Modern (aka digital) forms of marketing are certainly critical to building a successful brand, but that doesn’t mean that slightly older forms of advertising can be thrown completely by the wayside. While direct mail hasn’t been the flashiest, most spoken about form of advertising as of late, it certainly still deserves the attention of advertisers in virtually every industry and region given its proven ability to generate leads, close conversions and retain existing clientele. That being said however, neither digital outreach nor a direct mail strategy can be truly successful on its own, so companies must find a way to blend direct mail and digital marketing strategies.
It’s become clear over the last few years that intelligent, cross-media advertising strategies will be most effective and successful, as they combine multiple mediums and methods of outreach, ensuring companies reach the majority of their target audience.
Direct mail has to be part of the digital equation to ensure the whole is indeed greater in value than the sum of its parts – which will inherently translate to stronger returns on investment.
Net Imperative recently explained some of the main trends that direct mail marketers will need to keep in mind, many of which relate back to the best practices of digital advertising. Again, regardless of which mediums are being leveraged in a marketing strategy, the most important point is to keep everything consistent, targeted and working in conjunction towards a common goal, which can be difficult when there are so many moving parts functioning in the initiative.
According to the news provider, advertisers are more demanding of personalization, special printed shapes and, oddly enough, scents. As far as we know, digital technologies are still a little ways from being able to exude a scent, but who knows what could happen in this crazy world.
Back to the topic at hand, the source argued that all of these requests can be easily acquired through channels and services available today. Citing a recent report, Net Imperative pointed out that aside from these core desires, it has become clear that the best way to ensure the integrity and success of a digital marketing initiative is to ensure that direct mail plays a role in the endeavor, meaning cross-channel, integrated practices.
That same study found that nearly nine out of every 10 marketers are looking to leverage direct mail to generate traffic in digital channels, and this is exactly the right idea with regard to this discussion. Using one pursuit to fuel another and vice versa can truly bring a brand to new levels of performance.
Monetization of marketing efforts is no easy pursuit, especially given the sheer volume and diversity of programs, processes and endeavors every company is putting forth to generate buzz and drive financial performances upward.
When working to integrate and unify various marketing programs, it will always be important to measure and analyze results, whether that means leveraging management software or support from professionals. Failure to accurately gauge the successes and failures of your advertising can quickly allow the wheels to come off the wagon.
How has your company combined print marketing and digital advertising to accomplish its goals? Have you had any major successes or clear failures that you’ve dropped from your strategy?
