Trish Harriss, business development director at DirectionGroup writes .. As the media landscape rapidly grows and changes, marketers are having to change the way they communicate with consumers.
QR codes and watermarking technology have made it easier than ever for brands to reach their target audiences, and with the growth of online marketing, they are interacting on a more personal level.
The growth of digital communications has led some to claim that traditional media, particularly direct mail, has lost its edge and is no longer an effective way to reach consumers. Conversely, it could be argued that rather than being outdated in light of digital marketing, DM continues to be a lucrative way of connecting with consumers.
Direct mail is a powerful and tangible way of driving customers online, particularly if there is a personalised web link included in the mailer. This type of communication works well as an advertisement for the brand and is more likely to be remembered by the recipient than an email because of its tactile nature. Sending and receiving post is a personal interaction and consumers can feel more valued by a brand if they receive an item in the post, than if they receive a generic email with a call to action.
Furthermore, triggers that direct consumers are more likely to be successful if produced in the form of physical mail items, and serves as a tactile reminder of the brand which people can then use as a prompt to interact with the company online.
Direct mail worked well in our recent Tweethearts campaign, in which we sent out boxes of DirectionGroup-branded love heart sweets on Valentine’s Day to our clients and associates, encouraging them to tweet about things they love. We created a twitter account and ‘#dg_love’ hashtag for promotion. We received an overwhelmingly positive response to the campaign, with many tweeting and leaving messages. It would have been far more difficult to generate such a high volume of responses if we had sent emails rather than treats, which are more personal and make customers feel special.
Moreover, the results of the campaign demonstrate how digital and direct mail can work well together if executed in the right way. Mailers allow marketers to be creative and play a key role in driving consumers online with effective calls to action. Successful campaigns come from accurate targeting and using data responsibly. Combining these will not only deliver better engagement and response, it will also lead to satisfied loyal customers.
