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Marketing automation has solved many cumbersome and resource-intensive processes for marketing teams worldwide. It enables marketers to send relevant messages at the right moment based on the right trigger due to customer behavior or data, without having to recreate the wheel each time.
Marketing automation technology makes it easier than ever to manage, streamline, and change the customer journey. But, many marketers only think of digital tactics as the ones to automate -- and we're here to talk about why marketers should automate direct mail as part of the customer journey to maximize their ROI.
The first thing that typically comes to mind when thinking about marketing automation is triggered email sends and drip nurture campaigns. The customer or prospect fills out a form and boom, an email is triggered. Or, perhaps an SMS message or push notification. When it comes down to it, marketing automation is a simple if this, then that system. And direct mail can be slotted in as the asset based on a marketing trigger.
Let's take a closer look at some common automated customer journeys and see how direct mail can work in tandem with your digital efforts.
Abandoned cart
The two most common marketing tactics for getting prospects or customers to return to your site to finish a purchase is through abandoned cart emails and retargeting ads. It's pretty common to navigate away from a site and then have the product that's sitting in a shopping cart start following us around on different websites. People expect these emails and ads. So, why not stand out from the crowd and send a piece of direct mail with a QR code leading them back to their product?
Direct mail for abandoned cart does work best when the path to purchase is longer. This strategy wouldn't be ideal for asking customers to return to their carts as the price is only good for 24 more hours. But if the purchaser might not be making a decision for another few weeks or months, direct mail can be a great way to unexpectedly get their attention.
Welcome series
Break up a welcome series of emails or push notifications with a postcard, letter from the CEO, or thank you note from the sales rep.
Anniversaries, birthdays, or milestones
Everyone looks forward to getting mail on special occasions so send your customers something in the mail to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or let them join your brand in celebrating a company milestone. Let's say your brand just opened a new office or location, invite people to visit or take a virtual tour by scanning a QR code.
Promotions
Inboxes were flooded two months ago with Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals so make your promotion stand out from the rest by arriving in the mailbox instead of inbox. Be sure to use promotional marketing mail as an opportunity to run A/B tests to better understand what calls-to-action actually drive action, whether your customers prefer a set dollar amount off a purchase or percentage off, and what personalization variables improve conversions.
Recommended reading: 5 Direct Mail Tests You Can Run
Repeat purchase or cross-sell
Say a customer bought a product or service a few weeks ago, you can use direct mail to direct their attention to purchasing it again or introduce them to a different offering that also meets their needs. To encourage action, you could include an extra discount code that they won't find online.
Surveys
If your team sends out invitations for customer surveys, why not send an old-fashioned invitation in the mail? With an easy-to-scan QR code or shortened URL, customers might be more likely to fill out the survey as they're primed to think it's quick and easy enough to do on a mobile device.
Always let your customer or prospect lead your team on how often they want marketing messages from your brand and on what channels by having a robust preference center.
Personalizing direct mail that speaks to each individual and piques their interest is easy. Send specialized offers based on their past behaviors or preferences. If your customers show interest and don't convert immediately, direct mail can help remind them and create additional interest. There are so many ways direct mail can provide the boost in revenue you want while reducing investment costs and labor needs.
As we can see, automation has become an essential part of business marketing strategies. And direct mail automation can be a game-changer for many brands by removing tedious tasks and repetitious processes.
If you didn't already realize that direct mail can be automated and integrated into your marketing workflow, now is the time to do so. Regardless of the size of your company, you have automation options that deliver proven results and help you gain a foothold in your industry, whether on a local scale or a national scale.
Lob automation offers a range of benefits and options to link with your current marketing workflows. For example, you can automate:
Another outstanding feature of Lob's direct mail automation is the ability to connect easily to your CRM and any other custom data platforms. Get a clear picture of customer behavior and know when to apply direct mail campaigns based on the integrated collective data in your systems.
Rather than having extra members of your marketing team handle the design, creation, and shipping of direct mail, you can automate it and save time and money. Easily send orders for on-demand mail, such as postcards or catalogs, from your CRM dashboard or other connected customer management platform.
Edit customer details and get access to delivery and data verification for both domestic and international mailing needs. Lob also provides the shipping transparency you need to track production and delivery for each mailer.
Another critical aspect of effective automation is ensuring your business adheres to current compliance regulations. Stay up-to-date and on target no matter where your customers reside. You can also track your individual and campaign performance details and analytics to get a clear picture of where you need to direct your attention.
Direct mail is an essential tool for most businesses today. Although direct mail has been around for a long time, it's more effective than ever for connecting with customers, and automation makes direct mail easier to include in a marketing campaign. Today's automation features take the tedious hassle of manually creating, sorting, and sending direct mail and creates a smooth, streamlined process. Find out how effective and easy it is to boost your brand's visibility to your target audience and how to make it happen with a leading industry expert.
Statistics show that customers prefer direct mail over texts, email, or other marketing methods. More than 80% of individuals say they prefer to receive well-designed direct mail. Additionally, these direct mail pieces increase online traffic visits by 63% and increase conversion rates by 40%. That's a significant boost in activity and interest in your brand.
Lob is a leading direct mail marketing company with the insight, tools, and features to boost your customer conversation rates and create solid connections over time. Get access to streamlined processes and reduce your expenditures on labor and overtime.
Integrate the software into your current customer management platforms and third-party SaaS providers, and tailor each piece of direct mail to your specific customer interests and behavior to get more interactions and interest. Reach out to Lob today to book a demo or inquire about the available range of services.
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