How to Reach More Targets With Print

Welcome to the Dove Direct Print and Marketing Blog. Today's post, "How to Reach More Targets With Print," addresses the ongoing challenge of marketing during the pandemic given the variants and varied mitigation efforts unfolding across the globe, forcing marketers and brands to adapt continuously. We are now effectively entering the end-of-year push, even though we are just beginning the month of September.  As Labor Day emerges, the rush ahead with marketers and brands publishing content will be notable.  In addition, we have assembled data points that tell a compelling story regarding the value of print's direct mail marketing relative to other mediums.  How brands and marketers use print can be a gem in the rough.  Most notable is that direct mail marketing collateral arrives in each recipient's physical mailbox, uncluttered by the tremendous digital marketing onslaught, which will only continue to overwhelm the internet.

Consequently, we contend that the pandemic has benefited some industries such as mar-tech with digital marketing technology, emails, social media posts, and paid digital marketing, which continues to grow. Simultaneously, we are equally aware that the increase in traffic reduces internet speeds and makes it more difficult for the target to see or read brand messages.  Online overload often leads marketers to rethink how their marketing investments will bolster sales, ROI, and even growth opportunities. 


Our Quote of the Day: The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have. —Vince Lombardi



Advertising Efficiencies for Elusive Targets


That said, let's be clear on revenue spent versus sales ROI.  Although a marketing medium may be flush with advertising dollars invested by marketers and brands at large, that does not necessarily translate into advertising efficiencies. 
 To that point, the idea of CPM (cost per thousand — impressions) analytics has taken a back seat and may be a complete afterthought for some.  CPM is a formula-based measurement that determines the cost to reach one thousand target impressions.  It is an equation that allows you to place a value on the entire advertising investment.

For example, if a brand invests $1000 to reach 100,000 target impressions on a particular medium, the formula to reach the CPM is (CPM = cost/impressions x 1000). CPM is calculated by taking the advertising cost and dividing it by the total number of impressions, then multiplying the total by 1000. Therefore, $1000/100,000 x 1000 would equal $10 CPM.  In this example, the advertiser is spending $10 to reach every one thousand target impressions. 





It is critical to remember that the CPM formula is based on impressions and not lead conversions.  An ad impression occurs when anyone receives or views an advertising message but may not respond to it. Measure the CPM at the onset of the ad purchase price and apply a conversion rate formula to calculate the conversion rate.



Note that the conversion rate can vary on the number of interactions, as customer interactions don't always convert to sales.  For clarity's sake, let's stipulate that of those 100,000 target impressions, 1,000 prospects interacted, and 25 of those prospects converted into paying customers.  The conversion rate formula takes the number of conversions and divides that number by the total ad interactions. Therefore, the conversion rate would be 25/1000 = 2.5%.  It is these types of conversion rates that support reasons to add print to the marketing mix.

So, how would a marketing team take advantage of these formulas? We ended that classic scenario with conversion rates, the actual number of targets converted into paying customers. The answer is twofold:

• (A) Integrate direct mail marketing with the power of variable data printing technology, which lifts conversion rates by anywhere from 9% to as high as 62% when coupled with multi-channel online campaigns, and
• (B) Reach the invisible and elusive targets by delivering a direct mail marketing piece into their physical mailboxes, supported by both in-house data and also with lists that brands or marketers can purchase.

Direct Mail Improves Multi-Channel Marketing

• Just 11% of marketers employ a single medium (DMA)
• Direct mail assisted, improved, and lifted online campaigns by 62% (The Little Book of Bigger Returns, Royal Mail Group)
• Direct mail, in conjunction with digital ads, generates a 28% higher conversion rate (Nonprofit Pro)
• Direct mail increased ROI by 20% when included as part of an integrated campaign (The Little Book of Bigger Returns, Royal Mail Group)
• A person's name and other personalized data information (including the use of full color) expands direct mail response rates by up to 500% (Canon)
  
  

Therefore, using this concept, a brand can extend the offers outside of the multi-channel/omnichannel marketing efforts by integrating direct mail marketing to simultaneously enhance the engagement and response rates at the online destinations.



Use Direct Mail for Upscale and Millennials

Yet another method to reach more targets, such as luxury-minded shoppers and the Millennial demographic, is to target them with personalized direct mail marketing.  We all use some aspect of big data.  When it comes to missing the mark, there's a high probability that data was either not included in the strategic marketing decisions or was not cleansed or organized properly.  The following data excerpts serve as a compelling argument for direct mail marketing to target the affluent and millennials.

• Direct mail pieces average response rate sent to former customers is 18.4% (USPS Household Diary Study)
• Affluent households would rather receive direct mail as opposed to email (Sourcelink)
• Direct mail delivers a more significant emotional impact over digital ads, which results in a stronger recall lasting up to a week later (Enhancing the Value of Mail: The Human Response)
• All demographic age groups have shown an interest in direct mail, and of those groups, 92% of Millennials attributed making purchasing decisions due to the influence of direct mail (National Mortgage Professional Magazine)
• 57% of UK consumers stated that postcard marketing created a more authentic relationship over and above digital ads (Private Life of Mail)

Use Direct Mail to Increase Response Rates Over Email (DMA)

Personalization is the big-ticket tool that makes all the difference in attracting both current and new customers.  Yes, digital does provide a measure of personalization with the algorithm concepts.  However, the value of a person holding a physical communication printed piece designed just for that person goes a long way toward lifting response rates.  Digital cannot compete with tactile, physical, real-world collateral.  Direct mail marketing excites the senses, and the following numbers don't lie.

• 70% of people stated direct mail appears to be more personal than the Internet (Epsilon)
• Direct mail marketing garners a 37% higher response rate than email
• The top response rate tracking methods are online such as PURLs (61%), call center or telephone (53%), and code or a coupon (42%)
• Postcards average response rate is 5.7%
• From 2015 to 2016, direct mail customer response rates increased by 43%, and prospect response rates more than doubled (mainly attributed to direct mail paired with digital intelligence)





Direct Mail Trustworthiness Breaks Through the Clutter

We should all be aware of the ongoing battle social media channels are grappling with when it comes to allowing disinformation and untruths to be posted and allowed to remain in the public sphere.  As a result, many online users question everything they read, and there is a rising sentiment not to trust anything they see or read.  This behavior trait can damage brands' efforts to convince them that their communications are effectively trustworthy.

Therefore, marketers and brands can effectively sidestep that mistrust moniker and instead integrate direct mail marketing collateral to boost trustworthiness by alerting and sending those targets to the brand's digitally trusted destination.  And again, here are some numbers that support that solution.

• 70% of consumers prefer traditional mail regarding unsolicited offers (Direct Marketing Association)
• 81% of people daily read or scan their mail (2010 USPS Household Diary Study)
• 82% of Millennials who read messages on printed paper view the content as more trustworthy than digital (5 Myths About Millennials and Mail)
• The average household receives just two direct mail pieces per day compared to 157 emails (USPS Marketer's Guide)
• Up to 90% of people open direct mail, compared to only 20-30% of email that gets opened (DMA)




It is essential to understand that these data points reflect averages.  Marketing campaigns vary in many ways, and a marketing campaign can fall directly into one or more common responses or represent a creative outlier.  Therefore, a campaign that includes direct mail marketing using the CPM and Conversion Rate formulas will provide you with a more succinct evaluation of how your campaign performed and how the addition of direct mail marketing boosts conversion rates.  After all, increased response rates tend to raise conversion rates.



The Net-Net



Remember that brands and marketers need to effectively and efficiently market and advertise their offerings while keeping brand recognition at the forefront to generate leads and sales.  The industry sectors that have thus far failed to invest in print may want to reconsider it for the foreseeable future due to the changing variants brought about by the pandemic.  Now is the time to consider how you will use print for the 4Q push, given that a raging variant may disrupt the hottest buying season of the year. Print's direct mail marketing ensures that your communications will be received and read.  In addition, print delivers the trustworthy aspect that brings peace of mind to consumers.  Besides, folks don't question whether a mail piece is trustworthy, so the lack of trust issue is defeated.  Thanks for reading "How to Reach More Targets With Print."




Let's talk about integrated business solutions and how they can move your messages forward, help grow your business, change behavior, and improve the customer experience. Let us show you how to improve your document processes to optimize your workflow, reduce costs, and maximize your organization's printing, letter shop, and mailing capabilities. Dove Direct has an official USPS certified bureau located within our offices to save you time and money. We can even create a demo file for you. For more information, call Carla Eubanks at 404-629-0122 or email Carla at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 
 


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