People often question the effectiveness of print. They don’t fully understand its ROI because it doesn’t have the analytic capabilities we’ve come to rely on from websites, social media, and online ads. The goal of a circular, post card, catalog, or brochure is no longer just to get the recipient to hop into their car and visit a store. It’s most likely to get that person to visit a website. That is where a print campaign can be measured and used effectively in an omnichannel marketing strategy.
Start with a target
Begin by selecting a targeted group from your database that you want to send a campaign. Targeted individuals are more likely to take advantage your offer. Your targets can be grouped by location, buying habits, psychographics, or demographics. Create a message that appeals to your specific audience and provide a unique point of contact in order to track success. If you’re targeting more than one group, be sure to separate your contact points in order to provide the best possible measurement data.
Measurement sources
Personalized URLS or PURLS offer one of the best forms of measurement in print marketing because the customer does not have to make a purchase to measure effectiveness. PURLs are specific landing pages and should be unique to each campaign. Analytics will allow you to zero in on where your site traffic is coming from, behaviors, and conversion rates. QR codes are another method that allows you to track campaign success. QR codes surged in popularity in 2020 as a contactless data access point. QR codes are particularly helpful if you want users to visit a landing page that features video content, or if your product or service has an online ordering or delivery option that is particularly mobile-friendly like at a restaurant. Lastly, coupons or promo codes offers discounts that are unique to the campaign or recipients. Tracking begins when the customer either uses it in-store, or upon entering their information online to activate the discount. Promo codes aren’t as effective as the methods mentioned above because they are tracking conversions vs. impression but still a great way to drives customer loyalty.
Retargeting for success
Retargeting is combination of direct mail and digital marketing that is becoming more mainstream. Rather than an email nudge or a social media ad showing up in a customer’s feed to remind them of the item they viewed and maybe left in an abandoned shopping cart, instead they receive a postcard at their door. A promo code offer, PURL, and benefits message of the product may just be what the customer needs to push them into returning to the website and making that purchase. Services are based on the user’s unique Internet Protocol or IP Address so customers do not need to be actively in your database in order for it to work.
Ready to get started on implementing these strategies in your next direct mail campaign? The team of experts at Lawton are here to help. Give us a call today.
