[6] Tips to BOOST Direct Marketing Response | #5 Use Marketing Technology.

Being that direct mail is such a broad, yet strategically sound, marketing tool we will continue to delve into how you can use it to boost your direct marketing response rates through direct mail with Tip 5 | Take advantage of marketing technology to better reach your audience.

Modernizing Direct Mail | Part 2

Truth be told, direct mail has its modernizing bases covered. Given the latest technological advances and logistical improvements in direct mail, it most certainly is modernized.

It is time we re-think who/what is actually doing the "modernizing"?

Marketers are no longer steering the ship of reinventing or modernizing direct mail. With the infusion of artificial intelligence, systems automations, technological advances and logistical improvements, direct mail has taken the lead in modernizing marketing techniques in unprecedented ways.

The savvy, behind-the-scenes workhorse.

Direct mail is no longer an archaic method. In 2023, direct mail is intelligent, low-maintenance and cost-effective. It stands strong as a savvy, behind-the-scenes workhorse that can easily be incorporated into a multichannel marketing tech stack.

So who/what exactly is doing the modernizing? It's time we give credit where credit is due - "Modernize with Direct Mail" is more like it.

Before we dive into marketing technologies with Tip 5, let's have a quick recap of Tip 4 | Experiment which focuses on how continuously testing will help maximize your ROI.

RECAP

Tip 4 | Test Direct Mail to Maximize ROI

 EXPERIMENT

As demonstrated in Tip 4 | Test Something New to Maximize ROI, direct mail does not have to live on its own. In fact, the best results often come with incorporating direct mail into multichannel campaigns. 

Tip 4 focuses on maximizing your ROI by continuing to test and iterate within your existing tech-stack, with a specific focus on how to maximize through direct mail. 

While absolutely necessary (and incredibly successful!) this is hands-on, trial-and-error approach. It requires you to be willing to dig in, continually iterate, and do some of the heavy-lifting in order to continually maximize your ROI.

On the other hand, Tip 5 flips this on its head and make direct mail do the heavy-lifting!

Focusing primarily on recent technological advances and logistical improvements, Tip 5 delves into setting up direct mail to do the heavy-lifting for you.

So with that, let's now dig into Tip #5 | Take advantage of marketing technology to better reach your audience focusing primarily (yep, you guessed it!) on direct mail.

To get all six tips upfront, simply download our ebook, Augmenting Digital Marketing with Direct Mail. 6 Tips to Boost Response Rates.

TIP #5 | Take Advantage of Marketing Technology to Better Reach Your Audience.

With recent technological advances and logistical improvements, a world of small, efficient, curated, cost-effective batches of highly personalized direct mail is now a reality.

Direct mail has reached a point in technological advancements that it can strategically identify opportunities, fully execute on developing highly-tailored, personalized direct mail, ensure that materials are properly received, and accurately monitor, track and report ROI. 

Modernize with  Direct Mail.Now, that's more like it!

Direct mail technology has reached a point of automation that it can strategically and efficiently do the work - for you! Modern direct mail can monitor behaviors, identify opportunities and automatically trigger intelligent executions highly-relevant direct mail.

With the help of technological advancements, direct mail can now seamlessly integrate into CRM and Marketing tools, providing a holistic monitoring throughout all aspects of your business.

Direct Mail is  Modern

intelligent | real-time | seamless | automated | behind-the-scenes

The Multiple Intelligences of Direct Mail

From lead identification, asset development, physical creation, production, to shipping, direct mail has become so technologically advanced that it can intelligently and efficiently do the work for you (and practically instantaneously!). All without you lifting a finger. In fact, you don't even need to be involved at all...

With the help of modern advancements, direct mail can easily produce real-time, small batch communications that are automated through intelligent triggering. Such intelligent triggering results in the creation of personalized, custom-tailored communications in a streamlined, curated manner. All of which can be produced in small, almost instantaneous, batches that are both cost-effective and efficient. Sound pretty groundbreaking? It is.

Gone are the days of manual lead generation. Of manually created, generic communications that must fall into the limited menu of standardized options in you want any chance at netting a positive ROI.

Oh, and let's not forget the ungodly lead times. No room for error. The endless rounds and long delays of manual proofing. The painstakingly high minimums. The millions wasted on unnecessary stamps. The endless waste bins constantly overflowing with unwanted, unnecessary, generic communications...

Back when your mailbox endlessly exploded with junk mail. And your inbox was not an endless black hole of spam, it was actually dominated by legitimate emails. Oh, how those tables have turned!

Luckily, the days of generic, bulk-order mailers are now just a distant memory (nightmare!)...

Direct Mail Arsenal

In the hands of properly setup and managed advanced technology systems, direct mail can be one of the most strategic tools in your marketing toolbox, and with the least level-of-effort.

Direct mail technology has reached a point of automation that it is not only cost-effective and efficient, but it literally does the work for you.

It can intelligently track, trigger and develop highly targeted communications (even down to the individual-level) in small, curated batches. You don't have to lift a finger!

With the right tools, proper automation, and sufficient tracking in your arsenal, direct mail is a behind-the-scenes workhorse. 

Thanks to technological advancements, direct mail is back in the forefront, revolutionizing multichannel marketing strategies.

[3] Key Direct Mail Technologies

At BKM Marketing, the three (3) key direct mail technologies that are most effective and most often incorporated into our direct mail tech stack for clients include:  Triggered Direct Mail, Informed Visibility®, and Informed Delivery®.

Technological Advancements in Direct Mail

Triggered Direct Mail | Informed Visibility® | Informed Delivery®

As marketing technology continues to evolve it’s easy to become overwhelmed with which technologies your company should be leveraging.

[1] Key Direct Mail Technology > Triggered Direct Mail

Triggered Direct Mail

PURLs can be generated automatically and are often nothing more than adding a username or number to the end of a web address. When the user goes to the address, the information on that page is custom populated to appeal to them and their preferences. With the right AI on your side, these landing pages and the resulting customization can be done seamlessly, from the moment a new IP address reaches your site to the moment they receive your mailing and type in the associated PURL.

Let’s imagine a scenario where you’ve sent out personalized mail, created a custom landing page, and your lead still isn’t ready to commit. Does this mean you’re done? Of course not. And while you probably have a lot of ways to follow up, don’t forget that direct mail should also play a significant role in what comes next. You can easily add individual or low-quantity mailings to your marketing strategy that will activate when certain situations develop. Today, advanced mailing technology can send highly personalized mail to engaged buyers within 48 hours. You can often have a new piece of mail on its way within a day or two.

So, what kind of “triggers” does a near-instant direct mail piece create an outstanding return on investment for? Examples include:

• When a prospect in your database revisits your website
• When a customer has abandoned items in their cart
• Nudging prospects if you typically have a long sales cycle
• A thank you note following a sale
• Reminders for seasonal purchasers

Triggered direct mail works best when you have a CRM system such as HubSpot or Salesforce. Many vendors have direct API’s with CRM platforms that help automate capturing trigger events. Some are so advanced, you can send these low-quantity, high-impact mailings as easily as sending an email. These platforms can automatically pull specific images of a product or extend an additional discount to help close sales.

[2] Key Direct Mail Technology > Informed Visibility^®

Informed Visibility®

Postal Tracking

With Informed Visibility® marketers know exactly when direct mail will be delivered to specific households.

An innovative new service called Informed Visibility® comes to direct mail marketers courtesy of the USPS. This service allows mailers to track their mail in near real-time. This end-to-end tracking service will keep an eye on any type of correspondence you want, from letters and containers to postcards and bundles. This near real-time tracking gives you the power to know just when a piece of mail will reach its intended target.

This can be helpful in letting your marketing and sales teams know when to trigger targeted online media and place follow-up sales calls. When you send a piece of mail in response to online activity, for example, knowing when that mail arrives is useful as you build your digital presence as a response. When mailing in support of an event or sale, it helps to know that your mail is reaching its audience in time for the promotion to be effective. This can also aid in the staffing of stores and call centers when higher volume is anticipated.

[3] Key Direct Mail Technology > Informed Delivery^®

Informed Delivery®

Postal Tracking

Alerts consumers as to what's in today's mail and lets them respond right away.

Another USPS offering is Informed Delivery®. With Informed Delivery®, consumers can opt to receive a daily email from the USPS that provides an image of the mail pieces scheduled to arrive in their mailbox that day.

So, what’s in it for marketers? The USPS allows marketers to place a banner ad alongside the image of your mail piece within the consumer email. The mail piece and banner will appear at the top of a customer’s virtual mail pile. The banner ad can link through to the campaign landing page, and your target can receive information on your offer before even receiving the mail.

Ready to begin testing?

Case Study | Cambridge Trust

New Customer Acquisition with Direct Mail

Cambridge Trust was looking to acquire new households in order to increase core checking and savings deposits, while also focusing primarily on high net worth clients, and clients who were expected to become affluent throughout the course of their banking relationship.

By identifying key behaviors and attributes of the current most profitable customers, BKM Marketing was able to create an ideal persona for qualified prospects and directly target those. Campaigns were continually optimized and lookalike audiences, which were constantly fine-tuned, were featured throughout search, social, and programmatic display, providing a multi touchpoint campaign and develop new prospect targets.

Bank Customer Acquisition Advertising Results

Interested in learning more?

View Case Study >

Tip 5 | Take Advantage of Marketing Technology to Better Reach Your Audience.

  CONNECT

To learn more, download our BKM Marketing e-book guide Augmenting Digital Marketing with Direct Mail | 6 Tips to Boost Response Rates >>

And stay tuned for next week's Tip #6  | Make your marketing more sustainable...

Quick links to other posts in this series

Tip #1 |  Understand your audience >

Tip #2 |  The importance of an integrated marketing mix >

Tip #3 |  Why and when to use direct mail >

Tip #4 |  Test something new with every marketing campaign to maximize your long-term ROI >

Tip #5 |  Take advantage of marketing technology to better reach and understand your audience >

Tip #6 |  Six tips to make your campaign more environmentally friendly >

Key Takeaways | [6] Tips to boost your marketing response blog series >

Sources: United States Postal Service.