Integrated Direct Marketing in the New Media Mix
As we all know, it is becoming increasingly difficult in today’s media-blitzed society to effectively deliver your value proposition or message to the right audience. And, the “right audience” is becoming increasingly difficult to define and target. With all the blogs, TV, radio ads, and the emergence of media such as online ads and video, the likelihood of your message reaching the right person at the right time continues to diminish. Whether your goal is to motivate a prospect to action or improve current customer loyalty, integrated direct marketing is evolving to become the ROI leader and new standard in today’s fragmented media space.
Despite our busy lives and hectic schedules, we all check our mail regularly. Including a direct mail component in your campaign increases the likelihood that you will reach your recipient, and incorporating personalization based upon demographic and psychographic data will further increase the likelihood that your message will be noticed. However, it’s not enough to assume that sending out a single mail piece will generate the results you need. Today’s consumers are savvy and have little time so it’s important to use repetition and multiple touchpoints to ensure you gain the mindshare needed to maximize your campaign’s effectiveness.
By using a multi-stage, multi-touchpoint approach, you are more likely to reach and deliver the right message, to the right person, at the right time — the keys to success in direct marketing. Gone are the days when the proper combination of list, offer and creative guaranteed direct marketing success. It is now critical to think in terms of media and frequency in addition to the three classical pillars of direct marketing. Data and metrics also play a crucial role. Integrated channels (direct mail, email, personalized microsites, etc.) inherently have more transactional touches that provide you with better customer insight and data. Better data gives you better decision making capabilities. I think we would all agree when it comes to spending money on marketing and advertising that having accurate and good data should give us better bang for our buck.
More tips to come!
Steve