Combining Direct Mail and Digital Marketing for Higher ROI

Believe it or not, direct mail has been around for centuries. In the 1600-1700’s, business owners mailed catalogs to prospective customers, hoping to sell them their gardening, scientific or academic services. And it worked. People responded positively to this direct approach, and hundreds of business owners benefited from this new form of marketing.

Direct mail has come a long way since the 18th century, but it’s still just as profitable. Now, in 2020, it has the ability to be even more targeted and personalized by combining direct mail with digital marketing. Together, these cost-effective methods enhance one another and drive better results, which ultimately leads to more customers for your business.

There are several successful digital marketing strategies to help create a multi-channel marketing approach, including content marketing, email marketing and social media marketing. However, one of the most effective tools to pair with direct mail is IP targeting.

What is IP targeting? It’s the process of matching a recipient’s physical address on a mailing list with their home or business computer’s IP address—a numeric code that helps that network communicate with the Internet. This allows businesses to leverage data such as user location or connection type, and, in turn, target digital ads to the most sough-after customers and prospects. Additionally, the ads you place will only be seen by households on your mailing list, so you’re not paying for impressions and click-through of people you don’t want to reach.

So how does this work with direct mail? You can deliver hyper-targeted online ads directly to the recipients on your mailing list for your direct mail campaign. Taking this step before sending your direct mail increases the likelihood that customers will notice your postcard, brochure or catalog when it arrives. The end result is an increase in conversion and improved campaign response rates.

There are a few things to keep in mind in order to ensure success when combining IP targeting and direct mail.

1. Make sure you have a current and accurate mailing list so you aren’t wasting impressions.

2. Use attention-grabbing creative that’s cohesive with your direct mail piece to reinforce your offer and create synergy between the two channels.

3. Include a compelling call-to-action that drives customers to a simple and direct landing page. This can help track click conversions and ultimately determine your ROI.

4. Define a conversion path for your customers.

5. Collect and review data from your campaign and see what could be improved next time.

While this type of digital marketing is a smart addition to any marketing strategy, it’s best for boosting customer acquisition and building brand awareness. Improve your acquisition efforts by matching your database with the IP and demographic data to create and target look-a-like audiences. This is called “cluster IP targeting” and allows you to deliver relevant ads to specific audiences, which reduces wasted impressions and increases message reach. When it comes to building brand awareness, IP targeting lets you target key customers and prospects with branded banner ads that reinforce your other marketing tactics.

Interesting in implementing IP targeting? Early Express offers several direct mail services, including targeted lists, saturation lists, EDDM (every door direct mail) and more. We’d be happy to help you get started and reach your marketing goals.

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