The Power of the Trigger in Direct Mail Marketing
How would you like to combine the best of digital marketing technology with the tactile and visual charm of direct mail marketing? Welcome to triggered postcard marketing, a new way to take advantage of cutting-edge technology to pump up your direct mail campaign. Martech, an online marketing trade, points to a triggered direct mail platform that connects potential customers’ online behavior to create targeted direct mailings.
New Technology Allows Direct Mail Companies to Identify Potential Customers Online
This platform, from PebblePost, and those that followed it, tracks visitors to a company’s website. If potential customers put items in their carts, but do not purchase them, the company may be able to track down that customer’s physical address. Then the company can send out a color postcard or another direct mailing that offers free shipping (or other offer) on that item.
This works because most users have registered their mailing address when they sign up for an account with that company. Even anonymous browsers have a high likelihood of being identified because of new emerging technology. Cookies, too, are useful to correlate an address with online activities.
That Same Technology Can Identify Your Customers’ Greatest Needs
The beauty of triggered direct mail marketing is that you can use them to personalize your mailings. Algorithms segment browsers based on the # of page views, type of content viewed, time spent on the site, and other variables. The ability to target potential buyers with customized direct mail that is delivered within days is very powerful marketing.
Your Prospects Can’t Just Hit “Delete”
Your communication won’t come through an email—most of which your target market will just delete or send to their spam file. It will come through the US Mail—in the form of a postcard or letter your prospect can hold in his or her hand, read over and over, and wonder how in the world your company knew that he needed the exact widget you sell.
It’s your company’s way to reach out to meet the needs of your target customers. If your product or service lives up to its promise, you’ll have a grateful customer for life. Not only that, you could earn referrals as a bonus. Your company’s reputation as a problem-solver will spread, putting word-of-mouth to work for you as well.
Companies Who Mail Catalogs Double Their Efforts with Triggered Direct Mailings
Catalog companies can use triggered direct mail marketing to add on to their regular catalog mailings. Suppose a customer looks at your catalog, finds a product s/he needs, and goes online for more information and to explore other products.
You don’t know what they’re reading at home or in the office. But if they go online, you can now identify their need or their want. And the addition of a postcard may just push them over the fence from looker to buyer.
B2B Companies, Too, Can Take Targeted Direct Mailings to the Bank
Furthermore, it’s not only B2C companies who can take advantage of triggered direct mail, but B2B companies as well. As noted in our January 6, 2018 post, direct mailings to other businesses garner a 4% response rate, compared to 0.1% for emails.
When you combine the power of triggering technology to identify needs with the response rate of direct mail, you can have a winning strategy that will not only win other businesses as your customers, but also earn their loyalty for solving their most vexing problems.
At Hansel Group Marketing, we help clients evaluate the effectiveness of their marketing programs – from catalog formats to triggered postcards to customer acquisition strategies – and make sure that your marketing dollars are generating positive ROI over the control.