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Print Mail and Email: A Cross-Channel Match Made in Heaven!

by Keith Klamer

So which medium is more productive at motivating customers to do something? A printed direct mail piece or email?

You may as well ask, which variety of wine is better: Syrah or Riesling?

The answer, needless to say, is "it depends." When it comes to print vs. email , both have pros and cons in certain circumstances.

But unlike the wine example, where you ordinarily wouldn't have both at the same meal, the print/email comparison is often a distraction from the real insight, namely, to use both of them in the same campaign!

That's correct -- research has shown that campaigns which use both tactics do better than campaigns which use just one. In other words, direct mail and email strengthen one another.

Although 90% of customers prefer one form of communication over the other, using both does not seem to put them off. In fact, they are 50% more likely to respond to their preferred medium when it is combined with the other one! This statistic rises to 62% when digital campaigns are matched with direct mail.

Here are just a few of their comparative advantages:

* Printed mail pieces provide more information while email delivers easily digestible pitches;

* Email is typically clicked on immediately, while direct mail may hang around on kitchen counters and coffee tables;

* Printed mail can bring in responses for weeks while email responses ramp up quickly, then drop just as quickly

Although all of the foregoing speaks to the effectiveness of a cross-channel email/snail mail marketing campaign, there are several points to bear in mind. For example, don't simply use the exact same message in both media. Use the comparative strengths of each to create a thorough, efficient campaign.

You might direct-mail a long letter to your target market, then email the same group a reminder about it. Or, alternatively, you might email your audience and tell them an a special package is on its way so they can keep an eye open for it.

Indeed, it might even be a savvy move to send out an email blast, wait for the response, then ONLY mail to those prospects, as opposed to your entire target. Not only will you boost your response rate, you'll save advertising and marketing dollars by not mailing to your entire list.

If you do plan on using both media, it's important for each medium to talk about the other. For example, if you snail-mail a piece to a prospect who has responded to an earlier email, be sure to remind them of this so they'll recall they had asked for the mailing. (Even though, as marketers, we know that no marketing communications piece ever goes out to anyone who hasn't signaled their interest in some way)

Mention their earlier response to your email to super-charge your reponse rate through the well-known phenomenon of "brand-bonding by self-selection."

One final warning: try to ascertain your customer's preference for either email or print, then send them more of it, and less of the one they don't like. In fact, it might be smart to come right out and ask them which medium they would like NOT to receive, then accommodate their preference if they do so. While cross-channel marketing is a very powerful tool, it should never come at the price of angering your audience members who are completely annoyed by either of these two media.



Learn more about <a href='http://www.example.com'>direct mail</a>. Stop by the website for Commercial Letter, and <a href='http://www.commercial-letter.com/comlet/559-2/'>click here</a> to get more information about coordinated direct mail/email campaigns.

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New Unique Article!

Title: Print Mail and Email: A Cross-Channel Match Made in Heaven!
Author: Keith Klamer
Email: keith@net-ahead.com
Keywords: direct mail, email, marketing campaigns, business
Word Count: 561
Category: Marketing
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