For years, marketers relied heavily on Facebook and Google to do the heavy lifting across the digital sales funnel. (The two platforms account for 73% of all digital advertising.) Digital marketing drives proven results as a standalone initiative. However, direct mail integration creates a synergistic whole far greater than the sum of its parts.

The problem: digital is loud—and it’s starting to become background noise. By contrast, the postal mailbox is becoming quieter and less crowded. Ample space creates a hidden gem for modern brands to stand out, get noticed, and connect with consumers.

Although pushed aside by marketers as expensive and inaccurate, direct mail generates highly targeted and cost-effective leads. The medium moves the needle even further when integrated into a broader digital marketing campaign.

Working together, direct mail and digital enhance outreach, drive better results, and lower costs for conversions. Tracking metrics in real time also means brands can test when to hit the gas or ride the brake, which can boost performance across the board.

As modern brands stretch boundaries and scale budgets to stand out in a growing sea of marketers budgeting for digital campaigns, the calmer waters of direct mail invite a more targeted, personalized, and impactful place to stay afloat. Direct mail can take a larger portion of the sales funnel load away from the more popular digital channels. However, there is still plenty of room in the water for digital to swim right alongside.

Direct mail and digital marketing together.

Working together, direct mail and digital marketing yield higher response rates than direct mail alone. Brands can expect more qualified leads, more targeted traffic, greater exposure, and more opportunities to optimize and launch data-driven campaigns down the road.

Direct mail can also balance potential failed attempts at reaching consumers in the digital space. Smart campaign integration empowers brands to move budgets around as different channels become more or less important. Brands can use the same demographic and behavioral data mined from digital campaigns to refine the focus of a direct mail campaign.

Campaigns integrating at least three channels can drive a 90% higher customer retention rate with 250% higher engagements, according to studies. Integrating direct mail as a core channel gives brands one of the most effective, reliable, and personal ways to connect with consumers.

Making the most of direct and digital marketing.

Explosive growth ignites when direct mail drives the digital experience. When offline consumers enter the digital ecosystem, brands can run analytics to figure out exactly who to target. (Food for thought: digital analytics can save brands 15 to 30% on their marketing budgets.) Making the most of direct and digital demands a blend of smart technology, experienced insight, and creative strategy.

Use a central data source.

One central data source gives brands the real time info to trigger on-demand, data-driven direct mail drops, rather than follow a weekly schedule. Hard data paints the picture of the most fruitful (and fruitless) direct and digital marketing channels for brands to tackle.

Get a direct mail partner.

Mailing every day is a lot of work, especially with precise targeting data for spend optimization. Every brand can benefit from a nimble direct mail source able to move fast to implement campaigns. At Didit DM—a leading direct mail and digital marketing agency in New York and Long Island—we catapult brands every day through smart, strategic direct mail integration.

Personalize the experience.

It’s a fact: modern customers and leads demand and expect a personalized experience. Getting personal means using a central data source to speak consumer lingo and talk to customers like individuals. With data for direct mail now rivaling the potential of digital marketing, the future of sending highly targeted messages in the mail is now.

Integrate PURLs.

Succeeding with direct mail in a digital world means pushing a hybrid model. Modern brands can use PURLs to measure direct mail response and create custom audiences for Facebook and Google retargeting. The lower cost per acquisition for integrating direct mail and PURLs can cut digital budgets in half.

Retarget on Facebook, Google, etc.

Marketers close 80% of sales between the 8th and 12th contact. Digital ads retargeted by direct mail response embed repeat messages into the minds of consumers, reinforcing offers delivered by mail.

Brands can match a direct mail data file to Facebook, Google, or an IP address to target specific people across every stage of the marketing funnel from awareness and education to evaluation and purchase.

More than keep your brand top of mind and drive users back to your website, retargeting empowers you to monitor progress with real-time click rates.

Send a before-and-after email.

Most marketers trust the least expensive digital marketing vehicle—email. However, few marketers integrate the physical and digital inbox. Email can build curiosity before a mail drop or remind prospects to respond after a drop. Email is also one of the simplest and most cost-effective platforms to make an additional special offer following a direct mail campaign.

Hyper-personalize direct mail.

Emerging technologies empower brands to drop hyper-personalized mail pieces through IP appends and data merges. Personalized outreach is proven to capture attention and motivate prospects to act.

Boost response with Informed Delivery.

USPS Informed Delivery empowers real online and offline integration. Snail mail delivered to a mobile device or computer motivates consumers to click on an offer before it arrives in the mail. Brands can integrate digital campaign elements to enhance and extend the mail moment.

Direct. Digital. Done.

Didit DM is one of the leading direct mail and digital marketing companies in NYC, Long Island, and beyond. Our 360-degree approach to traditional and digital marketing connects modern brands with just the right blend of channels from direct mail and printing to branding, advertising, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and more. Contact us to discuss how we can work together.