A Strata YouTube Original Series
When it comes to direct marketing, quality design is crucial. When you invest time and effort into clean, visually appealing, effective designs, your marketing campaigns can stand out from the competition. We spoke with Courtney Prate, Creative Designer, to get answers to several frequently asked direct marketing design questions. Read on to see what she had to say!
Q: How important is graphic design for direct marketing?
A: If you look at the world around you, marketing is everywhere – and a big key, if not THE key for that marketing is design. Without thinking through design, your direct marketing will very likely be a flop.
Q: What’s the best process/steps when designing direct marketing materials?
A: Although there are key aspects to keep in mind when designing digital and physical direct marketing materials, it’s not one-size-fits-all. Every designer has their own process and way of designing. The most important factors (I believe), are 1 – consistently keeping the end-user in mind, 2 – being open to other opinions and potential options (you never know what might work), and 3 – ensuring the call to action (what you want the customer to do) is top of mind and clear.
Q: What is the most important thing to focus on when designing direct marketing?
A: It’s always important to focus on the call to action, ensuring that it’s clear, obvious, and…actionable! After all, you could have amazing content and imagery, but if the customer doesn’t know what to do, is the piece really worth it?
Courtney goes more in-depth and answers a variety of other design-related questions in our latest YouTube channel release. View the whole video by clicking the image below. Here are the other questions she answers:
- What’s the biggest mistake you see commonly made with direct marketing design?
- Why is branding important to keep in mind when it comes to direct marketing design?
- How do I decide on the channel, material, and sizing of my direct marketing?
- What are the most attention-grabbing colors for direct marketing design?
- How do I choose the right images for my direct marketing design, and where do I find them?
- When is it worth it to A/B test designs?
- How many revisions should a direct marketing piece go through?
- What are the biggest design trends of 2023, and what do you see evolving in the next few years?
Click the image below to view the full video!
If your direct marketing design could use some help, or you have additional questions, contact our experts today! Strata’s more than happy to help your company transform your marketing campaigns.
Make Your Direct Mail Thrive with Tracking, Enhancing, and Attributing Results
We’ve said it time and again – direct mail really works. In fact, direct mail open rates can reach up to 42%, which is a lot higher than most e-mail open rates. Recipients of direct mail also “purchase 28% more items and spend 28% more money than people who don’t get that same piece of direct mail.” While these are excellent stats, we know it’s not always that easy to track and measure ROI from physical mail in the same way you track ROI from your digital strategies. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you out. We believe in not only the importance of direct mail, but in its results – with the right tools and resources.
Be Consistent
First and foremost, consistency is key when it comes to direct mail ROI. To get the most out of your direct mail, make sure it isn’t just direct mail. What do we mean? Weave digital touches into your direct mail – like your social media, digital ads, and website – and make sure everything is connected. With the right direct mail partner or resource, you can take mailing addresses and match them with social accounts, IP addresses, and more to really understand who your audience is and what actions they’re taking. Weaving in digital information can help you share your message before, during, and after your direct mail is sent out – making the chosen brand message consistent and more impactful to your audience.
Not convinced this is all necessary? We are, because combining offline and online tactics is proven to really work. In a recent study, a whapping 68% of marketing respondents saw that combining digital and direct mail increased visits to their websites. Considering the multichannel experience and the customer journey while creating your direct mail will not just increase website visits, but many areas of ROI.
Track
When it comes to getting the most from your direct mail, it’s important to ABT – Always Be Tracking. Not only tracking information and results from your direct mail campaign like you would your digital ones, but tracking the delivery of your mailers – just like you would a package. This will help you know when to prepare the recipient with other messaging before delivery, and when to follow up with them to make the greatest impact. Take it a step further by working with your direct mail partner or resource to send the recipient an “informed delivery” message by USPS to make them aware of their mailer’s arrival, and send them direct links to ROI-rich landing pages. If you haven’t noticed already, every step we’re highlighting truly combines the traditional and digital worlds of marketing.
Attribute Results
If you’re still with us, you’ll see that we’ve created an experience for the recipient along many steps of their customer journey, tracked their direct mail’s physical journey, and have notified them that there’s a special something waiting in their mailbox. So, what’s next? Reporting, recording, and attributing. Without these, you won’t know how to improve upon your direct mail and increase your ROI for next time. Your recipients may respond or perform an action by phone, BRC, personalized landing page (PURL), or in another way, so it’s important that the information is correctly recorded in real-time. The best way to record and store this information is on a platform’s dashboard specifically made for tracking. There are many out there – so find whatever works for you and make sure you use it to your advantage. The chosen platform can help you store names, addresses, ages, and other helpful demographics to assist you in understanding and targeting your true target audience.
You may have some recipients who will visit your website but will not directly respond to your mail. That’s why it’s important to use identifiable URLs that you can easily track, like UTMs, PURLS, or specified QR codes. If these recipients aren’t quite ready to reach back out to you or make a move, you’ll still have a gauge on their interest, and will be able to send them digital ads or e-mails reminding them of your product or service until their ready to take the next step.
Stop Wondering
Instead of continuing to throw mail like paper planes to your audience, track and know if your mailers make an impact. Make sure you’re always examining your data and attributing it. You’ll quickly realize it’s easier than you expected to see what’s working, what’s not, and where you can improve on your direct mail campaigns.
As one of our specialties at Strata, we know that direct mail can be uber effective when using the right processes and tools. The key is always combining traditional and digital to catch your audience’s attention before, during, and after direct mail is in their hands. And, like we said before, never stop tracking and modifying.
To learn more about how to create successful direct mail, check out our direct-mail-focused blogs, “Dimensional Mail: Four Criteria for the Perfect Promotional Item” and “7 Ways to Make Your Postcard Stand Out”, or simply contact Strata. We’ve been doing this for years and would be happy to help you get an ROI rich direct mail campaign started.
How to Get the Attention of New Movers
Before the Competition
The Market
To put it simply, the new mover market is huge, and it’s growing. 13.8% of Americans, which calculates to over 25.6 million people move every year. All of these new residents are looking for the same things – doctors, grocers, handymen, pizza shops, dentists, groomers, dry cleaners…we could go on and on. They’re looking for brands they can trust, but they’re also hoping that, during this busy time, brands will make their way to them. Between unpacking, organizing, and settling in, they have enough on their plates already, so they’re relying on word of mouth, marketing, and advertising to speak to them and tell them where to go and who to trust.
The industry itself is growing at a pace of 3% each year – despite rises and falls in the economy. Basically, no matter what, people are moving, and they’re moving more and more as the years roll on.
Not only are new movers looking for new stores and companies, but they’re also looking to spend. In fact, “new mover annual expenditures exceed $150 billion and they’re five times more likely to become long-term customers if you reach them first,” (V12). Statistically, they spend more in the first six months than the average customer spends in three whole years.
The Potential
Most new movers are within the younger demographic – couples between the ages of 18 and 34 who have one or two children. These small families have various needs, from childcare, to physicians, to dinner. They’ll be looking for several new businesses to rely on and buy from, and if you treat them well, they’ll return to your business again and again. But…to even get this chance, you’ll need to be the first business to catch their eye.
First impressions are everything when it comes to new movers. Not only are they meeting their new neighbors for the first time and deciding who they’d most likely ask over for dinner or get drinks with, but they’re seeing and judging businesses in their area and deciding which ones they’ll give a chance. With one glance at your website, mailer, or advertisement, they’ll decide whether they want to look further into your company, or not. That’s why it’s so vitally important that you have a solid brand that’s accompanied by excellent marketing, such as mailers, emails, and display ads.
The Loyalty
The best part about establishing your brand with new movers is that, if you reach out to them correctly, they’re likely to develop brand loyalty. These new residents are looking to establish a routine wherever possible. After all, humans are creatures of habit.
Once they find that hair salon, Italian restaurant, or grocery store they love, they’re liable to adamantly stick with it. “They don’t need to be convinced or heavily marketed to because they already enjoy your products and prefer them even to competitors with similar offerings,” (SproutSocial). But, in order to acquire brand-loyal customers, your messaging needs to be relevant to them, inspire trust, include special offers, and be delivered where customers will notice it (whether that be in the inbox, mailbox, or social feed).
The Buy Out
Now that you understand the new mover potential, here are some of the best techniques to acquire them:
- Use Omnichannel Campaigns like those that Strata offers – using a combination of direct mail, digital ads, emails, and more, can catch and keep the attention of potential customers.
- Think about what will set you apart from the rest of the competition. Use free gifts, rewards programs, personalized landing pages (PURLS), and free samples/analyses to entice.
- Ensure your messaging is on-point and relevant to the customer. Use personalization wherever possible (ex: Amy, come by and try our delicious pizza!) to catch their attention.
And, while omnichannel marketing may be the best way to reach new movers, it doesn’t have to break the bank. Omnichannel campaigns like our SmartMove and SmartMove Lite products can be completely customized based on your budget. And, even though it takes multiple touches to create a lifelong customer with brand loyalty, a few touches to that potential customer are better than none.
So, are you ready to capitalize on the 40 million people moving each year? We can help you reach your new neighbors first, before the competition, and make a lasting impression. Contact us to see how we can help you get started.
How to Put Big Data to Work Without it Feeling “Creepy”
Big data has gotten a pretty bad rep at this point – and it’s not for nothing. Over the past few years, the fear of data “creeping” further and further into our lives, and machines “listening in” on us, has some feeling a little nervous, to say the least. But, from a somewhat bias perspective of a marketing company, we don’t think it’s all bad and don’t think you should either. When used correctly, big data can help companies target the right customers, at the right time with the stuff they want, and more importantly, the stuff they need.
Then and Now
In the past, a lot of marketing departments probably were a little overzealous about the concept of data, and went a bit too far with personalization, taking an “anything goes” mentality. This approach can and has felt like it crosses the line, often making customers feel transparent, and even “spied” on. No one wants to feel like someone is watching their every move, I mean…that’s what scary movies are made of. In the past, customers didn’t know who, when, or where data was being collected about them, and in turn, felt mistrust for anyone or anything trying to get their information.
More recently, tech companies have realized that customers feel over-encroached upon, and are making steady improvements to be less sneaky and creepy, and more transparent. They’re more overt about the data they’re collecting, and allowing for customers to be more aware and have an increased say (which seems a whole lot more ethical, if you ask us).
The Fine Line Between Cool and Creepy
With this said, similar to an unwanted encounter at a bar, there’s still a fine line between cool and creepy when it comes to big data, but, if used correctly, it can have major benefits for both marketer and customer. After all, sometimes a (non-creepy) pickup line can lead to a happy marriage. It’s all about saying the right thing at the right time, which is what big data makes happen.
Good Data
The more “good” data that you put into your digital advertising campaigns, the more likely they are to reach the right person at the right time. Thankfully, the days of marketers defining rough, segmented target audiences in hopes that randomly placed ads would lead to a purchase are now GONE. Instead, today we’re using social media feeds, purchasing habits, browsing trends, content consumption, and other tactics to reach the right audience, at a welcomed tune. With good data, we have the ability to know exactly who we’re talking to and how we should be targeting them. It ensures we’re following leads and people, not just metrics and trends, and, at the end of the day, it helps cut down on waste and improve ROI.
Cool Stats
If we haven’t convinced you that good data cuts down on waste, we have some stats to back it up. Currently, the growth in global ad spend is projected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2025. Yet, marketers today estimate that they waste approximately 40%-60% of their budgets on unproductive digital strategies. And, to make things worse, studies show that 76% of marketers fail to use behavioral data for online ad targeting. When looked at all together, most of these downfalls point to one central problem: failure to pull accurate insights from marketing data and to apply them toward strategic decision-making. That’s where the power of good data comes in. It not only provides insight, but helps drive your strategy.
Not All Data Vendors Are Created Equal
That’s right, we said it, and we’re not taking it back. Data vendors are invaluable, but they’re not all created equal. If you think your vendor is leaving the “cool” territory and approaching the “creepy” zone, there are a few important questions to ask them, like, “Is your data properly permissioned?” or “Are your audiences sourced from ‘known’ data signals?” Find more useful questions in this article, and you’ll be better prepared to decide if you’ll accept their pickup-line, or give them the old, “it’s not you…it’s me (but it’s really you)”.
Wishing You Good (Data) Luck
Now that you know how cool (not creepy) and important data is when it comes to digital advertising, let’s put it to good use! If you decide to work with Strata, we’ll help you make actionable insights, plan and strategize, and take your next digital advertising initiative to the next level. Want us to turn your good data into targeted messages geared towards the right people at the right time? Contact us today.