I’m not the disciplined journal keeper that most self help programs seem to suggest you should be. But recently I realized the value of reflection while creating a list of all the Multi-Channel Marketing campaigns we have produced since first introduced to the technology in 2007. It was that year we were asked by an accounting and advisory firm client to use 1 to 1 personalized direct mail to help find and gather information on their state’s fastest growing companies. This was the start of an exciting journey of marketing integration that has changed the landscape of direct mail marketing for us.
Before going further I would like to explain that we have “landed” on the term multi-channel marketing to describe this solution. Many refer to this solution as personalized URL campaigns, micro-websites, or landing pages. This marketing solution integrates very relevant variable data-printed direct mail pieces with a personalized micro-website that is created specifically for the mail or e-mail recipient. At this web landing page, the personalization and marketing relevance continues. But this is only the beginning of what can be accomplished with these techniques.
Creating this list really helped me see how these cross channel marketing tools have changed over the last three years. I also realized that recently we’ve launched 50th Multi Channel Marketing Campaign. These campaigns have grown into what I sometimes call “growth campaigns” as many of the projects have the task of developing business growth through lead generation and marketing automation. Instead of printing and mailing for our clients, we are providing some key tools that will help their company grow. As I reviewed my list I saw the transformation of the projects as many of the partners that I worked with began to realize that we would create revenue in their organizations.
Below are some of my observations of the review of this project list. I am most proud that over time we have adapted these tools and added new ones to realize the long time promise of digital printing—to solve our customer’s communications challenges.
1. Cross Channel Marketing makes mail more effective.
When our team first started using this technology, we all thought it was a neat, cool experience that could help extend the excitement generated with variable data publishing. After all, it was another field for me to drop additional variably printed text. After the initial excitement of creating a mail piece that asked the recipient to log on to their own personalized URL landing page, I started to learn how this technology could be orchestrated to do more than be pretty. It was on its way to being more effective!
2. Marketing Intelligence through capturing clicking paths.
I remember the excitement of a financial services client in 2008. We were showing her the back end data that we were able to collect from a mail recipient if they logged on to their own personal cross-channel marketing web site.
We could show which client was clicking, and what they were clicking on, within these websites. We were creating our own form of data mining in organizations that were typically weak at collecting good analytical data on their customers.
Suddenly not only could I tell my client that 475 of the 15,000 people we mailed postcards to want someone to call them immediately, but I could also tell her that another 300 people were looking around and seemed interested. These 300 people are classified as warm or soft leads and must be communicated with in a different and relevant way.
We had always taught our clients that the first thing we need to do with a mail piece is to keep it from being tossed in the garbage and help it make it into the “review later” stack of mail. Suddenly with this multi-channel marketing, mail had its missing ingredient—we now knew when we had made it to review later stack. And we knew that this subset of warm or soft leads needed to be treated differently.
3. Marketing Automation Brings Speed and Efficiency to the Salesforce
The next group of projects on our list shows a transition to where we are learning what to do with this mined data. We begin to let the customer have some of the “controls behind the curtain” and report generated by a prospect in Peoria. In this way, a relevant communication is placed in a timely manner, saving our clients thousands of dollars in marketing costs and helping him reach his prospect with the right message at the right time.
4. Sales and Marketing Accountability
And finally...this is what the CFOs and company presidents love...we now have accountability. We can see exactly how the campaign is performing. Plus, we have a good gauge on the quality and quantity of leads that marketing has produced for the sales force. We now have the ability to track response rates, measure return on investment, and download data which allows organizations to effectively match their sales efforts with prospects that desire more communication.
Final Observations
What has really changed as I reviewed the list is that we have lessened the number of “one off” projects that occurred frequently in the beginning. Marketing leaders have less tolerance with campaigns that are cute, but need their efforts to be effective with on going response measurement and ROI accountability. One of our clients last year made the commitment to us that they were never going do direct mail again without integrating cross channel marketing. We are currently executing three campaigns for them and we have become a valued partner in their quest to grow their business.
The evolution of these tools has put our digital marketing solutions team in a very exciting position. We are now considered by many as “growth consultants” as we help our clients solve marketing automation challenges that grow their businesses. It’s exciting to have a seat reserved for us at the table where key marketing strategies and budgets are determined by our clients.