelihood it'll make an impact.
2.
Have each communication build on the previous one.
3.
Use direct mail to emphasize a key message or break up the
expected routine.
4. Ensure both email and direct mail adhere to the same graphic
standards and reflect the same voice so each piece reinforces and extends your
brand promise.
5. Use direct mail to initiate a conversation with people whose
email addresses you do not yet have, or with those who have repeatedly not
responded to your emails.
Workflows for Common Marketing Campaign Goals
The
following example campaign illustrates how you might combine direct mail and
email into workflows to strategically accomplish key marcom goals:
- Workflow name: "Skim the Cream" Lead Generation
- Goal: Generate leads from paid or acquired email lists. Converting prospects into leads can be challenging. Factors that influence success include the quality of the prospect, the competitive environment, the fit of your solution, and the timeliness of your campaign.
- Approach: Since these are prospects, start with email, which allows you to "skim the cream" with what is a more affordable channel. Then, use direct mail in your campaign to try to quickly convert holdouts on your list.
Note: As prospects convert, move them out of flow. After Week 6, the remaining prospects may be "rested" and set aside for a future effort.
Direct Mail Tips and Techniques
Here
are some key best-practices for acquisition, customer-deepening, and retention
direct mail, as well as 10 steps to more effective direct mail creative.
Use these Top 3 direct mail acquisition
best-practices:
1. Remember the 40/40/20
Rule: 40% of a mailer's success will come from the list
(targeting the right prospects at the right time); 40% from the offer
(compelling and relevant offers are the best); and 20% from the creative (the
copy and artwork must be attention-getting and motivating).
2.
"Eye-magnet words," such
as announcing, introducing, new,
now, and free have
been scientifically proven to attract above average readership. And the
words easy, quick, and improved have
been shown to lift product sales. Use them.
3. The principle of social
proof states that when people are uncertain about what
action to take, they do what they see others who are like them do. Therefore,
use techniques such as highlighting customer testimonials and stating the
number of satisfied customers. Using social proof will increase the mail
piece's response.
Use these Top 3 direct mail cross-sell/upsell
best-practices:
1. Use what you know about
customers, their past behaviors and their preferences to inform
subsequent communications and frame new sales opportunities – always taking a
programmatic approach vs. a series of unrelated one-offs
2. Use the principle of
consistency. Social scientists have shown that once someone makes a
decision, they will want to act in ways that are consistent with that decision.
Remind customers that they have already made the decision to buy from you;
doing so increases the likelihood they will buy again from you.
3. Don't try to sell another
product or service. Instead, sell a solution to a
problem—because that's what people buy.
Use these Top 3 customer retention
best-practices:
1. Use the power of exclusivity. Offer
"customer only" discounts, "charter membership"
opportunities, "not available to the general public" sales. Having
such "preferred access" deepens loyalty and spurs additional
purchases.
2. Communicate on a regular basis. Reinforce
the customer's smart decision to buy your product. Inform customers of news,
product enhancements, etc. before you inform the general public.
3. Surprise and delight. Provide
unexpected offers or services (e.g., send a birthday message and percentage-off
coupon). Tell—and show—your customers that you appreciate their business.
Apply these 10 direct mail creative
best-practices:
1.
Balance the rational and the emotional in your messaging.
2.
Identify the prospect's main buying barrier and build in the
argument to overcome it,
3.
Write a headline and lead sentence that really grab the reader.
4.
Be personal, relevant, and target-focused.
5.
Keep layouts clean, and copy easy to read (avoid bulky
paragraphs).
6.
Remember that specifics out-pull generalities.
7.
Make sure heads, subs, and copy blocks track.
8.
Maintain a visual hierarchy that guides the reader through the
piece.
9.
Use reverse type sparingly (in body copy, it reduces
readership).
10.
Pop a strong, single call to action.
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