In the digital world, businesses need a solid online presence to be successful. Digital direct marketing allows you to reach a large audience with your message quickly and easily. But that doesn’t mean traditional direct marketing methods like mail aren’t just as important. In fact, by combining both traditional and digital marketing channels into an omnichannel marketing strategy, financial institutions can create a compelling and comprehensive marketing strategy that will reach consumers in more ways than one.
In this post, we’ll explore tactics to help you integrate your mail strategies and digital marketing channels to maximize your efforts and achieve your goals.
The Importance of an Omnichannel Marketing Strategy
Omnichannel marketing uses different channels to deliver a seamless consumer experience. Marketers aim to connect with consumers across multiple marketing channels to make it easy for them to learn about and purchase products.
Since traditional mail and digital marketing are two of the most effective direct marketing channels, companies are looking for ways to blend their advertising efforts in a connected way that increases their results.
Why Omnichannel Marketing?
Most financial institutions understand the importance of not just having a single marketing strategy. Regardless of what that marketing strategy is, omnichannel marketing tends to perform better than just one channel for many reasons:
- The ability to connect with consumers where they’re most active.
- Multiple marketing channels give varied impressions that increase results over single-channel marketing.
- Marketing can be personalized by using data to offer your consumers what they want in a place they want to receive it.
Direct Mail and Digital Marketing Tactics That Work
With a direct mail marketing campaign, you can reach your audience with a physical flyer or postcard they can hold onto and interact with for as long as they’d like, creating a more personal connection.
By combining direct mail with digital marketing, you can also reach your consumers where they spend most of their time – online. Research has shown that almost one-third of adults go online “almost constantly.”
Tactic #1 – Test your direct marketing creative with your consumer base.
You can test different graphics and messages using digital advertising to identify what resonates most with your target audience. You can also learn which consumer segments are most receptive to your offer. This gives you a better understanding of how consumers respond to your products and services with real-time feedback. Then you can tailor your print pieces with personalized messaging, creating more effective campaigns.
Tactic #2 – Use direct mail to drive digital offers.
Mail can be a powerful tool to drive consumers to your website or specific product offering, but you need more than just sending a postcard containing your web address. You need to create a compelling and informative message, so consumers are motivated to take action.
You can also utilize QR codes and unique or personalized URLs (also called PURLs) that take consumers to a landing page for your website to access their offers.
Tactic #3 – Convert website visitors.
Even if a prospect visits your website, there’s no guarantee they’ll convert immediately. The Rain Group, a global sales training company, says it takes eight touchpoints before someone converts. To keep those potential consumers engaged, retargeting with display ads or additional personalized mailers is an effective way to follow up.
Sending information that answers questions prospects might be searching for or personalizing offers to long-time consumers can keep them interested and could help improve their buying experience.
Tactic #4 – Combine email marketing and traditional mail.
Financial institutions can use email marketing campaigns to spark interest or inform consumers about new product offerings. Adding direct mail to a digital campaign creates a tangible reminder, reinforces the message, and acts as a “billboard” to draw attention to your email campaigns. The first message can in effect, “preheat” the consumer to be receptive to the second message. These two channels can help move prospects closer to conversion and strengthen relationships with existing consumers when used together. Using both marketing channels consistently creates a sense of familiarity that nurtures trust and builds confidence in your brand.
It’s crucial to build a consistent consumer experience between print and digital communications that drives the consumer journey forward, no matter where it starts. The modern insurance consumer doesn’t just want to do business online. They want the ability to make buying decisions on any medium of their choice. Omnichannel gives this to them.
When You Need Turnkey, Data-Driven Marketing
At Franklin Madison, we provide both digital and print direct marketing for insurance products and use proprietary audience data we’ve gathered over 50 years to provide better insights into your target markets.
Then, we create segmented lists of the most engaged consumers and use them to send personalized messages timed to perfection. If your business is looking for a smarter, more integrated way to approach marketing insurance, reach out to us to see how we can help.