As 2018 gets into high gear, so is the direct mail industry, which might be surprising to the casual observer.
In an era where technology is integrating itself into everything we see, hear and do, you might perceive direct mail as a “low-tech” means of communicating to a broad audience. But just as technology has changed the way we talk to one another, or the way we consume media, so too has technology changed direct mail.
To borrow from the ad campaign that didn’t quite save Oldsmobile, this is NOT your father’s direct mail.
Direct mail in 2018 is inexplicably linked with technology and increasingly integrated into the digital communication tools we use every day. In fact, many of the world’s biggest technology-driven companies, like Facebook, are using direct mail to connect with targeted audiences.
That’s always been one of direct mail’s strengths: To target a specific demographically chosen audience, and reach it, directly. It’s efficient and cost-effective.
Modern direct mail utilizes technology, too, in everything from the high-quality printing and production to the sophisticated addressing and processing of mail pieces, often including “variable data” to customize a particular mail piece.
There are new strengths evolving as well. For example, marketing companies like Mellady Direct Marketing are using direct mail more than ever to connect to clients’ digital marketing efforts.
Like any good marketing campaign, we use multiple tools to work in harmony with each other to tell the client’s story and connect with the audience.
It can be something simple, like creating a campaign-specific landing page on the web so a client can capture important information from potential customers who receive the direct mail.
Or, it can be a true symphony of marketing platforms working together, like a campaign Mellady Direct recently completed for a hospital in Southern California. The hospital was seeking to elevate its social media profile in the communities it serves, and wanted to cultivate more direct relationships with community members.
Mellady Direct designed, created and executed a direct mail, social media match and website retargeting campaign. All of the components of the campaign worked together to reach the same targeted audience by mail, through social media and by retargeting advertising for visitors to the hospital’s website.
The results? This harmonious multi-platform messaging acquired almost 800 new Facebook likes for the hospital, spending $2.13 per like on the social media platform. The direct mail and social media components connected with the same 50,000-record targeted audience, each reinforcing the hospital’s message of high-quality community care.
The client was extremely pleased with the results of the campaign — and there was nothing low-tech about it!
Can Mellady Direct Marketing deliver your multi-platform message? Call us today at (661) 298-9190 to learn more!
