Direct Mail Marketing, QR Codes, and You!

As Direct Marketers, we devote oceans of ink, megawatts of electricity, and countless hours of creativity to generate responses.

The advent of “Quick Response Codes,” or QR Codes, is music to our ears. The speed by which responses can be generated from the funky 2-dimensional bar codes you now see in so many places, exceeds that of any other known response mechanism. By simply taking a photo of these 2-dimensional bar code pictures using a smart-phone, users are invited to link directly to a website, to receive a text, or to learn more information about a product or service.

With the proliferation of Smart Phones and snazzy apps, the QR Code is destined to become the pre-personalized BRC of the future. Mailers should quickly get on-board with this new technology. A recent study by ScanLife indicated that mobile bar code use is up by over 700%! The growing presence of smart phones is one of the reasons that QR Code use is taking off, and by 2013 it is estimated that one-fourth of all phones sold in the United States will be smart phones.

How are these QR Codes best suited for direct mail marketing? Inviting the user to join your mailing list, view your website, or link to a specific landing page or social media site are some of the easiest ways to swiftly integrate this new technology into your existing marketing mix. Links to contests, coupons, product reviews, or YouTube videos are all possible with this easy to use technology.

It’s important to remember that however the QR Code is used, its purpose should be a “call to action.” Keep in mind that the QR Code is normally viewed on a mobile device with a small screen, so the destination should be specific, simple, and discernible on a small screen. The prospective customer should get to destination quickly, navigate easily, and complete the action smoothly. The metrics available to track and report on QR Code responses will excite even the most seasoned direct mail marketer.

What uses does your company have for the implementation of QR Codes? How might you like to use them in your marketing campaigns? Give us a call at GT Marketing, Ltd to brainstorm about how QR Codes might apply to your marketing plan, or scan the QR Code above and let your phone initiate the connection.

Lure Customers With Repeat Mailings

This blog has previously discussed how a persuasive offer is essential when making any sales pitch. But in these challenging economic times, higher printing and postage costs ‘shouldn't stop you from mailing aggressively if you've got a well-targeted list and a compelling offer,’ writes Ivan Levinson in his recent article in Direct Marketing IQ.

But how often is too often to mail? And when do you stop?

Levinson says that mailing once and hoping for a response won’t get the job done. For repeated mailings, he makes four suggestions:

1. Send the original mailing to the same targeted list.
2. Send a different letter to clients and prospects which do not respond.
3. Limit the time that your offer will be available.
4. When you have given up on receiving a reply, send them a postcard describing that this is their final opportunity to respond to take advantage of the offer.

A recent case study of an offer sent to existing and prospective customers, by a printer in Kitchener, Ontario, revealed that “out 275 personalized postcard invitations [they] received 43 responses through the landing page, a 15.6 percent response rate.” The owner of the firm believed that “the campaign yielded an excellent return on investment.” The company used variable data printing in an integrated direct marketing plan. Certainly repeated mailings are in the works.

So when do you stop mailing? Well, that question reminds me of a feature in a catalog tracking software that I sold years ago. The question there was how much area on the page should be devoted to featuring a given product. The answer invariably was: increase the area of a good selling product until it stops making money. In that way the answer is the same as with a mailing, and in line with Mr. Levin’s conclusion: “Keep on mailing until you stop making money.”

Read more from Mr. Levinson’s article here.