Many organizations are using print in their marketing campaigns to increase their marketing reach and web traffic. In world where we are inundated with electronic messages and “friend” requests, people are turning to direct mail to get attention. These organizations know that the mailbox is not as cluttered as the cyber-mail box. So it is easier to get people’s attention and with the right piece get action.
Direct mail can be expensive, especially with the cost of postage, but don’t overlook its effectiveness. Listed below are a few ways to create effective direct mail programs that can help increase web traffic and generate results.
Contests and Games
One easy way to create web traffic is to use contests or games that excite and tempt the recipient into going to your web site to participate in the contest. The contest can be as simple as answering a question or identifying an image. Make sure the image or question is engaging and is relevant to your business. For all contests, make the prize valuable, so the recipient responds right away.
Discount Coupons With this economy people are responding to discounts and “act now offers”. There are creative ways to use postcards to get action. We have many organizations that use tear-off coupons for in-person discounts or that have discount codes imprinted on the postcard for use on a website. Both these approaches get results and are measureable.
Surveys
Keeping in touch with your customer base is very important. Involving your customers and potential customers in product development or service offerings can be invaluable. We have found that supplementing electronic survey invitations with print surveys increases your response rate and in many cases gets you valuable non-structured responses.
Smart Phones
The technology for smart phones is emerging. Today there are a limited number of users that are actively using their smart phone to conduct business or purchase products on the web. If your product or service is attractive to the early technology adopter then using QR codes on a print piece could be used to engage these smart phone users. QR codes are two-dimensional bar codes that can be scanned by a QR code reader from a phone. Once scanned the phone’s web browser will be directed to a web page. This allows you to engage users from a print piece to a special page on your website
Personalization Personalized direct mail pieces that direct the recipient to a personalized web page continues to be very successful. People respond to information that is timely and relevant to them. One of the more popular (and cost-effective) ways to do this is with a personalized postcard or letter that directs the user to their own personalized web pages.
This level of personalization is possible with Personalized URL technology and good customer information. For example, if you have customers that have purchased certain products, you can send them a personalized piece informing them of complementary products or special offers around their purchased products.