Direct marketing is constantly evolving. And, as technology advances and audiences grow savvier, the direct marketing and direct mail strategies of the past may not work as well.

The question is, are you prepared to make the necessary adjustments for successful direct marketing in 2011?

DATA SEGMENTATION

Direct mail is now extremely targeted and sometimes complex. The days of “spray and pray” campaigns are long gone. Today more than ever, it’s extremely important to know and understand your audience. Your audience consists of real people, and the more you treat them as such the more success you will achieve. In 2011, mailing list segmentation will be more important than ever.

MULTI-CHANNEL MARKETING

In addition to knowing your audience, knowing how they prefer to receive their information will be vital to any new direct marketing initiative. Strategically utilizing multiple marketing channels, delivering your message the way each client wishes to receive it, exponentially increases your chance of return.

Incorporating social media, email, personalized URLs (PURL) and QR Codes into your direct marketing efforts gives your audience multiple choices to consume your message; plus it’s extremely measurable.

MARKETING SOLUTIONS PROVIDERS

Selecting the right marketing service provider is also essential to the success of your direct marketing campaigns. Many direct mail providers specialize in only one or two areas of expertise. We strongly urge anyone ready to embark down the path of direct marketing, to seriously analyze their marketing partners and their range of capabilities.

Working with a direct marketing provider that can assist your team with strategy, design support, acquisition lists, commercial print production, variable data and personalization, intelligent mail bar codes, fulfillment and reporting is essential. By relying on the expertise of a total marketing solutions partner, you can spend more time focusing on your company’s big picture marketing goals.

Are you ready to step up the challenge of direct marketing in 2011? If you have any questions about the direct mail tools and tips outlined in this article, give one of our direct marketing experts a call and they can assist you with getting your campaign off the ground.

—

If you found this article helpful please click the Facebook ‘like’ button. You may also consider joining our Facebook community for more information about commercial printing, direct marketing, web-to-print and marketing supply chain management.

[About us: Prisma Graphic is a full-service, marketing solutions provider with an emphasis in commercial printing that specializes in online marketing supply chain management. Utilizing cutting-edge technology and a commitment to customer service, we partner with clients to develop cost-effective programs that execute integrated brand campaigns and highly-targeted business communications. Our ongoing evolution is to deliver sales opportunities at the lowest possible cost.]