Proactive Direct Mail Strategies for our Transitioning World
Marketers are natural-born strategists. Over the past year, they have been doing more reactive work than proactive. As we move further into the recovery phase and closer to enjoying post-pandemic life, marketing teams are ready to get to work. We assembled a few proactive direct mail strategies that can help you get started right away.
Get noticed with direct mail
Direct mail is having a bit of a moment. Consumers are spending the bulk of their time at home, building on their already tremendous interest in receiving mail. 34% say they are spending more time reading their mail than they did before the pandemic. Email inboxes and social media ad feeds add up to hundreds of hits per day. Physical mail is an unsaturated market with tremendous potential that can also be targeted and measured. Plus, unlike digital campaigns, customers tend to hold onto direct mail for an average of up to 17 days!
Power up digital marketing with direct mail
Combine the power of direct mail and digital marketing to give marketing plans a boost. Utilize the data collected from website and social media analytics to determine the best direct mail content and target audiences. Include personalized URLs (PURLS) and quick response codes (QR codes) to direct web traffic quickly and efficiently. QR codes are a unique matrixed barcode that consumers scan with their mobile device, automatically redirecting them to a landing page. PURLS are individual web pages housing targeted information with customized content based on that specific customer’s data, interests, and behaviors.
Reflect changing times
How marketers communicate with consumers is also undergoing a transition right now. A strategy could include a “return to normalcy” approach or take the “forging ahead” path. The company, its employees, current customers, and future ones are not the same as they were in early 2020. Be mindful and respectful of the hard times and changes that people have endured. In a survey by Ketchum, 88% of consumers changed brands in the past year because of communications.
Launch something(s) new
Direct mail is one of the best methods in which to launch new products and services. As consumers still show hesitancy to start venturing out to trade shows and retail locations, why not sent the store to them! Catalogs are back in a big way. Consider each page a mini shopping experience delivered to the customer’s door that they can peruse at their convenience, revisit for inspiration, and results in sales. In a recent USPS study, 60% of respondents said they were more likely to visit a website if they received a catalog, and 84% liked to have the catalog handy while they shopped online.
The team of direct mail and multipage publication experts here at Journal Graphics are ready to help you create a proactive marketing strategy that will grab your customers’ attention in 2021. Call us today to start working on your next great project.