Marketing strategies continue to evolve as new technology becomes available. Despite the fact that I build and populate websites, I’ve been preaching for a long time that businesses must use integrated marketing. Online and offline channels need to work together if you want to reach today’s consumers.
One of my clients is a direct mail company. Twenty years ago, direct mail was one of a company’s leading marketing strategies, but businesses put it to the side in favor of email. Fortunately for the industry, direct mail no longer looks the same as it once did. For instance, now you can integrate direct mail and online video for one of the most innovative marketing plans I’ve seen.
Direct Mail and Engage One Video
It wasn’t long ago that the USPS implemented their Informed Delivery campaign. A consumer can receive a daily preview of the mail being delivered to them each day along with interactive links to supplemental material. This program implemented with the help of Pitney Bowes completely revolutionizes the whole direct mail industry. You can now integrate direct mail and Engage One Video for maximum exposure.
With the delivery service, we give marketers an unprecedented chance to engage consumers and expand their reach. – David Schwartz, U.S. Vice President, Pitney Bowes
How Informed Delivery Works
The USPS uses digital images to sort mail for delivery. By using those images for other purposes, they have now upped their level of service. A residential consumer can subscribe to the Informed Delivery for free. They will then receive images in their inbox showing what is arriving in their physical mailbox. The email includes gray-scale pictures of any letter–sized piece of mail that they sorted for delivery.
Integrating Informed Delivery with Engage One Video from Pitney Bowes
With the help of the Engage One Video platform, the Informed Delivery campaign can include interactive links to video content explicitly tailored to the recipient. In other words, you can embed apps, QR codes, or hyperlinks to additional information not included in the direct mailing.
Look at it like this. You send a postcard to your customer. The USPS delivers a preview image of the mailing (along with its message) to your client’s inbox. Included with that is a call-to-action or an embedded video that gives them additional information. One to two days later, the actual postcard arrives in their mailbox, reminding them of what you had to say. With one mailing, you’ve reached out and touched your recipient three times.
According to Pitney Bowes, the response rate by customers has been tremendous.
- The response rate reached 25%, with 79% of those viewers watching about 4 minutes of embedded video content.
- 38% viewed over 5.5 minutes of the video
How Can You Integrate Direct Mail and Engage One Video?
Pitney Bowes works with your direct mail provider to develop an appropriate campaign for your target audience. They can produce live action or animated video for your needs. Direct mail companies can help craft your postcard mailing with the appropriate message and images, designed to catch the attention of your clients.
Your direct mail company handles all aspects of direct mail from design to posting. The USPS handles the email communication, and Pitney Bowes takes care of the video production. With three powerhouses managing all the aspects of your integrated marketing efforts, how can you go wrong?
Learn More About Integrated Marketing Strategies
This is just one example of integrated marketing. For more information on SEO content strategies or how online and offline channels can work together, get a copy of our newsletter or view our Portfolio.
