The Direct Marketing Voice

Technology a Big Focus at 2011’s REALTORS Conference & Expo

by Jamie Klemcke | November 16th, 2011

TriggerMarketing 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.

QuantumDigital’s mission this year was also focused on delivering time-saving technologies to busy real estate professionals. TriggerMarketing® was featured at QuantumDigital’s booth. It’s an instant just listed/sold program that uses the best of traditional mail, mobile response technologies, the web and social media to deliver warm, local leads directly to the agents inbox. Agents, brokers and top decision makers alike all commented that the program was a “no brainer” and could save them valuable time. The goal, many said, is to get more listings in this competitive market and they could see how TriggerMarketing could help them quickly build awareness in their communities.

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. Read More »

Direct Mail Growing in Popularity Among Young People?

by Cynthia Fedor | November 1st, 2011

According to survey results published in the Direct Marketing Association’s 2011 Statistical Fact Book, 18 percent of young people between the ages of 22 and 24 say they will respond to direct mail. That’s up from numbers published last year.

How could this be? Direct mail is often seen as an old (and not so sexy) marketing channel. Why are direct mail postcards, catalogs, and other mailed print formats increasing in popularity—especially among young people—when activity on digital, mobile and social media platforms are thriving?

They don’t want their friends to know their really, really personal business.

Last year, a study conducted by ICOM, a division of Epsilon Targeting, found that a lot of people between the ages of 18 and 34 preferred to receive certain marketing communications via direct mail rather than through online media. An overwhelming percentage of those surveyed wanted messages relating to personal care, food or cleaning products, medicine, and sensitive health products to be delivered via direct mail.

I think that people recognize the fact that most things posted online, or exchanged via email, are not necessarily private. Even if profiles are restricted and passwords are strong, there’s a chance that someone or something can potentially gain access to personal details and preferences. Sure, this can happen with direct mail too. But online, if sensitive personal information is exposed, the audience that could have access to it is potentially much larger (and content is searchable online).

Better targeting and deeper, more relevant personalization

Gone are the days where marketers can get away with distributing mass mail featuring generalized messages. Consumers today demand personalization and, above all, relevancy. Past surveys by organizations like the Winterberry Group, Prospectiv, and the DMA highlight that the top factors in driving response rates included timing, relevance and personalization of marketing message.
Read More »

USPS Makes Local Direct Mail Postcard Marketing More Complex than Necessary with New ‘Every Door Direct Mail’ Program

by Cynthia Fedor | October 26th, 2011

Local direct mail marketing
In an effort to stimulate direct mail marketing activities and generate revenue from postage on direct mail postcard campaigns, the USPS has been rolling out various programs targeted at small business owners and DIY marketers. An article in the October 2011 issue of Deliver magazine features their latest service offering called Every Door Direct Mail. It’s described as a “simplified mailing process” or an easy way for businesses to target prospects in specific geographic areas, even if they don’t have a list of names and addresses at their disposal.

To a small business owner strapped for time and unfamiliar with direct mail marketing execution, this program sounds like a dream. Unfortunately, the given summary of the program is grossly oversimplified and fails to mention huge flaws.

For starters, small business owners and marketers willing to try the Every Door Direct Mail program will need to make sure their running shoes are tied on securely—because they’ll have to make several trips to their local Post Office. Rather than the four–step process advertised by the program’s description, marketers will have to do a lot to get mail out the door and into local mailboxes.
Read More »

Postal Increases = Really Bad Math?

by Eric Welch | October 24th, 2011

USPS-ForeverStamp Just ran across an excellent blog post by Patrick Lefler, founder of The Spruance Group, in which he cites a compelling essay that calls into question the very basis upon which postal rate increases are calculated. Hopefully, common sense ideas such as these will result in smarter policy-making and save the USPS from going under. From the article…

Cost allocating is sending the Post Office down the drain – and a whole lot of our money with it. Pricing has nothing to do with cost. It is set by the market as a function of the value created relative to the value proposition of the competition. It is destructive thinking to believe that COST + PROFIT = PRICE. So long as the government institutionalizes the wrong formula, the Post Office is doomed.

Read all about it here.

Nielsen Social Media Report is Out!

by Eric Welch | September 12th, 2011

Nielsen has just released their Q3 2011 Social Media Report. Here are some of their key findings:

Social networks and blogs continue to dominate America’s time online, now accounting for nearly a quarter of total time spent on the Internet
Social media has grown rapidly — today nearly four in five active Internet users visit social networks and blogs
Americans spend more time on Facebook than they do on any other U.S. website
Close to 40 percent of social media users access social media content from their mobile phone
Social networking apps are the third most-used among U.S. smart phone owners
Internet users over the age of 55 are driving the growth of social networking through the Mobile Internet
70 percent of active online adult social networkers shop online, 12 percent more likely than the average adult Internet user
53 percent of active adult social networkers follow a brand, while 32 percent follow a celebrity
Across a snapshot of 10 major global markets, social networks and blogs reach over three-quarters of active Internet users

So, how will this information impact your online and offline marketing efforts and strategies going into 2012? Sound off in the comments!

Technology a Big Focus at 2011’s REALTORS Conference & Expo

USPS Makes Local Direct Mail Postcard Marketing More Complex than Necessary with New ‘Every Door Direct Mail’ Program

Postal Increases = Really Bad Math?

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