Direct mail marketing works when the right message is delivered to the right person at the right time. This sounds simple enough but, historically, there has been a certain level of guesswork involved.
Is your audience ready to take action now? How do you know? Why would they be more likely to act now rather than six months from now? If you’re sure now is the right time, how do you quickly execute your direct mail campaign so you don’t miss your opportunity?
Direct mail trigger campaigns, also called drip marketing, have two ingredients that remove guesswork and allow you to efficiently execute your campaigns at precisely the right time – data and automation.
What Is a Direct Mail Trigger Campaign?
Direct mail trigger campaigns use action-based data to trigger ongoing, personalized mailings. In other words, when a certain event occurs that’s relevant to an individual on your list, a mailing with custom content is automatically generated and sent to that individual.
Messaging, images, calls-to-action, and other content are prepared in advance so mailings can launch the production process almost instantly, while variable data printing makes it possible to personalize each piece based on the data you have for each individual.
Data is processed frequently to ensure that you grab your target audience’s attention when they’re most likely to make a purchase, donate, register, renew, enroll, or take some other action. A number of direct mail campaigns are triggered over months or years, creating a “drip” effect in which a brand regularly responds to the needs of its audience.
For example, a direct mail campaign could be triggered if:
- A purchase is made
- A cart is abandoned prior to purchase
- Customer service is contacted
- Mortgage rates change
- An insurance claim is filed
- A major storm hits
- A membership or subscription is about to renew or expire
- A regular appointment is due to be scheduled (doctor, oil change, HVAC service)
- A major life change occurs (move, new job, birth of a child, marriage, divorce)
- Inactivity (an individual hasn’t interacted with your brand for a certain period of time)
Ultimately, specific triggers depend on the industry, the target audience, and the data you have for each individual on your mailing list. Postcards, letters, packages, self-mailers and more are automatically printed and delivered each time a trigger occurs. This allows you to reach a customer or prospect within a specific window of opportunity, which is why response and engagement rates for direct mail trigger campaigns are so high.
If you want to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time, let us show you how direct mail trigger campaigns use data and automation to eliminate guesswork and maximize efficiency. Contact us to unleash the power of Digital Dog Direct.
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