Facebook and Google have both been reaching out to prospects recently, using direct mail and print as part of their marketing effort.

Yep, that’s right. The two biggest companies in the worlds of online marketing and social media are using a channel that many marketers continue to shy away from.

In both cases, Google and Facebook are reaching out to people to promote their advertising platforms (Google AdWords and Facebook Ads, respectively).

If you are a marketer, then this may be worth paying attention to the next time you contemplate cutting direct mail or print out of your marketing budget.

If Google and Facebook are using direct mail and print to make an impact on their target audience, then you probably should too. Call us at CQ. We can do the same for you.

Every year, marketers search for the next big thing that will make or break the success of their interactive marketing campaigns. A lot of buzzwords like “mobile” or “social” inevitably get thrown around but what does it really mean for marketers? Before you refresh marketing goals for 2011, here are five resolutions to consider.

1. Make data the foundation of your marketing

Collecting data has never been a problem as we know that it fuels our marketing programs and overall business decisions. But achieving visibility and usability is often another story. Many times information is stored in data warehouses and databases across the organisation and tedious exporting needs to be undertaken before being able to take any action. Simply put, many marketers are missing opportunities to engage with customers because their information and processes have become outdated before the customer engagement metrics are aggregated and sorted.

Making a change to the way you currently use click-through rates, online browsing history, shopping cart abandonment, previous purchase history, and other customer information starts with an assessment. Understanding what tools you have before you take action will pay off in the long run.

2. Use mobile to connect with customers

Mobile marketing is often overshadowed as social media and email marketing becomes more sophisticated. But as consumers rapidly begin to adopt smartphones, mobile marketing can no longer be viewed as a “silo” in a marketing campaign.

One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to begin mobile marketing is SMS. Creating text-in voting programs, Q&A text response campaigns and mobile coupons for your target audience are simple tactics to engage customers. Developing content that is specifically designed for mobile phones is also important – perhaps you might even consider creating a mobile app for your company.

3. Market to customers as individuals

It’s all too easy to be swept away by the creativity of the advertising instead of its relevance. Prioritising customer service before sales is crucial and there are some innovative and simple ways to do this. One example is to listen and be a part of the conversations that are happening online about your company. There are many online monitoring tools available to easily do this and you’ll be surprised by the amount of insight you’ll receive from listening to you customers.

4. Make social media a real part of the marketing mix

For many, 2010 marked the year that social media became a reality instead of just a trend for marketers to watch out for. We know that in the past, customers who had a bad experience with your brand would share it with 5 of their different friends but today, a bad customer experience could lead to negative information about your brand posted to 500 Twitter followers.

One way to integrate social media into your campaigns is to do some social ‘soul searching’. Gather metrics about who is hitting the ‘like’ button on Facebook, who is re-tweeting and what content attracts more user engagement. Another simple tactic is to use social media to gather local data. Geolocation devices and apps such as Foursquare give you the opportunity to find out who is visiting your store and how often.

5. Engage in ‘smart’ automation

In any campaign, there are some jobs that are tedious and time-consuming but remain essential. At the same time, marketing budgets aren’t getting any bigger so marketers need to find ways to work smarter, not harder.

With so much data to manage, automation is a great way to make information usable. Marketers can engage in ‘smart’ automation tools that integrate new customer data and preferences such as tweets on Twitter or likes on Facebook into every communication that is sent out.

Each new year offers a blank slate and a new outlook to start the year off right. And while you may not stay as organised as you’d like or as in shape as you had hoped by mid-year, making resolutions to improve your interactive marketing program can be well worth the investment.

In a classic Seinfeld episode, the comedian joked, “There’s good naked and bad naked.” So it is with personalization. There’s good personalization and bad personalization.

The goal of personalized communication, whether it’s in print or email, is to create a message that is relevant to the recipient and engages the recipient in a relationship with the marketer. While some may think that more personalization is  better, that’s not always the case. You have to be careful what and how you personalize.

I got a personalized contact today that unnerved me out and made me want to immediately end my relationship with the sender. If it had been from a marketer rather than a potential client, I would have.

The sender is a someone who, as part of his ministry, is beginning to send out daily inspirational emails.

The first contact was a welcome email, addressing me by name. Nicely done. Although adding names to emails is easy these days, I appreciated the extra effort.

The next day, I received my first daily email, which could be accessed using an email link. Clearly, he was tracking responses. So far, so good.

The next day, I received my next daily email. I didn’t have time to read it, so I left it unopened.

Today, I received the daily email and gasped.

Dear, Heidi.

You haven’t read your last lesson so this is a reminder to login and read your latest lesson below.

Agh! Personalization gone amuck.

First, there had only been 24 hours between the initial email and the reminder. Then there was the issue of the wording. I am tracking you—watching you from afar—so I know you haven’t opened the email yet. You signed up to read these, Heidi, and since I’m monitoring you, I’ve noticed that you are slacking. Get on the stick, girl!

That may not be what he intended, but that’s what he wrote.

It drives home just how important it is to think through how, when, and why you (and your clients) contact customers and prospects with personalized information. How is this personalization being used? How will it be received by the target? Will it be welcomed as a relevant, helpful communication? Or will it make them feel invaded?

Remember that personalization, on its own, does little. Done wrong, it actually can be harmful. Personalization is simply a tool. Be careful how you use it.

Though businesses now have more communication channels to reach consumers than ever before, marketing expert David Jackson recently argued on Promotion World that direct mail marketing is still an effective way to generate sales.

Jackson asserts that a properly executed direct mail campaign still provides a "solid return on investment." Citing a recent study conducted by the Direct Marketing Association, he says that direct mail marketing expenditures are expected to increase by more than $1 billion during 2010.

Consumers are also eagerly welcoming the influx of mailers. Referring to the same study, Jackson claims 79 percent of U.S. households either completely read or skim through direct mail messages sent to their homes. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by postal automation firm Pitney Bowes found that consumers still prefer physical mail over digital communication channels, relays the source.

Consumers are especially accepting of postal messages containing confidential statements or new product announcements. Jackson writes that

• 73 percent of respondents prefer direct mail to receive information about new items,
• while 86 percent would rather receive private communications through postal mail.
• In both cases, consumers reveal a strong preference for postal messages over digital mail.

Pitney Bowes’ survey also indicates that

• 31 percent of mail recipients tend not to throw away unopened postal messages, ranging from brochures to envelopes,
• whereas 53 percent are likely to delete unopened email messages.

Additionally, many consumers find direct mail to be less intrusive than unsolicited emails and phone calls.

• Nearly half of respondents (43.2 percent) said direct mail was more convenient,
• while 30.2 percent indicated the sales environment was less high pressured.
• This translated into greater responses overall, with 12 percent claiming direct mail was more persuasive.

"If you haven’t considered trying direct mail, maybe you should. A properly executed direct mail campaign combined with online marketing methods could be an unbeatable combination," Jackson wrote.

The effectiveness of direct mail marketing has caused many businesses to adopt the channel. According to a recent report from the Global Insight Analysts, direct mail expenditures are expected to hit $25.45 billion globally by 2015. The firm cites direct mail’s physical presence as its biggest selling point, especially in comparison to digital channels.

While many businesses are increasingly adopting digital marketing practices, new research conducted by Global Industry Analysts indicates that companies are also boosting their ad spend on direct mail marketing materials.

As Global Industry Analysts notes, direct mail has numerous advantages over other advertising mediums.

• The platform has the unique ability to affect consumers’ sense of touch,
• and mailers are also often personalized, maximizing the impact pieces can have on consumers.
• Additionally, the source claims that customers treat postal mail with higher regard in comparison to other marketing channels.

According to the report, the direct mail industry is gaining steady momentum in today’s digital world. Global Industry Analysts predicts that global marketing expenditures for postal mail will reach $25.45 billion in the immediate and near future.

The growth of the platform is largely buoyed by the effectiveness of the channel to reach consumers regardless of their income. Whereas online, television and other platforms depend on potential customers subscribing to a service to receive a message, anyone with a home can be contacted through direct mail.

In an effort to stave off advances by other platforms, companies are beginning to innovate the way they design creative pieces. For example,

• multidimensional mailers can help entrepreneurs create lasting impressions on consumer.
• Global Industry Analysts predicts that, as a result, the market for creative direct mail development will reach $200 million before 2012 in the United States.

Additionally, direct mail can be used to bolster the effects of digital marketing campaigns. For instance, using tracking technology, businesses could send consumers an email message on the same day a direct mail piece is set to arrive or they could use QR codes to drive recipients online to their retail websites.

"The direct mail advertising market will also stand to benefit from the growing importance of one-to-one interactive marketing and its role in effectively engaging thousands of prospective customers on a personal level," says the source.

Global Industry Analysts’ report echoes recent research conducted by MagnaGlobal. According to the marketing insights firm, direct mail will account for $19.17 billion ad spend worldwide during 2010, making it the top channel globally. MagnaGlobal expects direct mail to be used primarily by large corporations, though small and mid-size business owners will similarly be able to effectively integrate it into their marketing initiatives.

Sometimes it’s fun – and profitable – to use a marketing gimmick, by introducing an intentional error into your direct mail campaign.

Not long ago, Jeff Kaller mailed a mountain of postcards driving people to call – the wrong number. Followed by mailings apologizing for and correcting the mistake.

And getting better than ever response.

In another case a sales letter and registration form was sent out for a very pricey event with the dates, place and price missing. Nearly 70% called to inform the sender of the mistakes: some irritated, some trying to be helpful. This put 70% on the phone with his three telemarketers, who closed half during the calls; net 35% registration vs. best ever prior sign-up rate from same customers for comparable events, 15%.

Joe Sugarman gave discounts and rewards to people who found the most mistakes in his ads. The technical term for this is: involvement.

Intentional errors… are they gimmicks, or are they ‘hooks’?

You’ll know once the responses start coming in!

New Cool Print-to-Mobile Tools

Instead having people attempting to key in those long text messages or complex website addresses on their phone, we use the mobile phones’ built-in camera to do it all for them in seconds. i.e. The phone instantly captures specific instructions from a specially printed item. e.g.:

Just snap a photo of the barcode which then:

1. tells the Phone web browser to go directly to the product providers webpage for more information, even to buy the product or
2. prepares the phone to email or forward a special message on, with a link back to the suppliers web page with a special offer or
3. simply tells the phone to just save the details into it’s built-in address book or perhaps use the message as a discount voucher.

All this could be very handy if say you see a promotion on a magazine ad, website page, on a building, even street, realty or bus sign, and don’t have time to take down all the details. Now you’d just snap a photo of it and the special QR barcode (click photo left).

This provides the information for the phone to do its special ‘thing’, like sending you to the corresponding website on that product or property, or translating it into readable text. This will take off this year as people upgrade to 3G Phones.

N.B. Many Vodafone users here with a good camera phone may already have this QR capability and don’t realise it. Simply TXT QR to 710 to find out. They will text back a link to download the correct QR Code reader, for free.  (Details click here)

As discovered overseas, QR Codes in printed signs, cards or flyers is a great way to connect with a youth market that’s notoriously difficult to reach – not just because it offers something new and different for them to interact with, but also because it generates a lot of street buzz.

Why Wait? Simply call us to discuss adding your personal QR code to your next brochure, poster or business card .

Looking for more neat QR code ideas? View the videos below:

What to see more? Checkout our new Video library

I’ve pointed out previously that while you might spend days, even weeks, crafting a direct mail message, recipients will spend just seconds deciding whether it’s worth their attention.

Here’s a video from Pitney Bowes illustrating this simple idea.

Let me first say that I disagree with the comment that a plain envelope is “boring.” The fact is, a plain envelope, especially one that looks personal, is a great way to get people to actually open the envelope and look at what’s inside.

Most of the other comments are worthy of consideration. For example, you have to get the recipient name and address right. Nothing will kill a mailer faster than addressing it to the wrong person. You must clean your list before you mail. And please remember to make sure you’re sending just one mailer to a home address unless you intend otherwise. I’ve been seeing a lot of waste recently with the same mailing arriving for various spellings of my name and my wife’s name.

Above is an excerpt from the DirectCreative Blog

Note this particular vendor video also show us how much more advanced mailers are in the US market. More innovative personalisation plus a trans-promotional mailer (the credit card bill), that we don’t see down here.

Note that most of the items shown in this video would not comply with the local NZ Post layout guidelines, allowing you to obtain the discounted postal rate. Call us if you want to try these more innovative ‘high response’ techniques in your next direct marketing campaign or billing mailout.

Considering that many of these campaigns are extremely costly, should we tolerate such blatant wastefulness in these tough times?

What to do?

For some background, below we’ve an excerpt from an insightful article by expert media consultant Harvey Hirsch reminding us on how we market today, what’s going horribly wrong and ideas on how to fix it.

“… This ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to marketing is so antiquated, so primitive, and generally so ineffective that when you add it up, it costs every company that employs it between $600 and $1,500 to generate a sales lead…

Americans [and NZer's] are assaulted over 4,000 times a day by media messages (that figure varies upward depending on who I consult with), and cutting through that clutter is all I am hired to do. And my first choice is always a 3-Dimensional, personalized and printed, full-color, emotionally charged, hand-assembled mailer, followed by a well-trained telemarketing person who sets up a live person-to-person 1:1 meeting. This is true multi-channel marketing…

Following these guidelines has allowed my clients to generate sales appointments for under $200 a piece. Not only have some of these programs generated over 50% response rates (we actually hit the 90% response rate recently), they have allowed our clients to trim non-productive marketing programs out of their budgets and actually plan for controlled growth, even in these economically uncertain times.

And here’s what I’ve learned.

The future of marketing is evolving into short run, personalized, well-targeted, “Coney Island” enhanced, B2B direct mail, versioned to go 3-deep into a prospective company with Information on Demand as an on-line back-up, handed off to a skilled telemarketing support team who’s only mission is to generate a face-to-face with a well-trained sales person. Using this system, not only can you baseline efficacy, you can actually predict expansion and growth.”

So, where to from here? A realisation that something has to change. Company owners and marketers need to investigate far better methodologies and strategies that make our messages more personalized and relevant to the recipient. To start demanding response rates that give a real return on investment, not just marketing for pure ‘branding’.