Direct Mail Retargeting: What Is It and Why It’s a Game-Changer

Direct mail retargeting is a fairly straightforward concept that is probably best explained using a simple analogy relating to traditional high street shopping. 

In physical stores, we tend to browse through the various aisles and departments,  selecting items based on various factors and requirements before deciding what to buy. Obviously, If we do not find anything of interest, we simply walk out empty-handed and visit another store. 

The behavior is exactly the same when shopping online. Most people visit multiple websites before making a purchase, only if a product truly appeals to them at that moment. If they are not in a good ‘buying state’ when they are looking at your products, you might lose them for good.

The dilemma is this: on another day, they might have purchased. But on that particular day, they decided not to, probably owing to a conflicting emotional state at that time. Too busy, tired, or hungry, maybe. There are a multitude of reasons why they didn't commit, but the fact is, on any other day, given a different emotional state, they probably would have done.

The solution is obvious. You merely need to catch them on a day when they're more inclined to buy.

Saving Missed Opportunities

Direct mail retargeting (also known as direct mail remarketing) is a well-practiced strategy that helps marketers to re-engage those potential ‘missed’ customers who visited a website but left without committing to anything. 

This approach targets visitors with adverts and messaging related to the products they previously viewed, using platforms like search engines and social media. If exercised correctly, direct mail retargeting can be incredibly lucrative.

Retargeting is a powerful marketing tool that is most commonly used in the digital space. However, many marketers are unaware that these same retargeting techniques can be used highly effectively in direct mail retargeting campaigns. 

Those who are aware are reaping the benefits in a pretty big way.

How Does It Work, Exactly?

As noted, the concept of direct mail retargeting is reasonably straightforward, but successful execution can be a bit challenging if you are managing the campaign yourself. Things are far easier if outsourcing a direct mail retargeting campaign to experts. We will briefly touch on outsourcing later. 

Essentially, direct mail retargeting involves sending a personalized letter, flier, or postcard to someone who recently visited your website (or physical store, but we will assume website) and didn’t make a purchase, subscribe, or sign up. 

At this point, you will be wondering something glaringly obvious: if these visitors didn't convert - meaning they didn’t share any personal information - how on earth do we know where to send the mail? The answer is less complicated than you might imagine. 

Genius, But Simple

It works like this: a ‘privacy-compliant’ strategy is used to match the visitor's name and postal address with their online activity. This could be based on first-party acquired data, their IP address, or possibly even their email. If that sounds a little clandestine, it isn't. Not in this day and age. We live in a world where consumer data gathering has become quite normal.

In addition, direct Mail Retargeting is triggered by specific types of site visitor behavior, directly indicating their interest in the products or services offered. These triggers can include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Visiting service pages or looking at specific products
• Downloading a PDF or other materials without filling out a form
• Just browsing the homepage
• A returning customer needing assistance with a warranty issue (for example)
• Starting an application or adding items to a shopping cart but not completing the process (known as abandon cart or cart bouncing)

Basically, all we have to do is identify these behaviors and then send a targeted mail piece that speaks directly to the visitor's interests or needs. Again, a professional direct mail specialist will be able to create and manage this kind of campaign quite easily - be warned, however, that the process can be a little daunting for the inexperienced. 

So, how does that process play out, exactly? Let's take a look.

Five-Step Process of Direct Mail Retargeting

1. When a visitor to your website clicks "allow access to the location," their precise address is then identified by the website - this is the first crucial step in tailoring a bespoke, targeted direct mail retargeting campaign.
2. After obtaining the location, the next step involves analyzing the visitor's browsing behavior and segmenting them based on various interests, ensuring, of course, that the content of the direct mail is highly relevant to the products or services they initially showed interest in.
3. Next, a personalized direct mail piece - containing a special offer, coupon code, discounted subscription, or free incentive - is created using great copy and attention-grabbing creatives. Obviously, this is designed to entice the visitor to revisit the website and complete their purchase.
4. The personalized direct mail is designed, printed, and dispatched. This step needs to be engineered quickly so that the mail reaches the visitor while the original website or product is still fresh in mind.
5. The final step is the delivery of the direct mail to the visitor’s mailbox, usually within a few days of the first visit to the website in question. 

The Benefits of Direct Mail Retargeting

Direct mail has far higher open rates than email marketing and is generally more effective for engaging visitors already interested in your brand. While digital adverts are effective, they can get lost among an ocean of other digital ads.

Direct mail, on the other hand, is far less saturated and tends to ‘stand out’ more. It is a tangible product, after all - one that commonly remains in the recipient's household for days or even weeks.

When combined with real-time website monitoring, personalized direct mail campaigns can really boost response rates while helping negate that dreaded cart bounces, giving customers further opportunities to take action.

By sending mail based on purchasing intent, direct mail retargeting saves costs and increases ROI while also avoiding common digital issues like ad blockers and spam filters. With Taradel's quick mailing options, businesses can ensure their message reaches the audience quickly, keeping the interest alive. 

Optimizing Your Direct Mail Retargeting Campaign

Before launching your remarketing campaign, you should determine the various stages your buyers go through in order to create an effective campaign. Let’s take a look.

Campaign Design

You should target your audience based on where they are in their specific buying journey by designing a campaign that raises awareness among potential customers. The campaign should be created depending on the recipient's state: problem-aware or solution-aware.

Effective Message Deliver

A good direct mail retargeting campaign will employ both IP and cookie-based targeting to retarget website visitors through direct mail. IP targeting allows the sending of mail to a huge number of website visitors by converting their IP addresses into physical addresses. In essence, IP targeting takes care of reach, while cookie-based targeting offers more precision by focusing on individual devices.

Personalization is Key

It’s no great secret that cookies can easily be blocked. With that in mind, personalizing your direct mail is very important. Use data to create relatable copy that truly resonates with your customer's journey. 

Don’t Forget Regular Customers! 

Try not to forget one very important fact: direct mail retargeting isn't just about re-engaging one-time visitors to your store or service. It's also about turning existing customers into dedicated, loyal brand advocates. To achieve this, think about using automated cross-selling and upselling campaigns to inform them about new products, offers, and promotions.

Timing Really Matters 

Ensure your direct mail reaches consumers while they’re still interested in your product. At Taradel, for example, we aim for first-class delivery within 1-3 business days.

Repurpose Email Campaigns

Another idea is to convert your high ROI email campaigns into direct mail retargeting pieces, capitalizing on the higher open and read rates of physical mail.

Experiment with Formats

You should test various formats such as discounts, coupon codes, and promotions to identify the most effective approach, focusing on leads that produce the highest conversion rates for your direct mail pieces.

Data Analysis

Track and analyze every piece of data from your campaigns, looking mostly at conversions. In doing so, you can refine and replicate successful strategies for better results going forward.

Avoid Overexposure

Finally, you should schedule your direct mail retargeting carefully. Overwhelming your customers and prospects with too many mailers can negatively impact your brand - strategic intervals will help to maintain interest and draw customers back to your website without overreaching. 

Final Thoughts

For the uninitiated, direct mail retargeting can be something of a handful to orchestrate, but it really doesn't have to be if you turn to the experts for help.

Taradel is redefining marketing and advertising with our comprehensive all-in-one marketing and advertising platform, which includes a range of direct mail products, from Every Door Direct Mail and Personal Direct Mail to Business Direct Mail; our services are designed perfectly for your retargeting campaign.

We take care of everything – planning, designing, and launching engaging, punchy, relatable direct mail campaigns to not only attract potential customers but also convert them into dedicated brand supporters.

Interested in taking your direct mail retargeting campaign to the next level? Reach out to Taradel today and request a demo to discover how we can revolutionize your offline communications strategy!