How to Navigate Direct Mail Trends
As the quaintly quotable Yogi Berra once said, “The future ain’t what it used to be.” That’s sure true for marketing planning today. With the continuing pressure to balance traditional and new media, it’s not wise to “rinse and repeat,” a mix that worked well once, but that’s it’s better advised to “assess and reevaluate.”
With increases in postal rates, direct mail campaigns are logically under scrutiny. But here’s the important point to remember. Postal increases don’t mean “head for the hills” – especially since your mailings will stand out as your competitors cave in to small thinking. But the real dollars being spent do mean “market smarter.” Start here:
Be relevant. Personalization and segmentation aren’t just for email. Turn to your data to target print messages more strategically. Customer data can help you gear campaigns to homeowners’ specific wants and needs. Customers say that like that. In fact, studies show that 86% of customers say that personalized marketing has influenced a purchase. Look for what you can glean from data, and for how you can leverage technology to create relevant messaging for the ones in your database who need/want to replace, renovate or repair.
Build relationships. Because your messages are becoming more personal, you are also connecting more closely with customers – a good step for building relationship. As you create copy that connects through emotion and moves to decision-making through logic, work to place these offers within the story of your brand – who you are, what your values are, how you’re here to serve whenever customers need you. Remember, relational marketing also is about people; include testimonials and customer success stories.
Integrate with other media. No marketing is an island. Print pieces should integrate with online media through your overall brand identity and messaging. And your offline marketing can also point to online ways to stay connected – including pushes to follow on Facebook, Twitter or other platforms.