Newsletter
May 2011
Improving Direct Mail Response Rates with Attention-Grabbing Creative: 3 Real-Life Examples
By: Ramin Zamani
Billboards, magazine ads, product packaging, TV commercials, banner ads, and so many more. The average consumer is assaulted with over 3000 of these advertising messages a day. That’s more than 3 a minute during waking hours. The savvy consumer has learned to tune out most marketing messages to keep themselves from being bombarded. This spells bad news for the marketer who’s trying to attract these very consumers. Marketers who want to improve their direct mail response rates have to get creative in order to stand out among the clutter.
Put yourself in the consumer’s shoes for a minute. Everyone checks their mail – some once a day, others once a week. But inevitably, every piece of direct mail that reaches your mailbox will pass through your hands at some point. Whenever you open your mailbox, you see smiling faces looking back at you. You probably don’t smile back. You know they’re all hawking their wares, advertising for everything from health insurance and retirement plans to trendy clothing and cleaning products. Few direct mail pieces deserve more than a quick three or four second glance before you greet their smiles with the dismissive thump of the trash can lid. Then there are those rare few, the ones that grab your attention and make you want to read more, that you decide to hold on to.
‘Quick Response’ Expected to Mobile Barcode Promotion
By: United States Postal Service
Marketers get 3 percent off and more effective mail.
The Postal Service wants to show marketers how mobile barcodes can increase the value of mail, so it’s offering an upfront 3 percent discount this summer for integrating the technology into direct mail campaigns.
“Two-dimensional barcodes, which can be scanned or read by mobile smart phones, can increase response rates, improve campaign tracking and attract younger consumers,” said Tom Foti, manager, Marketing Mail. “They also demonstrate how integration of both offline and online marketing efforts blur the lines between the two channels.”
Marketers get 3 percent off and more effective mail.
The Postal Service wants to show marketers how mobile barcodes can increase the value of mail, so it’s offering an upfront 3 percent discount this summer for integrating the technology into direct mail campaigns.
“Two-dimensional barcodes, which can be scanned or read by mobile smart phones, can increase response rates, improve campaign tracking and attract younger consumers,” said Tom Foti, manager, Marketing Mail. “They also demonstrate how integration of both offline and online marketing efforts blur the lines between the two channels.”
Customers who receive the special mailpieces can use mobile devices to scan the barcodes for more information about the product or service the mailing is promoting.
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Social Media and Direct Mail: Can the Two Coexist?
By: Torey Pickard
Social media doesn’t mark the end of direct mail. In fact, there’s no better partnership. Cross media marketing makes it possible to pair the two for optimum impact.
Social media and direct mail, the two are vastly different. One is the new kid on the block in the ever growing digital community. The other is the older, reliable partner in the traditional marketing mix. The two sure don’t sound like they belong together, but when you throw them together in a cross media marketing campaign, it’s hard to find a better pair.
Social media is wonderful because it’s free, but only in dollars, not in time. You can afford to be in constant communication with your followers. Your message also has the power to reach thousands of people, even those you’re not connected to. But, the large audience also has a downside – you’re one of millions of profiles in the social sphere, and it can be very difficult for people to find you without knowing exactly what they’re looking for. Another drawback is the fleeting nature of a social media post. Your post only stays at the top of your follower’s feed for a short time before being replaced by dozens of others. If they’re not glued to their profile (or if they’re too busy playing Farmville), they may never have even seen your message.
Direct mail has a nearly opposite effect. It can be expensive, especially if you’re trying to reach a large audience. So, the flip side of that coin is that you can only market to a finite number of people. And, unlike social media, direct mail can’t exactly go viral. However, direct mail marketing does allow you to reach a targeted audience with a message tailored specifically to them. The other great thing about direct mail is that it is the only marketing tool that is touched and scanned by the recipient almost 100% of the time. Plus, direct mail has a longer shelf life. Someone might receive your postcard and set it on their counter for a week before finally picking it up and reading it. Try finding a Tweet that you saw a week ago, it’s practically impossible. Even if you did happen to remember it, you’d have to have the patience to scan through the thousands of tweets you had received since then.
Social Media: The Power of Transparency
By: Torey Pickard
Social media, it’s no longer new. Everyone knows about it and almost everyone has some kind of social site. What everyone doesn’t have is an understanding of the incredible power social media can wield. Just a few months ago, a formerly unorganized group of disgruntled revolutionists in Egypt took to social media to fight for their cause. These sites enabled them to relate their stories, find others who shared their passion, and even to organize protests. Social media was the tool that helped bring down a long standing, powerful government.
The role of social media in the Egyptian revolution is amazing, but the power of social media can be seen on a much smaller scale. Your customers are using your website everyday for the exact same things. They log on to share stories about their experience with your customer service center or about how much they love your new product. They go to your Facebook to find people who are passionate about your company because they want to know more before doing business with you. Sometimes, they even “organize protests” when they aren’t happy with the way they were treated or the product they received. Even for your company, no matter how small, social media is a powerful force. Unlike the Egyptian government, you’re in the position to use the power that it offers.
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Larry Vaughn, President"MindFire takes you way beyond the print."
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