As consumers receive a wave of re-opt-in emails—marketers are facing massive declines in email marketing results. A recent study shows that email response rates plummeted by over 55%.
On May 25th the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect—changing the methodology and marketing approach of many marketers not only in the European Union but across the world. GDPR is designed to enable individuals to better control their personal data. Data controllers and processors must comply with a defined set of responsibilities and duties regarding data acquisition and protection.
Direct Mail Reaches up to 100% of Addressees
However, the implementation of the GDPR paves the way to a more flexible use of some other marketing methods like direct mail. In these times of fake email addresses and over-crowded email inboxes, printed direct mail still has close to 100% reach—making it a popular CRM tool. Marketers can use direct mail to complement their digital strategy in order to reach customers without the need of a GDPR compliant opt-in.
Supporting your customers to overcome their struggles with GDPR doesn’t mean you’ll have to convince them to give up the benefits of email marketing in their digital strategy!
In fact, your customers might be missing a very important feature of digital transformation as they search for marketing alternatives. Digital marketing is not only enabling companies to address online channels but can also help to target postal mailings using automation tools.
Let’s look at an example that demonstrates the benefits of printed communications for a digital based omnichannel approach.
Postal Mail is a Must in a Successful Omnichannel Marketing Approach
Today, it is easy to integrate direct mail into campaign planning tools or marketing clouds to use it in an omnichannel approach.
In so called trigger campaigns marketers can completely automate the dispatch of postal direct mail. A range of events can trigger the production of a personalized direct mail.
For example, let’s say a customer made their first purchase in your customer’s online shop. This can trigger a ‘thank you for your first purchase with us’ direct mail. Or the opposite is a chance to win lapsed customers back with a ‘we miss you’ direct mail together with a discount or voucher to be redeemed in the nearest branch or online.
“Given that it’s quick (items can be sent out within 24 hours), and makes customers feel valued, it’s no surprise that campaigns which integrate programmatic mail have a higher response rate than those that do not,” Gerhard Märtterer, Eversfrank, notes.
In conclusion, offering your clients a combination of digital and print means better results for your clients – and new opportunities for your business.
