eCommerce customers, who have purchased a product or service, provide a wealth of value in addition to sales revenue. They have often responded to a specific promotion or product search. This can tell us which promotions are working and which keywords are the most valuable. They have also validated the value proposition for the product or service just by placing their order.

They may have signed up for a newsletter or other periodic communication from the company or strategic partners. This allows the company to stay connected, continue building rapport, and to market important new offerings. The customer contact information, and related demographic details captured with the order, can help understand target verticals and high-value clusters for future campaigns/promotions. Existing customers can also help build social media communities and provide referrals digitally by sharing and engaging with the brand’s digital content.

It is often assumed that customers who arrived at a website through a Google search or an email newsletter are 100% digital. However, even these customers have a physical presence. Reaching out pro-actively with a physical direct mail campaign (written message) is a powerful way to re-enforce that relationship and provide an avenue to upsell new offerings in the future.

Collating the Contacts

The first step is to create a list of eCommerce contacts that can be used for mail outreach. This requires that each record has a physical mailing address. If the product was physically shipped to the customer, then we should already have this information. If we used digital fulfillment, then more work might be required to gather this information. The best practice is always to capture a physical address and phone number with each order even if fulfillment will digital.

The list can be segmented based on specific verticals, interests, or customer needs. This will depend on the product or service being offered. This will allow us to send more personalized content to this audience – personalization often increases engagement and response rates.

This type of segmentation can also help us anticipate future needs. A family expecting a child might purchase a crib in preparation for their new arrival. Six months later, that family might need a highchair. In another six months, they might need a walker. Understanding this dynamic, and the stage of the customer, will allow us to map timely offers to their needs as they emerge.

The exported and segmented lists should be imported into a direct mail system. This will make sure that they are ready to be used with specific campaigns. Automated direct mail tools, such as Zairmail (www.zairmail.com), allow segmented lists, and related campaigns, to be uploaded and stored. Zairmail also maintains a complete record the campaigns sent to each list.

Choosing the Type of Mail

A very effective follow-up mail format for eCommerce customers is postcards. Postcards are cost-effective, high-impact, and allow striking images and messages to do all the hard work. They are also low effort on the part of the recipient – the message can be clearly shared with just a quick view and/or read. Zairmail offers postcards in standard, jumbo, or sumo size. Thanks to recent postal rule (rate) changes a jumbo postcard just costs slightly more than a standard postcard. The extra space can be well worth the small extra investment. There are also options to send postcards in envelopes which can be effective during holidays.

We recommend reading ‘How to Pack More Punch with Postcards’ to get the most out of a postcard campaign. Here we’ve highlighted the importance of keeping branding consistent and how to choose a message. The team at Zairmail is always on hand to assist with messaging, design, and lists for clients who would like more guidance.

Link it Back to Digital

Online customers appreciate the right blend of online and offline contact. Direct mail contact should still clearly refer back to the website and social properties. A QR code can help make this even easier by allowing customer to scan a link on their phone and visit online properties.

A brand-specific hashtag can sometimes help with online community engagement. There might be a number of events/activities of interest in an online community – like an upcoming competition or giveaway on Instagram. Remember to post any company changes, or significant achievements, that build credibility for the company and value for the eCommerce customer.

Keep in mint that not all follow-up mail campaigns need to revolve around a specific upsell or promotion. Often, we can use mail just to re-enforce our relationship. Chewy, the online pet medication company, sends physical holiday cards and birthday cards to the pets it serves (addressed to the owners). This re-enforces the brand, builds a sense of caring (reciprocity), and makes people smile. It is hard to put a value, or calculate an RoI, on the type of goodwill generated by campaigns such as these. Ultimately, it boils down to building a more personal (human) connection, with online customers, to build brand value and a sense of authenticity.

Zairmail (www.zairmail.com) is the fastest and easiest way to send (real) postal mail. Give us a call anytime at 888.898.0066, we would be happy to help with your direct mail needs.

We live in an increasingly digital world. It seems only fair to ask, in a world bursting at the seams with digital content, do consumers still prefer to receive physical mail?

Research confirms that 81% of consumers prefer to receive mail at their home address. Consumers are bombarded with digital messaging 24 x 7 – email, banners, video, social media… – these days the ads can even follow consumers around and stalk them as they browse. Consumers still feel the pressure offline too – digital billboards, contextual video, electronic displays, water closet media – some airports even hold consumers captive in shelters, and broadcast ad content, while they are waiting for the bus in long-term parking.

The only escape for consumers is to block it out – ALL of it.

Direct mail allows the consumer to be in control. They can choose when they engage. The USPS often refers to the “mail moment”; the slice of happy time when consumers check the mailbox and see what surprises have arrived. The consumer can choose which pieces are opened, which receive immediate attention, and which ones are set aside for later. A direct mail piece can be touched/read 4.5 times after arrival. This level of control makes the mail less threatening and more comfortable for consumers.

Unlike digital media, direct mail is tactile/tangible and has the potential to build a physical connection with the consumer. It can also be personalized to build a tighter bond between the brand and the consumer. Seventy percent (70%) of consumers say mail makes them feel more valued. When customers feel more important, they are far more likely to engage with a brand, spread the message to others, and generate organic brand awareness – both online and offline.

A well-targeted and executed direct mail campaign can have an impact far beyond the immediate responses that are received. The clue is in the word… it’s “direct”. It does not have to be a generic ad that is indiscriminately shared with millions. It can be far more targeted, intimate, and special then that.

How can businesses benefit from this preference to break-through the digital noise?

There are several different types of direct mail formats that can be used. Selecting the right format for the audience, the objective, and the offer is an important first step.

Postcards can be an effective tool for simple messages that are easy to explain. Using an image and creative layout that “pops” can help break through the clutter and provide an immediate impression – like a targeted billboard in the mail. If the image/offer is memorable enough it can earn a spot on the fridge – which is the ultimate goal (and compliment)!

Traditional postcards may not be ideal if personal information must be included. Anything printed on a postcard is exposed to the world. The space is also limited, which limits the ability to explain complex topics/offers. The most popular postcard sizes are the standard postcard (4” x 6”), the jumbo postcard (6” x 9”), or the sumo postcard (5.5 x 11 or 8.5 x 11).

The standard postcard has long enjoyed a discount postage rate. The current price for postcard postage is $.40/piece, compared to $.58/piece for First-Class letter mail. The most recent postage increase (there were two in 2021), extended the discount postage for standard postcards to jumbo postcards. This means that a jumbo postcard can now be mailed for just slightly more than the cost of a standard postcard.

Postcards can also be inserted into an envelope and addressed for special occasions or during the holiday season. This technique can deliver holiday cheer to friends, family, and customers, for a tiny fraction of the cost of traditional greeting cards. The tactile/tangible nature of the card also makes it far more impactful than a digital greeting card.

When personal information is involved, or the offer is more complex, then a more traditional letter can be the best choice. The first challenge with letter mail is to get it opened. The best technique to get “an open” really depends on the audience.

Some mailers strive to make letters look more personal using a closed-face envelope with no windows, handwriting fonts, and/or a live postage stamp instead of an indicia. A postal indicia is a permit that can take the place of a stamp on pre-sorted mail. Pre-sorted mail is eligible for discounted postage rates. That means that even though using a “live” stamp can appear more personal, it does come at a cost – the mailer loses pre-sort discounts and has to incur the cost of placing a stamp on each letter.

A different approach is to make the letter look like a bill, so the recipient might be concerned about not opening it. With this type of mail, it is common to use a double window envelope, professional fonts, and a postal indicia. We can also add a teaser message to the outside (e.g., final notice, do not ignore, only to be opened by addressee, …) that makes the mail piece feel more official, urgent, or essential.

These techniques really represent opposite ends of a continuum. There are many different variations and techniques in between we can use to improve open rates. Of course, once the letter is opened, we still need a response to be successful.

A pressure-sealed mailer, often called a “snap-pack”, can also shield personal information just like a letter. Consumers often experience snap-packs when they receive a new PIN from their bank or a rebate from a consumer products company. The recipient tears off the edges before folding the mail piece open. Snap-packs are not as common, so they attract attention right away. They also have the feel of official communication, so consumers can be nervous about ignoring them – what if there is a PIN, rebate, or award inside?

The ultimate response rate of direct mail campaigns is also a function of the audience that we are addressing and how compelling an offer that we make. Coming up with a winning formula really requires testing and fine-tuning over time.

Based on the potential for direct mail, should digital really take a back seat?

Direct mail is one form of direct response marketing that uses physical mail. Direct response techniques can be used with multiple mediums (e.g., mail, email, television, radio…). These can all be effective promotional tools and do not have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, digital campaigns that include direct mail are 13% more likely to engage customers. Digital techniques should be used in combination with mail to boost returns. The question is not, “what is the right format/technique?”; the question should be, “what is the right mix of tools?”

In the digital age, automation can be a critical aspect of marketing campaigns. It allows us to plan in advance, map out the customer’s journey, and do more with less. The good news is that direct mail can be automated just like digital tools.

Automating mail campaigns creates a number of opportunities:

Campaigns are submitted faster with fewer errors

Campaigns are produced/mailed in a fraction of the time

Mail delivery is tracked automatically and integrated with response data

A complete (digital) history of campaigns, lists, and results is maintained

Response rates and sales results can be tracked in real-time

Small volume jobs (short runs) are no longer a challenge. This allows us to test additional concepts, more frequently, using smaller campaigns, to find winning formulas (efficiency).

Customers can respond online, offline, or in person – whatever is most comfortable. QR codes or URL’s/PIN’s can be used to link direct mail campaigns to online destinations.

The customer journey can be scripted with a pre-conceived and automated series of campaigns and touches. Sales programs become a well thought out “process” rather than a fortunate “event”.

The digital revolution has introduced new tools with new capabilities. Direct mail has a number of qualities that digital tools do not. The two can/should be combined to create campaigns that are more targeted, more effective, more measurable, and more predictable. Zairmail provides online tools that automate direct mail campaigns.

Zairmail is the fastest, easiest, and most cost-effective way to send mail.

Zairmail (www.zairmail.com) is the fastest and easiest way to send (real) postal mail. Give us a call anytime at 888.898.0066, we would be happy to help with your direct mail needs.