While it’s absolutely true that more and more people are engaging with brands over the Internet these days, that doesn’t mean that direct mail is dead – far from it. In fact, even if you operate a business exclusively online, there are still a wide array of different benefits that the right direct mail campaign can bring to the table that would be difficult to replicate through other means.
Leveraging Direct Mail to Your (Online) Advantage
One of the most important benefits of executing a thoughtfully constructed direct mail campaign ultimately comes down to what it can do for your response rate. According to one recent study, about 67% of millennial parents and 53% of millennials in general say that they’re actually more likely to make a purchase – or, at the very least, to respond – if they receive a direct mail ad with a healthy amount of personalization. This is true even for online retailers who may want to reach out to this key demographic “the old-fashioned way,” through print collateral.
This means that if you use targeted mailing data to go after younger generations of people in particular, you’re far more likely to get the results that you’re after – thus increasing the return on investment for your campaign at the exact same time!
For the best results, you should use marketing analytics to reach out to your prospects during the consideration phase of their journey – that is, when they’re still in the thick of research prior to deciding to make a purchase in the first place. That way, you can supply them with a steady stream of information that they need to confirm that they’re making the right choice with their hard-earned money. At that point, when the time DOES come to make a purchase, you can be certain that their preferred vendor will be YOU.
Increase your response rate with unique and versatile direct mail formats such as plastic postcards with pop-out gift card offers. Presenting your discount as a gift card gives a perception of value, and the credit card sized pop-out can be conveniently stored for future redemption. Boost your campaign’s performance even further by leveraging variable data printing to feature each prospect’s name on your collateral. This kind of personalization builds trust, ultimately leading to the kind of results that will serve both you and your new customers for years to come.
So if you’d like to find out more information about how direct mail influences purchases – even for online retailers – or if you just have any additional questions that you’d like to go over with someone in a bit more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.
