Tips on Integrating Direct Mail & E-mail to Rev ROI

Even though omnichannel has gone from marketing buzzword to marketing given, marketers can still face challenges in getting the most ROI from direct mail and e-mail integration. A recent MarketingProfs post offered a collection of stats and tips that can help. For those who doubt the power that traditional mail can add to a digitally focused effort, the article cites a few important facts about snail mail's bottom line punch. For example, campaigns that use two channels together, such as direct mail and e-mail, have been shown to get up to a 35% lift over those using a single channel, per IWCO Direct data. The younger generation may be very digitally savvy, even addicted when it comes to social and mobile, but recent studies from the U.S. Postal Service prove mail's sales power: A whopping 57% of Millennials make purchases based on direct mail offers! Other USPS studies show why mail works so well regardless of age: People spend more time with physical advertising, have a stronger emotional response and remember the physical promotion better than digital efforts. Plus, beyond the ability to use direct mail's sizes, formats and tactile designs to grab attention, today's print technology makes it easy to link a printed piece to digital channels via QR codes, near-field communication (NFC), and augmented reality (AR). So how do you get the most out of a direct mail-e-mail marriage? Here are some ideas from the MarketingProfs post's authors, Dennis Kelly, CEO of direct mail automation tool Postalytics, and Nancy Harhut, a creative director who has worked with leading brands such as Google, Adobe, McGraw-Hill, and Nationwide Insurance: 1) Consider delivering critical information in both channels to reinforce the message; 2) Have each communication build on the previous one; 3) Use direct mail to emphasize a key message or break up the expected routine; 4) Ensure both e-mail and direct mail adhere to the same graphic standards and reflect the same voice so each piece reinforces and extends your brand promise; 5) Use direct mail to initiate a conversation with people whose email addresses you do not yet have, or with those who have repeatedly not responded to your email. For more, see the full post at http://www.acculistusa.com/learn-how-to-integrate-direct-mail-e-mail-for-max-results/

'Doggie Daycare' Fetches Millennial Demand

Millennials are driving growth for pet owner marketing, especially sales in the pet boarding and grooming arena, where spending hit an annual $6.16 billion in 2017 per the American Pet Products Association. For example, this summer the New York Post reported that growing demand from pet owners inspired the American Kennel Club to jump into the high-priced Manhattan real estate market: Its AKC Canine Retreat venture purchased five locations from Spot Canine Club as well as the Running Paws dog-jogging (not walking) service to re-brand under the AKC umbrella. Similarly, "doggie daycare" service Camp Bow Wow, founded in 2000, is busy adding franchises to its existing 144. The Millennial generation's disposable income coupled with pet-centric attitudes are behind the trend, Camp Bow Wow's Chief Barketer (also VP of marketing) Julie Turner recently explained to Direct Marketing News. As the Millennial age cohort marries and has children later in life than their parents, "they're filling the gap with a dog," she said, treating their dogs as "really a part of the family." Millennials are not only frequent travelers who need pet boarding, they are working "pet parents" who choose daycare services so their canine companions can go to camp rather than stay home alone. They like to collect a "happy and tired dog" at the end of the day, she noted. Millennials are definitely mobile device addicts, so Camp Bow Wow upped its mobile strategy in 2014 when Turner came aboard, starting with a more mobile-responsive website "in line with other brands millennials support." Camp Bow Wow introduced a mobile app that allows owners to find locations and make reservations, but its top use is watching live feeds of pets at play. "Pet parents want to talk about [the service] and show pictures of their dog at camp," Turner explained, something Camp Bow Wow enables by texting photos of dogs having fun to their owners. The digital engagement and sense of community are not only key to retaining customers, digital strategies dominate acquisition via local search engine optimization, e-mail and texting programs, and social media advertising. Camp Bow Wow actively works with social influencers to drive referrals, for example: "We have a very high net promoter score," claimed Turner. Camp Bow Wow reps also attend community events to promote the brand and acquire new customers. At events, the #GiveAFetch is a popular draw, dispensing tennis balls to happy pups from a what looks like a giant bubblegum machine. Plus, Camp Bow Wow ups its brand reputation by partnering with shelters and providing a temporary "foster home" environment for abandoned dogs to help with socialization. For more on pet owner marketing, see http://www.acculistusa.com/doggie-daycare-market-fetches-millennial-demand/

Smart Marketers Cater to Millennial Direct Mail Fans

Remember when marketing gurus were calling direct mail "dead," drowned by a wave of digital, mobile, and social technologies? Well, research keeps resurrecting mail from its low-tech tomb. In fact, recent studies find that Millennials--the 22- to 36-year-old, tech-savvy generation supposedly addicted to mobile devices and digital networking--are bigger fans of direct mail than older generations in some ways! For example, a recent study by InfoTrends and Prinova found that response rates for direct mail remain high for all demographics, including Millennials, who open direct mail received at the same high rate of 66% as recipients overall. More significantly, Milennials as a group respond faster to mail--within 2.4 months--which is less than the average response time for all respondents. Plus, the InfoTrends research found that a big 63% of Millennials who responded to a direct mail piece within that three-month period actually made a purchase! Along similar lines, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) conducted a survey on direct mail's political impact on Millennials and found that at least 42% of Millennials prefer direct mail political ads over online ads, and that Millennials are more likely to be prompted to action by mail, with 66% likely to research the candidate and 54% visiting the candidate’s website after receiving mail. However, research also shows that all mail pieces are not created equal. Mailings that resonate best with Millennials are targeted and personalized, per research. Luckily, sophisticated targeting and personalization are possible with today's variable printing, programmatic and automation programs, and database segmentation and analytics. Millennials demand printing quality as well, with one quarter of surveyed 25- to 34-year-olds saying they opened direct mail because of the print and image quality. Plus, engaging copy counts, with 25% of that same surveyed group saying they consider reading direct mail a leisure activity. That doesn't mean that printed mail can be divorced from Millennials' digital lifestyle. Data in eMarketer's survey report “US Millennial Shoppers 2017” shows that Millennials prefer digital shopping and are comfortable with mobile shopping, which means that integrating print and digital--via QR, AR, or PURL--can significantly boost response. For more detail, go to http://www.acculistusa.com/marketers-win-by-catering-to-millennial-direct-mail-fans/

Tailoring Direct Mail to Millennial Tastes

Research shows that millennials respond well to direct mail--but not necessarily to their father's style of direct mail. Summer Gould of Target Marketing magazine recently listed five traits to incorporate in direct mail creative to enhance its appeal to the millennial mindset. Authentic: The first rule is to strive for authenticity in messaging and imagery, keeping it in sync with the brand with a stress on consistency and transparency. Accessible: Make sure your company is accessible by providing multiple ways to respond, especially digitally and via mobile. Human: Keep it human and seek connection with personalized, emotional messaging. Also humanize the brand by highlighting real employees and user-generated content. Socially Aware: Showcase your company as socially aware, linking with charities and causes relevant to the brand. Tech Savvy: Make sure you include digital and mobile technology in printed pieces, going beyond QR codes to the more powerful Near Field Communication (NFC), Augmented Reality (AR), video and more. For the full article, read http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/post/direct-mail-marketing-millennials-5-tips/

Online Content Can Fall Through Generation Gaps

Online content marketing risks slipping through some surprise generation gaps, according to the latest study from Fractl and BuzzStream of digital content consumption by Millennial, Generation X and Baby Boom age cohorts. As reported recently by MarketingProfs, the study found that each generation's online consumption habits differ in terms of quantity consumed, timing, and device preferences. It turns out that online content viewing skews older, for example. Baby Boomers (those born 1946-1964) spend more time online than the younger generations; a quarter of Boomers say they spend 20 or more hours each week consuming online content, while the largest shares (22% each) of Gen Xers (born 1965-1976) and Millennials (born 1977-1995) spend only 5-10 hours per week with online content. Marketers may also want to think about online promotional timing: Boomers tend to consume online content during the work week, while more Millennials save online content viewing for weekends, and Gen Xers fall in between in terms of consumption timing. When it comes to devices, Boomers prefer to use a laptop (43%) or tablet (40%), while the younger Millennials tilt toward mobile devices as primary online viewing tools (25%). Indeed, of people using mobile devices as the primary way to view content, over half (52%) are Millennials. Marketers aiming for younger prospects better make mobile optimization of online content a priority. At least when it comes to content length, the generations agree: 300 words is ideal. For more details from the study, read the MarketingProfs article: http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2015/28460/generation-gap-online-content-consumption-and-age