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Using direct mail to drive online purchases

The future of direct mail is digital. It sounds counterintuitive, but the reality of marketing in today's exceedingly diverse and dynamic economy is it takes more than one method to draw in customers.

RetailMeNot, the U.S.'s largest distributor of digital coupons, in conjunction with Omnibus, recently released a detailed report examining consumer behaviors trending buying patterns. The study revealed that more customers are going online for their goods and services. Of the online shoppers identified in the report, 87 percent plan to spend at least as much as they did in 2013.

Online stores are more convenient and are able to offer a wider selection of products, but a preference for a digital storefront doesn't necessarily translate to advertising methods. According to an infographic from the Lorraine Gregory Communications Group, nearly 60 percent of consumers enjoy learning about a new product from a promotional mail piece. The challenge for marketers is figuring out how to successfully include direct mail into strategies that drive digital sales.

Drive call to action back to the web
Unlike an email or a digital coupon, direct mail doesn't offer the luxury of immediately linking customers to a website or a purchase. If customers receive a mail  piece with no instructions on it, regardless of how well put together it is, it's likely to be set aside and eventually forgotten as the reader encounters different advertisements and promotions throughout the day. By incorporating an actionable item, like a QR code or a specific URL, marketers can give customers the second step they've become accustomed to online. Directing the reader to a digital marketplace can help generate new online leads and help boost sales.

Measure ROI not cost per unit
Controlling expenditures in business has become a finely tuned practice, which is why managers now commonly demand for marketers to justify advertising dollars on micro scales. Using a unique URL or QR codes allow marketers to track online purchases to clearly show the impact of their direct mail piece.  And a critical component to ensuring the maximum ROI is that the direct mail pieces actually get to the intended party by ensuring that the data is integrated with address verification software.

                       Kevin Gilligan, vice president of sales and marketing at Structural Graphics, told Deliver Magazine.                                                        "It's no longer about the cost per unit of a mailing, but the ROI  of your campaign."

Over the next year, customers will continue their exodus to online marketplaces and storefronts, but the value of direct mail will remain. Shoppers are familiar with the medium and they expect it, but advertisers need to think more innovatively to maximize direct mail's efficiency. That means creative use of color and cardstock, including call to action and ensuring that marketers are using the best available practices, which include address correction systems.

Thousands of customers move residences every year. Address correction systems guarantee the integrity of all contact information as it's entered into the system, meaning fewer returns and less resending.