4 Future Trends of Direct Mail
Savvy business owners know that keeping on top of the future trends of direct mail is not only wise, but a competitive necessity. Direct mail trends have been constantly evolving to adapt to new market demands, making today’s direct mail campaigns more engaging and effective.
Direct mail providers predict a growth in volume over the next few years, especially since consumers are tuning out of overwhelming numbers of emails. Knowledge is power – in this instance, the power to keep your marketing competitive.
Trend 1: Programmatic Mail – Data leads to better audience profiling
Imagine being able to directly pinpoint your customer’s interests and needs, and create direct mail based on those findings? Direct marketers are excited about the emerging programmatic mail technology, a data-driven method for fine-tuning and personalizing your direct mail campaign.
Programmatic mail allows businesses to create accurate customer profiles to determine how to create appeal and interest by individuals. This is accomplished by monitoring real-time shopper interests such as keyword searches, page visits, product searches, cart activity, and so on. This data allows a business to tailor their direct mail to match their customer’s interests.
Trend 2: Think creatively or you’ll waste your direct mail opportunity
Marketers have been stepping up their game over the years when it comes to their direct mail campaigns, creating an extremely competitive market where plain and simple marketing pieces fail to capture consumer interest.
A powerfully-designed direct mail piece leaves a lasting impression on its recipient. For example, a World Water Day campaign in Belgium distributed a direct mail piece with a message that could only be read when placed underwater. It was a one-of-kind creative design that was infinitely shareable.
Even if your business doesn’t have the means to create expensive water pieces, experiment with texture, bold and bright colors, interesting designs and shapes to create visual impact.
Trend 3: Integrated Marketing keeps your customer engaged
Modern marketing trends focus on integrated marketing, in other words, the cross-pollination of creative across multiple media as one campaign execution. Integrated marketing channels include print, direct mail, video, mobile, radio, TV, online and outdoor.
You can integrate direct mail into other channels through adding a URL or QR code to a direct mail piece that takes your customer to a campaign landing page to leverage promotional discounts.
Trend 4: Emerging technology is a direct mail game changer
It goes without saying that the hottest marketing trends are tech related. This is why top businesses and agencies are incorporating innovative technology into their direct mail pieces. Technology mixed with direct mail print pieces can produce a dynamic marketing tool that will enhance the recipient’s experience. Two tech trends that are at the top of the list are augmented reality and video mailers.
Augmented Reality: AR technology can turn a simple mailer into a premium direct mail piece. It offers a new and exciting experience for the end user by allowing them to interact with digital elements.
Toy giant, Toys “R” Us cleverly implemented AR into their paper catalogs through enticing kids to find the hidden giraffe via their AR app. Children were excited to look through every single page of the catalog, more than a few times. They are not the only retailers embracing the AR technology trend, as these other examples of AR show.
Video direct mail: Consumers have an insatiable appetite for video, as YouTube proves. No you can add life to your direct mail piece, increase engagement, and secure new customers by embedding video in printed materials. A video mailer is normally constructed of a card-stock base that contains a small LCD screen that can store up to 2 hours of video. This type of direct mail piece is truly a step into the future and will be memorable to receive.
Direct Mail Corporation stays abreast of the latest trends of direct mail. Talk to us about how we can help you efficiently manage direct marketing campaign, increase response and give you that much needed competitive edge.