Direct mail isn’t what it used to be—boring and impersonal. Thanks to digital printing capabilities, new marketing technologies like QR codes, and an integrated multi-channel approach, direct mail today can be interactive and meaningful. As a result, marketers are recognizing this medium as a critical part of lead-generation campaigns.
Here are three ways savvy marketers are using direct mail to build, qualify and nurture leads while saving time and money.
Spreading the Word Offline to Get People Online
Businesses are quickly starting to realize that social media marketing is not a passing trend but a valuable way to find prospects and nurture leads. Participating in conversations with consumers online is now a necessity for influencing the public’s perception of brand and their purchasing behavior.
With this in mind, how do marketers capture the attention of new prospects that aren’t already online and get them to join the conversation? They use targeted direct mail to drive new leads to websites and social networking profiles. Read More
This year at the REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Anaheim, CA, the focus was on new technology and faster, easier ways to get everyday tasks completed. There was a definite shift from the ‘old regime’ to a new generation of real estate professionals; not necessarily having anything to do with age, rather, a shift in business and marketing strategy. Not many attendees wanted to take printed collateral from booths that they visited. Instead, many asked for an overview of information. They could also be seen snapping photos with their smart phones of booths and information that intrigued them.
The TriggerMarketing program integrates with property listing databases. Within seconds of adding a new listing or changing the status of an existing listing in a database, the program sends the listing agent an email asking if they would like to launch a campaign. Postcards are immediately designed using key information about the listed or sold property, along with photos and trackable technologies. When a recipient responds to the direct mail postcard by scanning a QR code, texting a short code, or typing a unique code on a landing page, the agent receives a real-time warm-lead alert which allows them to immediately follow up. 
Email marketers all over the world are pulling their hair out A/B testing subject lines & images within email versions to try to increase open rates & CTR but 95% of them aren’t thinking a more basic element of marketing: Coordination. I just received this email from a company that I evaluated last year, and because I get 100+ emails daily, I normally would have scanned the email and moved on to the next marketing email in my inbox, but something resonated with me about this email. I suddenly realized that I received a mailed flyer yesterday from the same company, and it was still hanging around on my desk. I took the time to both look through the direct mail piece which had an intriguing gift card offer, and the complementary email with the same imagery and branding, and realized that I was thinking very critically about the value of their software. In other words, the email worked!
