P&C Insurance Continues to Embrace Direct Mail

Direct mail by property and casualty insurance clients continues as a staple of our list brokerage and data services business, and so we were pleased to see a Valentine's Day love note to P&C direct mail from the marketing consultants at IWCO Direct. The IWCO post notes that nearly 400 insurance companies mailed more than 5.7 billion pieces of mail in 2017, according to Comperemedia. The property and casualty insurance category accounted for 53% of that volume, with more than 3 billion pieces of direct mail mailed by 110 companies. Of those direct mail packages, 95% were Marketing Mail (formerly called Standard Mail), mainly for acquisition (89%). Comperemedia and Competiscan data highlighted trends revealed by those direct mail packages, too.  With 55% of policyholders likely to shop around for insurance as a policy comes up for renewal, smart insurance providers are taking a proactive approach and contacting policyholders in advance to remind them why they should remain with their current P&C insurance provider. Also to woo shoppers, both in acquisition and renewal, insurance promotions are direct about savings messages and competitor pricing comparisons. Finally, the industry's continued embrace of direct mail does not ignore the digital revolution; in fact, direct mail packages are highlighting the industry's growing self-service digital functionality for policyholders. Leveraging industry trends and success stories, IWCO lists three basic tactics proven to boost response for P&C acquisition and cross-sell mailings: 1) Comparison charts touting coverage benefits over those of top competitors; 2) Promotional cards with a clear call-to-action via website, mobile app, and/or toll-free phone; and 3) An eye-catching personalized tagline. See http://www.acculistusa.com/pc-insurance-embraces-direct-mail-response/

Test These Ideas to Re-energize Your Direct Mail

Direct mail continues as a solid marketing performer across many industries, but even the trustiest workhorse can fall behind without occasional spurs to response. So if you need to inject new energy into your 2015 mail campaigns, consider these suggestions from Paul Bobnak, research and content director of Who's Mailing What! and DirectMarketingIQ. Bobnak recently looked over the mass of 2014 direct mail and picked out four standout ideas that mailers may want to test this year. First, consider individualized maps. Maps are common components to drive consumer traffic, especially in retail, but a postcard by Patient First, an urgent care center chain, made tweaks that really boosted impact, Bobnak asserts. Patient First used variable data to create a personalized "You are here" starting point at the prospect's home, made the map bigger "than you'll see in almost any direct mail package," and positioned the map above the postal indicia to maximize effect. Second, Bobnak suggests calling out the competition, especially on price increases, citing campaigns by both Comcast and Verizon cable services that boldly pressed consumer pain over competitor bills that had "gone up recently." Third, make testimonial copy work harder for you by boosting authenticity, Bobnak urges, pointing to the tactics of LifeLock, an identity security provider that sold its value proposition by highlighting "real-life" case studies with actual customer photos. Finally, update your direct mail with the digital icons that have acquired such call-to-action power, Bobnak suggests, using a 2014 Citi MasterCard letter as an example. To see the actual direct mail examples, go to http://www.directmarketingiq.com/article/4-direct-mail-ideas-try-2015/1