boost roi with intent data and personalized multichannel marketing campaigns

The coronavirus pandemic is leading businesses of all sizes to significantly reduce their marketing expenditures. According to Forrester’s projections, even in their most favorable outlook, U.S. marketing spending is expected to decrease by 28% by the close of 2021. Notably, even Google is reducing its marketing budget by 50%. As marketing professionals navigate these changes, Forrester anticipates growth in marketing automation platforms, despite a general reduction in overall marketing technology investment.

While automation platforms enable marketers to broaden the reach of their communications, this expansion shouldn’t replace the personal touch that people naturally desire. The current pandemic has made it increasingly difficult to gain attention, and even more challenging to forge genuine connections. Simply increasing the volume of mass email communications from your marketing automation system will likely not result in the meaningful engagement with potential customers you seek. Therefore, what is the best course of action for marketers? Direct mail consistently secures the full attention of your target audience. It offers a tangible, sensory experience for both prospects and existing customers, which aids in building an emotional bond.

Successful marketers are now strategically combining the power of automation and digital data with the more personal approach of direct mail. We refer to this approach as tactile marketing automation (TMA).

TMA represents the seamless integration of direct mail or customized promotional items with a marketing automation platform. With TMA, marketers can incorporate direct mail initiatives directly into their existing digital campaigns, eliminating the need to manage them separately. Direct mail experiences become a fully integrated component of the established customer journey.

TMA leverages intent data to refine content, messaging, and the timing of direct mail interactions, maximizing both relevance and scalability. Campaigns that incorporate direct mail demonstrate an 18% higher return on investment compared to those that do not. Furthermore, 84% of marketers report that direct mail enhances the effectiveness of their multichannel campaigns.

Continue reading to discover how you can integrate digital communications and direct mail to create impactful experiences that foster meaningful connections.

Incorporate intent data

Providing a truly exceptional experience requires genuine personalization. It’s common for marketers to implement marketing software and label it as personalization, but frequently this simply amounts to faster, broader distribution of content. Simply altering a name within a message doesn’t constitute true personalization. Authentic personalization is essential and critical for achieving meaningful outcomes. Today’s customers anticipate a higher level of relevance, and the most effective approach to delivering this within your marketing strategy is through the utilization of intent data and campaigns activated by specific triggers.

Intent data refers to “the collection of behavioral indicators that provide insight into a prospect’s readiness to buy a product or service.” Essentially, the online activity of your potential customers provides valuable business intelligence.

Intent data has the potential to, and should, shape all of your marketing efforts toward prospects, including your direct mail initiatives. You can leverage tactile marketing automation to apply intent data to direct mail, thereby enhancing your brand’s influence and boosting audience participation.

Consider the B2C sector as an illustration. Retail marketers aim to tailor their approaches to individual consumers. For instance, if a prospective customer views a product on a retailer’s website, this action can initiate an automated direct mail piece based on their browsing activity. A customer who examines a backpack online but doesn’t complete the purchase could receive a direct mail item featuring a variety of backpacks and a 25% discount. Alternatively, if the customer does purchase the backpack, it could prompt the delivery of school-themed messaging promoting other potentially needed items, such as new footwear.

This represents genuine personalization, driven by specific recipient behaviors and featuring completely customized content.

Orchestrate personalized multichannel campaigns

Delivering direct mail that is both prompt and pertinent generates a noteworthy experience for potential customers. However, the possibilities shouldn’t end there.

Coordinating your marketing channels transforms a simple direct mail piece into a truly exceptional, integrated multichannel experience. The “2020 State of Multichannel Marketing Report” reveals that marketers report the highest levels of success when utilizing between four and six different channels. Employing your channels in a cohesive way to communicate a pertinent and impactful narrative enhances the effectiveness of each individual channel.

As an illustration, a FedEx notification regarding mail delivery can automatically initiate an email to the recipient and simultaneously notify a sales representative to initiate a phone call. This prompt follow-up leverages the attention initially captured by the direct mail and provides recipients with a convenient method for digital engagement.

It’s also possible to utilize the delivery notification to activate display and social media advertisements. Kenshoo data indicates that retargeting can improve ad engagement rates by as much as 400% – the typical click-through rate (CTR) for display ads is approximately 0.07%, while the average CTR for retargeted ads is around 0.7%.

This synchronized approach to channels and timing fosters a sense of exclusivity for your prospect, leading them to believe, “This organization demonstrated exceptional effort, and they are the type of team I would like to collaborate with.”

Paycor, a provider of HR software solutions, has successfully implemented this strategy for its prospective clients.

Tactile marketing automation in action

Paycor operates within a very competitive marketplace. Recognizing the need to differentiate themselves and establish meaningful connections with potential clients, they shifted their approach from broad-reach messaging to a more people-focused marketing strategy.

Paycor developed nurture streams centered around specific interests and topics to deliver content that resonates with prospects. When a prospect demonstrates interest in a particular subject on the Paycor website or within a general nurture sequence, an automated system directs them to the corresponding topic-specific nurture stream. Further engagement with an email within this focused stream then initiates the dispatch of a direct mail piece.

The mailed package contains a wine key, a customized note card, and a guide showcasing industry thought leadership. The specific guide included is determined by the nurture stream the prospect is enrolled in, ensuring consistent messaging and maximizing the potential for interaction. The personalized note requests a meeting and assures the prospect that a bottle of wine, complementing the wine key, will be sent after the meeting takes place.

Upon delivery of the package, the assigned sales representative receives an immediate notification, enabling a prompt follow-up call and email. Contacting the prospect while the package is readily available significantly boosts response rates to both email and phone outreach.

This initiative serves as a prime illustration of the core strengths of marketing automation: it’s enduring, utilizes multiple channels, and is tailored to the individual. Paycor can sustain this campaign for an extended period due to its adaptability to customer behavior in digital spaces, and it provides exceptional usability through automation processes.

Employing this approach, Paycor exceeded their initial target for scheduled meetings, achieving a 13% success rate compared to their projected 5% to 10%. Furthermore, they experienced a fivefold return on investment.

As demonstrated, marketers have a wide array of channels available for integration into their multichannel campaigns and overall strategy. However, those offering automation features should be prioritized, particularly in light of budget constraints and reduced marketing team sizes. To achieve success in a crowded market, both digital and physical interactions must be viewed and implemented through an automation framework.

Chief Marketing Officers and senior marketing leaders must leverage customer analytics and personalization capabilities, driven by intent data, to optimize campaigns and unlock the value of data-informed brand experiences and insights. This allows for the creation of genuinely individualized interactions and conversations.

Automation, combined with intent data, empowers brands to connect with leads, prospects, and customers on a more personal and intimate level. This represents a more effective strategy than mass communication – even when conducted through digital channels. To enhance ROI, prioritize investments in channels that respond to intent and triggers; failing to do so risks falling behind in today’s competitive landscape.