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Mixing and matching Email with Direct Mail is a Recipe for Success!

By Keith Klamer


Not long ago, marketers used to argue constantly over the strengths and weaknesses of email and traditional direct mail. Now, a truce has been declared: both media are powerful when couple with each other in a single campaign. The ability to apply these tools is now wide-spread, but not as frequently employed as they should. You should keep in mind these five elements that form the backbone of your campaign: Brand, timing, lists, Calls-To-Action and assessment.

1. Branding

Your brand should always be the focal point of your efforts. Branded email should contain the identical slogans, logos and other identifying symbols used in the printed materials, and both channels should reference each other. For example the email subject line should repeat the envelope headline, or a highly visible headline in the postal piece. Keep the subject line extremely succinct-- perhaps 30 to 40 characters -- and make the message benefit-centric. The "from" line should precisely match the name used on the printed piece. Email and snail mail have different strong suits but the message should be identical in both. Design custom landing pages that are identical to your print mailing. Prominently display the url in every printed piece and link to it from your email.

2. Timing and Frequency

Much has been written on when to send e-mails -- the day of the week and the hour of the day. While the data remains inconclusive on this subject, it is unambiguous when it comes to the timing of a snychronized email/direct mail campaign: the first e-mail should hit a week after the printed mailing piece arrives (plus or minus a day or two). The postal piece goes first because it has a longer shelf life; it tends to hang around longer than email, which either gets read, deleted or buried in a day or two at most.

3. The List

The job of compiling a mail list for these kinds of coordinated campaigns is obviously twice as hard as other DM campaigns because you need a list with both kinds of addresses. Remember: always add the recipients name to the "Dear" line. This signals some kind of pre-existing relationship with the recipient. Avoid using too many graphics and pictures. And keep the size of your entire email under 60kb.

4. CTA

Your calls-to-action should be very visible; in email, use text in addition to image-based links to guarantee they can be viewed even if images can't be displayed. Your CTA should be in the top half of your email so it can be viewed in most preview panes.

5. Assessment

Many industry-types judge success by looking at results from each channel individually but that's a mistake. The total results are all that counts and are the only yardstick of success. For example, a customer may respond to an email because it's easier but he was actually closed by the DM piece. Or he may actually phone in his order after reading both the email and direct mail.

Both media must work in coordination for an effective campaign and results should be assessed that way too.




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