Direct Mail + Social Media = Perfect Cocktail
Today marketers are constantly talking about the power of social media but the truth is that traditional forms of marketing, like direct mail, are still as effective as they ever were.
In fact, it could be argued that when integrated, social media and direct mail actually make the perfect cocktail.
How would that work?
Social media is great for engaging with customers, driving them to your website and generating loyalty; we all know that, but getting genuine social media followers doesn’t always come so easy. With so many different brands to follow, people need a good reason to follow your company over one of your competitors. One way you can give them a reason to follow you is through an effective direct mail campaign.
Try sending out a mailer introducing people to your company and encourage them to follow you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or whatever social media site you use. The fact that most companies don’t send out this sort of direct mail may be a reason in itself to peak the recipients’ interest and encourage them to give you a follow.
Don’t forget about adding incentives!
If you wanted slightly more re-assurance that your direct mail campaign was going to drive people to your social media pages, including an incentive is sure to do the trick. For example, you could say that you will send a discount code out to every person that follows you on Facebook, Twitter or Linked. After all, people love a freebie!
Using Technology
Another way you could encourage your direct mail recipients to visit and follow your social media pages is by including a QR code on your mailer. These technologies take customers online via their smartphones and make it easier for them to connect with your business.
Statistics from a study have suggested that the average person will check their smartphone around 85 times a day. But, 98% of people also check their letterbox once a day. There’s absolutely no reason that you can’t bring these two together.
Things to keep in mind…
If you’re going to integrate your direct mail and social media strategies, you need to keep in mind that in order for people to follow your social media pages, you need to be active on them. Before starting your direct mail campaign, make sure you have built up a social media presence and shared plenty of great content with your existing followers.
Both direct mail and social media marketing are great ways for a company to increase their brand’s image, and it’s important to dedicate sufficient time to both.
Social media marketing has been shown to increase sales, exposure, lead generation, partnership growth and traffic. Direct mail, on the other hand, has a conversion rate of 4.4% as opposed to email’s 0.12%.
Regardless of how much technology continues to advance and grow, people still love having something physical in their hands. Paperback book sales have increased in recent years, and in this same token, 56% of people find direct mail to be the most trustworthy form of marketing across all channels. But, 2.34 billion people still use social media worldwide.
With this in mind, it’s clear that it’s better to merge direct mail and social media, rather than social media and some other form of marketing, such as email.
Set-up tracking to evaluate your campaign
It’s also important to set up tracking, so you evaluate how effective your direct mail and social media efforts are. Including a personalised URL in your direct mail that takes people to your social media pages will allow you to determine the response rate and return on investment from your direct mail campaign.
Integrating social media and direct mail is just one innovative way that you can deliver a more impactful direct mail campaign. Here at Quickmail, we’ve been helping companies with their direct mail campaigns for many years. For more information on integrating social media and direct mail, get in touch with us today! Call us on 08 9493 0477 or email enquiries@quickmail.com.au
Image Credit: Jason A. Howie
Article Source: https://www.bakergoodchild.co.uk/how-direct-mail-and-social-media-can-be-the-perfect-cocktail/