Savvy marketers are taking a more strategic approach by doing more with less and powering up their marketing plans by fusing print and digital marketing campaigns. Let’s explore how you can give your marketing a boost with a few tips on integrating the power of print and digital together.

Keep it social

Social media is not only a great marketing tool but also contains a wealth of information about your customers. Use your social media analytics to help define your direct mail content and target your audience. You can determine where your audience is geographically, what their interests may be outside of your business, and other important socioeconomic and demographic information that will help fine tune your content. Taking it a step further you can also use your direct mail piece to drive traffic to your social media accounts, here are a few examples:

  • Use a specific hashtag on your direct mail campaign for use on Twitter or Instagram. i.e., #Lawtonstyle #Lawtonsmiles #Lawtonproud
  • Include your social media handles on your direct mail pieces to encourage follows and shares
  • Host a giveaway or sweepstakes that drives traffic to your social channels for participation
  • Let customers know there is more great content waiting for them online

Point them in the right direction

When customers receive a piece of mail, they need to know what you want them to do. An effective call-to-action is key to getting the results you desire. Keeping things simple, with the least number of steps and no confusing instructions is always best. Quick response codes (QR codes) and personalized URLs (PURLS) are great digital marketing tools that can be employed in your direct mail campaigns for this exact purpose.

QR codes originated in the automotive industry in 1994 but have been adopted by consumer technology because of the ease in which they can be utilized by our mobile devices. Their popularity has especially risen over the past year as a means of safe, contactless communication. When consumers see their distinctive matrixed barcode, they generally understand what needs to be done to get to the information housed within. QR codes are an excellent method for directing consumers to very specific landing pages that would otherwise be too long or too complicated to type out in print.

Personalized landing pages or PURLs on the other hand are specific webpages with targeted information directed toward the individual recipient. PURLs allow you to curate customized content based on your customer’s likes or interests collected through data, website visits, social media behavior, purchases, etc.

Make ’em an offer

Whether you pronounce it coo-pon or kew-pon, the sentiment is the same, people love a deal. Including a coupon in your direct mail increases the chances that your mail piece will be read, retained, and has an overall positive impact on the recipient. Beyond making your customers feel good, discounts and promotional offers via direct mail allow you to track customer behavior and thanks to the technology of digital marketing you’ll know their effectiveness. Consider this scenario. Six offers are sent over the course of a given campaign with four resulting in significant increases in web traffic. If only two of the four successful offers result increased sales, your team can analyze what about these offers resonated with the audience best. Was it the timing or type of discount offered? Was the content different somehow? Here are a few ideas on maximizing the potential of your promo offers:

  • Personalize promo codes with the customer’s name.
  • Require recipients to activate an offer by logging onto a landing page where you can quickly collect customer data.
  • Reward customer loyalty by sending after-sale discount offers with a PURL featuring accessories or complementary products to their earlier purchases

We hope you found these tips helpful. As always, the Lawton team of experts is here ready to help you create your next direct mail campaign. We can work with you to ensure your direct mail successfully integrates with your digital marketing for a stronger customer experience. Together we can tap into the power and unlimited potential of print and digital marketing when combined.