2019 Trends Can Propel Direct Mail Success

Direct mail lists and data services are core to AccuList USA’s business success, so each year we research which trends our direct mail marketing clients will want to embrace for maximum response. We start by noting that digital era issues can actually create direct mail opportunities, as pointed out by direct mail agency Inkit. More customers are tuning out digital advertising. In fact, eMarketer estimates that 30% of all Internet users will use ad blockers in 2019. One way marketers can offset the drop in digital ad effectiveness is to beef up direct mail campaigns. After all, ANA-DMA research shows that 84% of millennials take the time to look through their mail and 64% would rather scan for useful information in the mail than e-mail. Plus, 41% of millennials and 53% of Gen Xers report enjoying catalogs. That engagement translates into higher response rates for mail than for any other media, per the 2018 ANA-DMA Response Rate Report, with 9% for house lists and 4.9% for prospect lists. While digital ads are being ignored, digital video is booming; Inkit reports that Cisco projects video will encompass more than 85% of all Internet traffic in the U.S. by 2020! Direct mail doesn’t have to be left out. Thanks to print technology–QR, AR, Video-in-Print and Near Field Communication (NFC)–paper promotions can jump on the video bandwagon. For all marketing channels, customers in 2019 will expect marketers to personalize offers and deliver a seamless experience across channels, Inkit asserts. AI is one way marketers can get a handle on messaging across channels and at different points in the buyer journey. Meanwhile, variable data content printing and enhanced database targeting and segmenting can deliver personalized relevant messaging for mail. Yet there are some popular direct mail printing practices that need to be ditched this year, advises direct marketing agency Darwill. For example, using a 4-color master shell on which variable content is laser-printed in black and white has become old-hat given that new inkjet presses can create endless 4-color versions, including coupons varied based on a recipient’s past shopping patterns or demographics. Plus, custom maps once laser-printed in black and white can be replaced by full-color variable maps that are more personalized, eye-catching, and likely to drive leads. For more see our full blog post at http://www.acculistusa.com/2019-trends-open-doors-for-more-direct-mail-success/

Smart Direct Mailers Embrace These Tech Trends

Direct mail marketers looking for success in 2018 should check out a blog post by Postalytics, a direct mail automation tool, which recently mined expert sources for the most influential direct mail trends of 2018, including key technologies. Unsurprisingly, automation purveyor Postalytics puts mail automation software at the top of the list, but they get plenty of industry support. Automation allows marketers to quickly generate high-quality, personalized and trackable letters and postcards by leveraging templates, digital cues and automated workflows, cutting direct mail production cycles from 4-6 weeks down to 1 week. Automation also allows marketers to maximize response by integrating triggered direct mail into any step in the buyer's journey, online or offline, so that mail delivery taps into the appropriate timing, content and call-to-action. Then interactive, mobile-scanned Augmented Reality apps and QR codes, as well as personal urls (PURLs) linked to targeted content-specific landing pages, allow direct mailers to connect offline marketing's printed paper with online marketing's digital pages, images, animations and videos for greater overall campaign response and ROI. But it takes quality, enhanced data to match the right message to the right people at the right time. Good mailing list data allows for targeting based on shopping habits and needs, retargeting and cross-selling, recapturing and reactivating of lost prospects and customers, leveraging of trigger events and personal preferences, and more--provided there is a commitment to database hygiene and processing. Good mailing data also allows for the sophisticated content personalization that has become a basic expectation of customers including personalized coupon codes. For more, see http://www.acculistusa.com/these-tech-trends-likely-to-drive-2018-direct-mail-success/

Print vs. Digital: Millennial Marketing Myths

Given that millennials love digital technology, does that mean they prefer digital marketing? Not according to a recent Target Marketing magazine article debunking several marketing myths about millennial customers, including the notion that digital advertising is the most effective way to reach those born between 1980 and 2000. Author Linda Antos, market development analyst at commercial printer Quad/Graphics, cites annual Quad/Graphics research that tracks millennial shopping and media habits and preferences to show that traditional print marketing--direct mail and catalogs--actually has greater power to move millennial buyers. The first myth Antos takes on is the belief that millennials ignore printed marketing. The Quad/Graphics study shows that 82% of millennials read direct mail and 54% look forward to receiving retail catalogs in the mail. Within 30 days of the survey, 49% reported taking print coupons to the store to shop and almost three in four used grocery retail inserts, higher than the average shopper. Myth No. 2 involves assuming that millennials' known addiction to daily digital interaction means they pay attention to digital advertising. The Quad/Graphics survey found that nearly half say they ignore e-mail and Internet ads, and 45% ignore mobile ads. By comparison, only 15% ignore direct mail ads. When it comes to millennial social networking, less than 10% say they made a purchase based on social media ads, and only 1% purchased from a social site. Another false generational stereotype is that millennials are less cost-conscious. In the Quad/Graphics millennials study, 49% said it was fun to see how much they could save with coupons, loyalty cards and discount offers, and 57% said they responded to "Buy One, Get One Free" offers in direct mail. The surprise power of direct mail with millennials doesn't diminish the need for digital marketing but does underscore the value of multichannel marketing, which is supported by more Quad/Graphics data. For the complete post, read http://www.acculistusa.com/study-debunks-marketing-myths-about-millennials/

Rev Direct Mail's Offline-Online Conversion Power

In the age of paperless digital communications, why bother with old-fashioned direct mail marketing? Well, even digital giant Google uses direct mail in some ad campaigns! The tech leader's strategy acknowledges direct mail's advantages even in a digital world: Direct mail can drive traffic to a website as well as a brick-and-mortar location; direct mail still leads other channels in response rate and cost per lead; and, as other marketers go all-digital, direct mail actually stands out in mailboxes and makes a guaranteed connection that cluttered, filtered e-mail inboxes and online ad spaces cannot claim. Still, direct mail ROI is no slam dunk. For ways to optimize online and offline conversion for direct mail, take a look at a recent DirectMarketingIQ article by Katherine Halek, print strategy adviser with the Texas-based printer Signazon. Here are a few key points: First, and foremost to our mind, use a highly targeted mailing list to reach the customers most likely to respond. Next, have your creative stand out in the mailbox with an eye-catching accessible format (such as a postcard), a larger-size piece, or an unusual design (such as dimensional or shaped mail). Always include a QR code so smartphone users (over 64% of Americans) can scan and go direct to a landing page. But also print a simple, memorable URL for those who don't use QR codes. If possible, time mailings to coincide with real events, such as a sale or show, for extra response impact; the mailer can include a discount coupon or gift offer, for example. A single mailing won't create brand awareness, so make cumulative efforts by mailing more than once and combining mail with followups via other channels. Finally, use mail's unique in-home physicality to make a personal connection, turning database information into personalized salutations, content and offers. For more tips, go to http://www.directmarketingiq.com/article/tips-higher-conversion-direct-mailing/1

It's Full Speed Ahead for Mobile Coupon Use

Coupons are forecast to be mobile marketing's rising stars this year and beyond. As pointed out in a recent Target Marketing Magazine blog post by mobile industry veteran Greg Hoy, mobile coupons are redeemed 10 times more often than print coupons and mobile coupon users, set to reach 53.2 million in 2014, are forecast to post double-digit growth rates annually through 2016 per Business Insider stats. In fact, eMarketer has predicted that by 2016, mobile coupon users will represent nearly 83% of all digital coupon users, notes Hoy. So it would be a smart business-to-consumer marketing strategy to either initiate a mobile coupon program, or beef up existing mobile coupon efforts. Make sure that tablets are front and center in any plan, urges Hoy, noting that, according to eMarketer 2014 estimates, 80.2% of mobile coupon users redeemed with a tablet, compared with 75.4% using a smartphone. Look for other digital channels allowing easy access to coupons via mobile, too, such as mobile apps, daily deal and group buying sites, e-mail and social networks. Where appropriate, test geo-targeting; retailers are reporting high redemption rates from geo-targeted SMS-delivered coupons sent to shoppers close to stores, Hoy notes. Finally, consider using mobile coupons to boost loyalty programs, suggests Hoy, citing findings of a 2014 Bond Brand Loyalty poll that a better loyalty program would lead 6 in 10 millennials to switch brands and two-thirds to change when and where they shop. Targeted mobile coupons may be just the reward to tip the loyalty scales for mobile-savvy millennials. Read the complete post at http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/blog/extending-your-mobile-marketing-strategy-through-coupons