Want to earn a bigger return on every marketing dollar you spend?
A lot of brands view print and digital marketing channels as entirely separate entities. They do email marketing over here. Physical mail pieces get sent over there… And the connection ends there.
That’s a problem.
Running siloed campaigns means leaving money on the table. Brands that understand how to blend print + digital together are getting results their single-channel competitors can only dream about.
If you’re not running blended campaigns, you’re doing twice the work for half the results.
Good news: Blending print and digital isn’t hard. There are plenty of smart brands out there crushing it with integrated campaigns. You just need to know what they’re doing.
Here’s everything you need to know about combining print and digital marketing to get serious results.
What you’ll learn:
- Blended Campaigns Are Always Better Than Single Channel Strategies
- Why Modern Campaigns Need Marketing Mail Distribution
- 5x Ways To Connect Print & Digital For BIG Results
- How to Launch Your First Blended Campaign
Blended Campaigns Are Always Better Than Single Channel Strategies
Take a second to think about how consumers are experiencing marketing these days.
They open emails. Flip through Instagram. See what arrives in their mailbox.
Most people tend to tune out commercials, ignore pop-ups and delete email they don’t want. But here’s the thing…
If someone sees a single ad on TV, then a few days later gets a mail piece that references the same offer – something clicks.
Campaigns that feature both digital AND print elements give marketers multiple touchpoints to reach their audience. And multiple touchpoints = BIGGER RESULTS.
According to recent survey results, when marketers coordinated digital advertising with direct mail their conversion rates increased by 28%. Brand Recall jumped by 75%.
Print gets results that digital alone can’t match. Digital gets faster, more measurable results than direct mail alone.
Why Modern Campaigns Need Marketing Mail Distribution
You can design the coolest direct mail piece in the world… But if it doesn’t actually reach the correct mailboxes in a timely way, it’s not doing you any good.
Behind every successful print campaign is a stellar marketing mail distribution strategy.
That’s why most successful brands use a professional postage service to help get their printed materials into the hands of their target audience. Professional mail distributors ensure your print pieces are:
- Sent to the correct mailing address
- Sent in correct quantities
- Delivered ON TIME
Notice a theme here? Print distribution is all about precision.
And when you throw digital into the mix, precision is even MORE important. Today’s best-in-class campaigns use targeted mailing lists, personalised print messaging and ultra-specific delivery windows to make sure their print pieces are synced up with digital advertising pushes.
When you get that alignment right, you’ll start seeing drastically higher response rates and lower levels of wasted mailers. Win-win.
5x Ways To Connect Print & Digital For BIG Results
Alright! You know WHY blending your channels is important. Now let’s talk specifics.
Below are five strategies that high performing brands are using today to connect their print and digital marketing efforts. Learn each one, pick a couple you like, then start seeing results.
Use QR Codes to Drive Digital Engagement
A quick QR code on your direct mail piece is all it takes to connect with prospects online.
Maybe direct mail gets physical prospects in the door. Dropping a QR code that links to a video demo, online retailer or digital coupon is like putting the finished house on top of the foundation.
It completes the customer journey. And there’s a reason why every smart brand has QR codes in their arsenal.
Personalised URLs, Or PURLs
PURLs take QR codes to the next level. By personalizing the URL printed on each mail piece you can track who is responding to your direct mail campaigns and tailor the online experience to match.
Not only does this tactic allow you to track the ROI of every single mailer – but you can also personalise what your customers see once they arrive online.
Retarget After Mail Delivery
Many top marketers are syncing their direct mail customer lists with digital ad platforms. Once a mail piece has been delivered to a prospect’s home, that SAME person will see related ads online.
Platforms like Facebook and Google allow you to target customers that recently received mail via postal tracking integrations. Which means you can retarget consumers after they receive physical mail pieces in their mailbox.
Combine Email With Direct Mail Sequences
Email and direct mail combo packages are another awesome way to blend your channels.
Print pieces don’t have to land in mailboxes by themselves. Many brands have seen large lifts in response rates by pairing direct mail campaigns with email sequences.
Research from the ANA showed combining print and digital lifted average response rates by 20-30%.
Think about that.
Send a single email. Boom. Direct mail piece shows up in mailbox. Another email follows it up.
You’re getting multiple touchpoints WITHOUT doubling your advertising budget.
Use Social Media Integration To Go Viral
Including your social media handles on your print pieces is a great way to drive digital engagement.
Getting really creative? Design your direct mail piece WITH the idea of sharing it on social media. Hangup boards, funny quotes, eye catching designs.
When your print collateral is worthy of a social post – you just earned some FREE DIGITAL REACH.
Now that’s a win-win.
How to Launch Your First Blended Campaign
Ready to give blended campaigns a shot?
Here’s a quick process you can use to get started:
- Choose ONE print channel and ONE digital channel. To keep things simple, the best starting point is direct mail and email.
- Make sure BOTH the print piece and digital campaign are selling the same message. Consistent copy + branding is crucial.
- Include a way to track response rates. QR Codes, personalised URLs, discount codes – whatever you choose just make sure you can link offline response to online behaviour.
- Timing is everything. Make sure your mail pieces are being delivered around the same time your digital ads / emails are going live.
- Connect with your audience on multiple platforms. Send that specific lead a targeted email after your direct mail piece lands in their mailbox.
Start with ONE campaign that blends print + digital. Test different ideas. Learn what works. And then scale it.
That’s exactly how smart brands are seeing massive ROI from their advertising budgets. Want in?
