Because many advertisers and business owners think of direct mail and email as separate marketing efforts, they sometimes fail to consider the importance of maintaining consistency between the two.
But make no mistake, email and direct mail (along with other marketing channels) should always work together to drive results.
Follow these best practices below to improve your integrated marketing efforts and generate higher ROI.
Consistent Branding
Use the same theme across all campaign marketing materials. Your logo, colors and font should make it easy for the consumer to not only associate multiple communications, but to make the transition from one channel to the other as seamless as possible.
Timing
Don't send an email before your direct mail piece delivers. This is especially important if you are using the direct mail piece as a reference in your email subject line (ie: Did you receive it?). Or, vice-versa.
Generally, digital communications (email) should follow and support physical experiences (direct mail).
EXAMPLE INTEGRATED EMAIL / DIRECT MAIL SCHEDULE:
Direct Mail Offer #1 - Mail out on Friday, April 1st
Email Offer #1 – Deploy on Friday, April 8th | *One week after initial direct mail offer
Email Offer #2 – Deploy on Friday, April 15th | *Two weeks after initial direct mail offer
Email Offer #3 – Deploy on Friday, April 22nd | *Three weeks after initial direct mail offer
Frequency & Impressions
The success of your campaign boils down to frequency, or multiple impressions. Each time an advertisement lands in front of a prospect you make one impression. So, if you send a prospect a direct mail postcard and an email message, you have acquired (2) impressions. Generally, it takes (7) to (12) impressions to influence a consumer's opinion and purchasing decision.
Top-Level Personalization
Use any and all available data to personalize communications. In most cases, it is sufficient to use top-level personalization, such as where the recipient lives. Using names can be effective but also backfire if the person you are reaching isn't sure how you acquired their name in the first place. Many advertisers prefer to personalize using the recipient’s geographic location instead (ie: The best restaurant in Midlothian, VA). In this case, you can use the "city" to personalize the communication.
Call to Action
Always include a Call to Action (CTA). Additionally, make sure that you use the exact same CTA in both your direct mail and email marketing collateral. Keep the offer the same, the redemption method the same, and the end result the same.
Stay Focused
Direct mail and email should always work together, not counter each other. When used in conjunction, these (2) marketing channels can reach a vast target audience, and make impressions that span both the digital and physical world.