:: TECHNOLOGY DRIVES DIRECT MARKETING
It’s a very exciting time to be a direct marketer – technology is giving marketers more options then ever to not only reach our customers, but to do so in ways that are truly relevant to them. Speaking to them about what they want, when they want and where they want.

Banner ads are served based on internet activity, consumers can customize RSS feeds and mobile marketing has hit the main stream. But direct mail has been, and continues to be, a core tenant of a direct marketer’s arsenal. Analysts and recent survey’s suggest that even with all the opportunities new technology offers, 2007 will be a banner year for direct mail. Bruce Biegel, senior managing director at the direct marketing consulting firm Winterberry Group, predicts that direct mail spending will see a 7.5% increase this year. And based on a recent survey reported in DM News, 51% of respondents plan to boost their offline activities with 50% spending more on direct mail.

So what does this mean for 2007 marketing programs? The question is no longer “Should I be using direct mail?” it’s “How can I use direct mail more effectively? How can I create a multi-channel marketing program that will increase my results and ROI?”

Not everyone responds to marketing messages through the same medium the same way and technology won’t change that. Using one channel to drive action to another not only increases brand awareness and mind share, but also increases response rates. Preceding an email with a letter, and then with a follow-up post-card will improve your results dramatically. And while the technology wave is creating new opportunities it’s enhancing solid mainstays. Variable data printing technology has dramatically affected direct mail capabilities. Marketers now have the ability to use dynamic content offers and copy based on customer information and send trigger-based mail on a daily basis.

There’s no denying that new technology is and will continue to change the face of marketing and how we interact with customers. The same technology wave that is creating new touch points is taking direct mail to new heights allowing for levels of personalized communication like we’ve never seen before. Leveraging these capabilities as part of a multichannel marketing program that also utilizes new technology can only enhance results.

Andy Frawley
Click Tactics, CEO

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