Written by Christine Magda
The marketing funnel that leads prospects through the buyer journey starts with awareness and capturing leads, or more importantly, generating demand. This is a KPI for marketers and often the root of marketing and sales disconnect and finger pointing. Customer journeys and meeting your audience where they are, when they are ready, is essential. This inspired the eMA to look into the ongoing challenge of moving leads from awareness to loyalty and what worked best in 2024.
From content marketing to retargeted ads and lead magnets like webinars, eBooks and free trials, creating brand awareness and capturing data: Name, email, title, etc, is the first step of a customer journey. A multi-channel mix of email, SEO, social media/Influencer, content, and direct mail are all touchpoints that prospects engage with, often at the same time.
According to recent research from BCG, “The “influence map” is a reimagining of the linear funnel that reduces artificial barriers between stages and ensures the right level of customization for each consumer journey.” Relying on traditional frameworks that follow a continuous pattern can result in missed opportunities and misaligned messaging and resource allocation.” “The influence map recognizes that these touchpoints occur across the entire journey, often overlapping and influencing multiple stages simultaneously.” In other words, the definitive lines across the funnel no longer exist.
Of all the touchpoints mentioned above, the one that caught our eye is a more traditional approach- Direct Mail. Whether postcards, catalogs, handwritten letters or coupons, direct mail delivered higher open, engagement, and purchase influence rates than other channels. Some studies show direct mail demonstrated continued effectiveness, with 84% of businesses identifying it as their highest ROI channel, and 82% planning to increase their direct mail budgets.
Why the Direct Mail Comeback?
Snail mail has a retro vibe in an oversaturated digital landscape and when used in conjunction with other marketing channels, is effective at different stages of the buyer journey. For example:
- Postcards: they help create awareness (Top of the funnel)
- Brochures and catalogs: they invite the prospects to consideration (Middle of the funnel)
- Personalized letters: using written pieces directed to the customers with their names (Middle of the funnel)
- Samples: encourage people to use the products, considerate, and convert (Middle to Bottom of the funnel)
- Coupons and discount cards: it is a call to action offering a financial incentive, and part of the conversion stage (Bottom of the funnel)
- Event invitations: invitations to in-person or virtual events to generate awareness (Top to Middle of the funnel)
- Handwritten notes: add an even more personalized touch to customer outreach, invite consideration and convert (Middle to Bottom of the funnel)
The effectiveness of direct mail can be seen through improved open rates (compared to email), higher engagement, increased influence on purchases, and overall better ROI. It stands out from its digital counterparts by offering a physical connection and personal touch, which translates into enhanced brand recall.
Call to action through QR codes creates a more interactive experience and complements existing digital marketing motions and campaigns to drive online activity like website visits, and collecting first and zero party data from survey responses and preference requests. Unifying this process creates a more frictionless experience and better results.
The Power of Personalization
QR codes are the link between the physical and digital aspects of DM campaigns and provide real time data to marketing and sales teams. Personalization allows recipients to easily access digital content, like landing pages, videos, or social media, that are relevant to them, making the experience more interactive and engaging. This is a win/win through:
- Personalized Experiences:
QR codes can lead to personalized landing pages or offers, tailoring the message to each recipient and boosting response rates. - Data Tracking and Analysis:
You can track recipient details such as name, email, phone, how many times a QR code is scanned and what actions are taken afterward, providing valuable insights into campaign performance. - Improved Response Rates:
Studies suggest that personalized direct mail campaigns, including QR codes, can boost response rates by up to 135%. - Enhanced Customer Experience:
QR codes simplify the process of accessing information or taking action, making the experience smoother and more convenient for recipients. - Cost-Effective:
QR codes are a relatively inexpensive way to add a digital element to your direct mail campaigns, offering a high ROI. - Versatility:
QR codes can be used to direct recipients to various online destinations, such as landing pages, social media, videos, or online forms. - Easy to Implement:
QR codes are easy to print and scan, making them a simple and accessible technology for both marketers and recipient - From financial firms to retailers, there are numerous ways to leverage direct mail to deliver exponential value. For example, Sephora used direct mail to improve cart abandonment rates. In addition to emails that were sent out to those who left items in their cart, a test group also received a postcard with one of the items that were left behind, alongside a few other popular products.The results: those who received the postal mail had a 16% higher response rate and were more likely to purchase the abandoned products either online or in-store.
The USPS commissioned a study from Summit Research and found that the industries that find the most success with direct mail programs are Financial, Insurance, and CPG companies. Insurance companies report that direct mail is their most successful advertising channel and typically use it to drive loyalty. CPG companies use direct mail more than any other industry reported, with the primary focus on driving awareness.
The Keys to Success
Moving your customer along the buyer journey, regardless of marketing motion, touchpoints activated, or campaign goal, there is one common denominator that links to success: DATA. In our next post, we’ll dive into how to obtain, analyze and optimize data.
Thanks for reading.
