Insider Intelligence recently reported the budget allocations of marketers in the U.S. Social media and television tied for first place, with each accounting for 19% of total marketing budgets spent. Among other prominent marketing channels, direct mail was farther down the list at 9% of marketing expenditures. However, research has shown that direct mail has a disproportionate impact on consumer behavior.
This blog will explore the impact of direct mail on consumers and how it functions as a critical component of an integrated marketing strategy in the digital age.
The Power of Direct Mail Marketing
Omnichannel marketing is here to stay and there is data to back it up. According to Lob and Comperemedia, 31% of consumers are more likely to engage with a brand when they receive multiple types of communication.
Interestingly, the role direct mail plays in this omnichannel marketing strategy appears to far outweigh the 9% of marketing budget spent on it:
- 51% of consumers sometimes or often share direct mail with friends and family.
- 62% of consumers say direct mail has inspired them to take action.
- 72% of consumers read direct mail the same day they bring it into their homes.
- 74% of marketers say direct mail delivers the best ROI, response rate and conversion rate of any channel used.
Direct Mail and the Integrated Campaign
These natural attributes of direct mail are especially powerful when aligned with other marketing tactics. The USPS® drew upon the same Lob and Comperemedia data sources to highlight how direct mail and digital marketing tactics work best when they work together.
Direct mail with websites
Mailpieces connect the physical and digital worlds when used to complement websites. For example, a postcard mailer can alert a customer that they have unpurchased items sitting in an online shopping cart.
Another tactic is to incorporate a QR code into the mailpiece that links the customer to a website via mobile device. Different QR codes can be used to promote different offers to different customer segments. These custom QR codes are easily tracked and measured, providing a rich source of response and ROI data.
PURLS are yet another alternative. A “personalized URL” can be printed onto a mailpiece that directs the customer to a unique website landing page, allowing you to market to customers on a one-to-one basis. Here again, the consumer response and behavior data made possible by PURLs is tremendously valuable to the marketer for analytics.
Direct mail with email
Emails can be timed to coordinate with mail delivery dates, alerting the customer to watch for a promotion or offer that is on its way to their physical mailbox. As one example, USPS Informed Delivery® emails the customer a digital image of the mailpiece before it’s delivered.
Direct mail with social media
USPS Informed Visibility® takes this concept one step further. With Informed Visibility, the sender is informed when mailpieces reach their target audience. This information, in turn, can be used to trigger highly targeted paid social media ads that directly relate to the mailpieces and the customers who received them.
Direct mail with SMS text
Text messages are known for high open rates and customer engagement. That subsequent engagement does not have to be digital, however. A marketing offer delivered via text can be used to trigger a direct mail package that is personalized to the tastes and preferences of the recipient.
Direct Mail That Delivers Better Results
Taylor is one of the most sophisticated providers of direct mail services in the nation, printing and mailing more than two billion pieces each year. Everything needed for a high-performing direct mail campaign is available through Taylor, whether that campaign is used as a standalone tactic or as part of a larger omnichannel approach:
- Award-winning mailpiece design services.
- Data analytics and audience segmentation techniques.
- Postage optimization services that reduce your postage costs while accelerating delivery.
- USPS promotions support related to Informed Delivery, QR codes, PURLs and more.
- Customer communications management for communications requiring the highest levels of accuracy, security and compliance.
- Complementary services including email, SMS text, self-service portals and custom microsites that create seamless omnichannel experiences.
See how Taylor is tapping the power of direct mail to supercharge the omnichannel marketing strategies of organizations like yours. Contact a Taylor representative to learn more.
