Ah, the holidays. Once again, they seem to have snuck up on us.
Weeks ago—and seemingly out of nowhere—radio stations across the country began playing holiday music 24/7.
Shopping malls are dressed to the nines in garland and holly.
Children are busy scratching out lists, hoping for that shiny new bike, that brand new doll house.
And marketers are no different.
At the top of their wish lists? Better integration of marketing technology: according to the Winterberry Group, 49.3% say that improved integration would advance their organization’s omni-channel efforts.i
That’s exactly why we launched PostaLink—to improve integration of cross-channel efforts and bridge the gap between online and offline marketing.
The concept is simple: for better results across the board, combine the forces of:
Mail Tracking: It’s not Santa Tracker, but the technology is pretty cool nonetheless. Using a logic-based programming system and mail tracking bar code (IMb), PostaLink follows mail through the postal stream and predicts exactly when it will arrive in mailboxes. Not only does this allow marketers to prepare for response, but it also enables perfectly timed trigger campaigns.
Online Ad Follow-up: According to Google, 96% of interested prospects leave a website without taking any sort of action—making a purchase, giving a donation, etc. And what happens after they leave? They don’t come back—out of sight, out of mind. But through the Google Display Network, ads matching the direct mail piece automatically follow prospects who leave without converting, keeping leads warm until they’re ready to buy.
Call Tracking: Direct mail has been generating phone calls since, well, the dawn of direct mail—but it hasn’t always gotten the credit. With call tracking, however, calls made to a campaign-specific number are automatically tracked and recorded, allowing marketers to properly attribute responses, as well as monitor for quality.
The best part? All of this leads to fewer lost leads, better tracking capabilities, and higher response rates—which means happier clients and happier holidays.
For more information on PostaLink, visit www.postalink.net or call our Strategic Marketing Services team at (603) 626-5800.
About the author: Melanie (Gray) Williams is Creative Supervisor/Copywriter at Polaris Direct, a nationally acclaimed high-volume direct marketing services company in Hooksett, NH.
i“From Theory to Practice: A Roadmap to ‘Omnichannel’ Activation.” [White paper]. November 2016.
