The Digital Age—Multi-Channel Madness

Consider this scenario…

You’re watching TV one evening and a commercial for a flat screen monitor catches your attention. Two days later as you are looking up your local weather online, an ad for a flat screen monitor is displayed. You’re beginning to think you need this.  Later that day, you visit an online electronics superstore and begin comparing brands. It’s a big dollar item, so you decide you’d rather check it out in the store first. You get distracted; start doing chores; debate with yourself about spending the money.  Later in the week, a coupon arrives in the mail with a special discount on one of the top brands you were considering.  You put the coupon with your shopping list, and the next time out you proceed to the store and purchase your new monitor.

How does a marketer know which of these marketing touch-points closed the deal? 

Our job as marketers has never been more exciting or more daunting.  In an ideal world, an organization would understand the individual dynamics and profitability of each channel and the interrelationship among them.

In the real world, companies are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the proliferation of these channels and the optimization of their marketing programs across any one of them, let alone all of them.

But here’s a tip…

When analyzing results and ROI, direct mail continues, most often, to be the most reliable way to determine your % response and profitability from a campaign.  You can use your results from direct mail campaigns to help you rollout your most successful approaches in all the other channels.

The ability to measure email and online advertising results will catch up, and even surpass direct mail tracking and measuring capabilities, but we’re not there yet.  There are a number of reasons why direct mail is still the staple of any multi-channel marketing campaign:

• Even if the technology is there to get detailed segment tracking from email and online advertising, marketing managers and company CRM systems may not be up to speed yet.
• Direct mail still surpasses any media channel in its ability to pinpoint a targeted prospect list with the broadest market coverage possible.
• Direct mail does not raise the same level of privacy concerns that may offend prospective customers. 
• Direct mail has longevity.  An online ad is gone in an instant. An email message is dead in days.  But a mailing lingers and can have a surprisingly long shelf life.

So in the scenario above, while it’s not absolutely clear what triggered the final purchase, it is still hard to beat the effectiveness of a coupon sent in the mail.

Many companies are talking about multi-channel marketing, but very few are actually measuring analytically and continuously the effectiveness of the overall strategy so they can adapt both within and across the channels.

Competitive advantage in this new age of marketing will go to those companies that let the facts and measured results drive the marketing program.  Direct mail is still one of the best ways to gather that information, reach the optimal prospect pool, and develop more effective and profitable multi-channel campaigns.

The old adage “you can’t manage what you don’t measure” could not be a more perfect battle cry for marketers in this new multi-channel age. The lessons of the past become the beacon for the future.

The Acxiom Team Helps You Grow Your Business

At Acxiom, we help companies increase their market share and create enduring customer loyalty.  Whether your order is $20 or $25,000 we will help you create the best marketing plan to generate new leads and grow your business.

Our knowledge of the direct marketing industry and the unparalleled quality of Acxiom data is the combination that leads to your success.  Our dedicated account team will work with you to make your job easier.   We know you’re busy enough doing your job.  Rely on us to do ours, and see the results.

Call us for a free consultation 866-977-6018
8:00 – 6:00 ET Monday through Friday

Email us any time with your questions:
IBLExpress@acxiom.com

To order Acxiom mailing lists online, go to:
www.mymailingleads.com

Return to Index