Bring Something New To The Table
Enhance Your Communication Results By Integrating Direct Mail
In our previous installments, we have shown that connecting your off-line and online efforts into one powerful strategy just makes sense. Take advantage of both direct mail and the Internet, and you'll not only help bring up your sales and drive more traffic to your Web site but also enhance the experience consumers have with your brand. Today's consumers may be fully immersed in the Internet, but the research shows that they still love to get their mail.
Today, more companies are integrating direct mail into successful Internet based retail strategies.
Catalogs eBay created it's first-ever catalog to entice readers to its online retail site. The holiday catalog was distributed to several million eBay members and eBay saw a dramatic climb in sales. The catalog is the latest tactic we're using in an integrated campaign, said Michael Dearing, eBay general merchandising manager. We used the print medium during the holidays to keep eBay top of mind and drive readers to our Web site.
Multimedia Mail 21 CD, Inc. produced a mini CD for a North Carolina coastal resort area. Compared to prior mailings, the results were a 300% increase in reservation inquiries over the next three months. The multimedia mailer also had a 16% response rate.
Create Twice the Impact
They surf and chat. Blog and bid. Upload, download, scan, browse, post, flame, IM, zap, and share. And, if there's any time left, they may squeeze in a game or two of Chicken Invaders. Today's consumers are up to their earphones in ever-evolving technology. Nearly everything they need to find, view, hear, and know is a click away. So traditional mail (that thing that's delivered to their doors) must be pass, right? Actually, no.
In fact, recent studies by the U.S. Postal Service and a number of independent research groups found that consumers, even heavy Internet users, continue to view mail as a highly relevant and significant part of their lives. It provides a physical and tangible quality consumers find lacking in their electronic communications. But that's not all. The studies also showed that mail, working side by side with digital media, can have a substantial impact on the use of commercial Web sites.