Direct mail is still a top marketing tactic for B2B Companies. Why is direct mail still important? It can get delivered to decision makers that might not open email, it can be personalized, it can break through the “clutter”, and it can now be easily integrated with digital media! Therefore, it would be detrimental to leave direct mail out of your marketing mix!
But how can you incorporate direct mail into a B2B multichannel marketing strategy? Chief Marketer interviewed Michele Fitzpatrick from The Agency Inside Harte-Hanks and Kevin Kerner from Mason Zimbler US on this topic. Below you will find 5 tips on using direct mail in a B2B multichannel strategy from the interview.
1. Make it Meaningful
In order to grab the attention of your audience, your direct mail needs to be relevant to their needs at the exact moment that they receive it. Smartphones have granted customers access to everything 24/7. This means that customers expect increased relevancy and timeliness of information. These changes in customer expectations have carried over to direct mail as well. Paper mail should be meaningful to a customer’s particular needs!
2. Mail is only one part of a multichannel strategy
“Broad scale campaigns still have their place, but if I’m [currently] your customer, mail has to be relevant,” Fitzpatrick says, adding that the ability to connect with a customer effectively in multiple channels can often double or triple revenue. “If you’re not thinking about the role of mail in that context, you’re missing an opportunity.”
Kerner provides an example of how to fit mail into your multichannel strategy. You could first send an email teaser, which alerts the recipient that a direct mail piece is coming with more information. Then, the direct mail piece could have a URL directing them to a dedicated landing page with offer and an invitation to set up an appointment.
3. Always start with your audience first
When you begin creating a direct mail campaign, your target audience should be your first thought! “Channel, offer, product, timing—these are all byproducts of who you are trying to reach,” Fitzpatrick says. “Audience should be 50% of the weight of the campaign’s [approach].
Also, it is important to note that role of the direct mail will vary depending on where the customer is in their buying cycle. A piece of physical mail may be useful in their research process, where they are really trying to understand the product, and physical mail allows them to compare features. Overall, direct mail can be used at all stages in sales cycle.
4. Understand what you can spend to get the ROI you need
“Direct mail is a bit of an underused asset, particularly in B2B, and if used correctly, it can be a really effective tactic,” says Kerner. “But you have to know what you can spend to acquire a customer.”
Due to increasing postage costs, direct mail is more costly than some other marketing techniques. Therefore, it is even more crucial to understand budgets/ROI. If you find direct mail to be too costly there is still the option to decrease volume, the key is targeting properly. If targeted properly, your direct mail campaign can still be a success!
5. Consider going big in B2B Direct Mail
Dimensional mailings can help break through the “clutter” if your customer has a lot of competition for their time and attention.
“For a time, dimensional mail went out of fashion with the advent of digital,” says Kerner. “But because dimensional mail is high impact, if you want to get a person to respond and pull them online, this can be a great way to do it.”
How do you use direct mail in your B2B marketing strategy? Share your experiences with direct mail marketing in the comment box below and retweet, Facebook like, and share this post with your colleagues interested in direct mail marketing!
