Getting the balance right between direct mail and online channels

Direct Mail fulfillment is key to the marketing success of many businesses, especially at a time when multi-channel marketing has really started to embed itself within many markets. It can be harder than ever to reach customers via traditional methods such as direct mail, so it is crucial that whenever a piece of mail is due to be sent to a customer, it is correctly and accurately fulfilled and is delivered in a timely manner that has synergy with the rest of the marketing campaign that it is part of.

Many organisations look upon e-Commerce, the internet and email marketing as a the solution to their direct mail fulfilment problems, with several companies significantly reducing their direct mail output as a direct result of the popularity of the internet. This strategy, however cost-effective it may seem, fails to acknowledge that many customers do not engage with online advertisements or sales-driven emails, with response rates from electronic channels often proving less successful than their direct mail counterparts. The key to successful marketing, and in turn, generation of successful new or repeat business leads relies on ensuring the balance is right between traditional direct mail channels and electronic ones. By supporting an online strategy with a solid and proven direct mail campaign, positive results can be generated and return on investment for the campaign will often be garnered.

The success of any direct mail campaign is heavily reliant on ensuring the customer or consumer receives the correct mailing, accurately fulfilled and distributed at the right time. As many companies begin to widen their contact strategies, they find their internal resource is stretched and that managing direct mail fulfillment can become difficult. At the ILG, we collaborate with our business partners to understand their direct mail fulfillment needs and the needs of their customers to ensure their targets are met.

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