With the rise of digital communication, it seemed direct
mail would become obsolete. Then it seemed social media marketing would make
email redundant – but a cross-platform strategy should not be ignored as a
powerful tool in the entrepreneurs’ arsenal.
Direct mail and email can work in tandem to deliver a killer
one-two punch campaign that’ll have current customers coming back for more and
win over new ones.
The stats speak for themselves: according to the Royal
Mail’s It’s all about Mail and Email report, when mail was used in tandem with
an email campaign, 13% more consumers were driven to the brand’s website –
while campaigns that included mail were 27% more likely to deliver top-ranking
sales performance, The Private Life of Mail report found.
Both mediums require a similarly informed and strategic
approach to achieve maximum impact and both can be used to supercharge each
other’s effectiveness. Delivering the same message across multiple platforms
will make extra sure your target market pays attention.
But why still use mail in a digital era and how can you
achieve maximum impact by using it alongside email? Find out with these seven
tips.
1. Mail is hard to ignore
Emails are much easier for your audience to dismiss than
physical mail and to many, promotional emails have become synonymous with spam
– 87% of consumers have been influenced to make an online purchase as a result
of receiving direct mail, the aforementioned It’s all about Mail and Email
report found.
Marketing that’s fallen through your letterbox has to be
physically interacted with. If it’s well designed that may be all the time you
need to grab their attention.
Tangible marketing content is more powerful than ever in an
increasingly digital world and connects with consumers in a different way. It’s
also effective across generations – millenials are just as likely as retirees
to be engaged by direct mail. In fact, more than one in four 15-24 year-olds
have purchased as a result – a strikingly similar number to the 55-66 year-old demographic,
according to The Life Stages of Mail report revealed.
2. Tailor your campaign
Don’t just send out a barrage of meaningless material and
hope for the best – there are many ways to tailor your email and direct mail to
increase the chances of a response.
Consumers are far more likely to interact with content
that’s relevant to them. Get to know your core customers inside and out by
profiling them through market research and loyalty or memberships schemes that
build a picture of their habits and behaviours.
Those who have an emotional response to mail are likely to
act upon it. Of the Royal Mail’s respondents, 92% said the “mail they found
useful or interesting” made them feel something with an astonishing 92% of that
number going on to act on that feeling.
3. Be strategic
A constant feed of physical and digital mail will start to
lose its impact – something you see frequently is easy to ignore, while
something exceptional and unusual is far more likely to catch your attention.
Deliver your campaign when you know it will have maximum
impact and produce maximum return on investment. When is your target consumer
going to be most likely to buy, or be most in need of your product or service?
4. Stand out from the crowd
This goes without saying for both email and direct mail –
whether in an inbox or lying amongst a pile of letters on a doormat, your
fighting for attention so you better shout the loudest.
While emails rely on the art of creating a powerful subject
line, direct mail provides an opportunity to get creative and get noticed. Your
brand should be instantly recognisable without having to read the content,
while the nature of the communication should be obvious at a glance: if it’s to
promote an offer, make it big, make it bold, make it noticeable.
As mentioned above, an email has to work a lot harder to get
noticed. The subject line should catch the reader’s attention and say in the
most punchy way possible what to expect from the communication. You have to
give them a reason to click through and not just to consign it to the trash.
5. But don’t be annoying…
Contemporary consumers have got used to the traditional
marketing strategies brands use to grab their attention – they’re not so easily
won over.
Cheap attention grabbing tricks, an overly-pushy or
excessively promotional style can put people off and look like spam. Consumers
want to feel they are choosing to buy a product or service that they know will
benefit them, not being forced to buy something they don’t need.
6. Be concise and compelling
Keep it simple and make the most relevant content the most
noticeable. The longer your audience is forced to read through waffle the more
likely they are to become disinterested and not take action.
Create short, punchy and engaging copy that compels the
reader to click through, make that call or go out and visit your premises to
redeem a limited time offer – create a sense of urgency.
And at the end of your communication or in an obvious place
on physical mail you need to provide a CALL TO ACTION! Include a link to click
through and encourage them to do so.
7. Vary your output
This goes for style and the nature of your marketing –
sending out the same type of marketing again and again will grow tiresome and
be easy for your audience to ignore.
You don’t need to create a whole new campaign every time,
but a range of templates that you can use cyclically will keep your
communication looking fresh and noticeable. Likewise, the content or aim of
your marketing shouldn’t always be the same. Always trying to sell can come
across as desperate and sleazy – informative content such as newsletters can
help build a relationship with your customers and create an engaging narrative
around your brand. This could be in the form of updates on new store openings,
new product launches, information about causes you support.
Ultimately, whatever you do needs to be driven by delivering
genuine value for customers. Don’t just send more stuff; make sure your
communications could make a real difference.
Article From: startups.co.uk
