How Direct Mail and Email Work Together
A marketing campaign is not “let’s do this one thing and see how it works.” It’s not “let’s stick to Facebook ads and see what we get.” It’s an integration of several strategies, including a variety of online and offline media.
Some of these strategies are for your broader market, such as billboards, radio or search engine marketing. Two in particular, however, are delivered directly to your customer or prospect. Email and Direct Mail reach inboxes and mailboxes, and both of these work together to lift and reinforce your message.
Their attraction comes from their different strengths. For example, email marketing is low cost and easy to implement. Analytics makes it easy to compare the results of one email to another in A/B testing, allowing you to fine tune your messaging or your offer. However, the downside is that you need permission to email someone, and open rates could be low. Also, heavy inbox traffic can cause your message to be overlooked.
With Direct Mail, however, you don’t have to have permission to mail to a home in your market. It’s effective – stats show that 80% of Direct Mail is opened. People tend to have a stronger emotional response to physical ads, making them easier to remember. Plus, QR codes can link your physical ad to your website.
So, as you integrate Direct Mail and email, the messages build on each other and increase the likelihood that you’ll get a response. Perhaps over several weeks, you send a Direct Mail letter that introduces the campaign, move to a series of emails, follow-up with a “time is running out” postcard, then cap it all off with a “last chance” email.
For best integration results, be sure to be consistent in graphics and writing style. The prospect should be able to recognize that both media are part of the same message, and your campaign pieces should have a consistent look.