By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc.
Here’s a newer marketing buzzword we recently learned and like: “Tradigital Marketing.” It means blending the digital marketing practices of today with more traditional forms of the marketing business as part of your overall strategy.
The coiner of the term, if we may call him so, is David Villa, CEO of IPD, a Tampa, Florida-based marketing agency. Villa, also a best-selling author and trainer, tossed out the term in a recent post for the Forbes Business Council — and he referred specifically to direct mail as a traditional form of marketing you may want to try as a blend in this “tradigital marketing.”
Marketers should “consider today’s consumer, who likely only gets a few pieces of mail in their mailbox each week, but receives thousands of emails a month,” Villa said in his post.
“The balance has shifted for these consumers, who are not overly saturated with direct mail, but are highly overwhelmed by emails and social media ads. The stats show a growing interest in direct mail among consumers: In 2022 alone, direct mail showed an ROI of 43%.”
What Makes Direct Mail So Attractive?
We’ve noted the benefits of direct mail in this space before. Consult with a marketing strategist and you’ll learn that direct mail’s benefits include:
- Reduced cost: Cost of direct mail can vary, of course, and depends on the item your business is sending. However, when you collaborate with the U.S. Postal Service and send your direct mail in bulk, the postage does cost less than individual mail.
- Gen Z shows some love: USPS has found in polling of its own that 72% of Gen Z respondents — or those born from 1997 to 2012 — said they’re “excited to discover what the mail brings every day” and 38% of them had visited an organization’s website after receiving a relevant piece of direct mail.
- Better response rates than email: A survey from Lob’s 2022 State of Direct Mail Consumer Insights report found that 44% of respondents listed direct mail as their top channel for “unknown brands.”
- Greater visibility: When people visit their mailbox by car or foot every day, finding direct mail can be better than finding nothing at all. Experts say that direct mail from a crafty creative services team — say, a glossy postcard with QR code that leads to your website and a hot deal — can reap better response rates than online efforts when you try this form of print marketing.
- High-level targeting: When you include geo-demographic insights and audience segmentation, it helps you produce a direct-mail campaign that allows you to target specific demographics and personalize your messaging.
More From Villa About “Tradigital” Strategy
Villa in his recent Forbes post about a “tradigital marketing” strategy reiterated some of those same points we made last year about direct mail and its benefits.
“In addition to growing your reach and recognition overall, I’ve found that combining direct mail and digital ads can directly affect conversion rates,” Villa said.
“Implementing the two types of marketing and ensuring that they work in unison with one another can be challenging, but the results speak for themselves.”
He, too, likes the idea of using QR codes in direct-mail pieces, noting that those codes grew heavily during the pandemic. He calls them “an excellent addition to your direct mail that can combine the results tracking that digital advertisers have grown to love and rely on.”
Also, using personalized URLs and social media handles on pieces of your direct mail can provide yet another channel through which customers can respond digitally: “This ensures that regardless of how your prospect prefers to respond, you’ve covered more bases.”
Especially with the rising use of artificial intelligence and other contemporary marketing practices, Villa knows that digital marketing is here to say.
“Remember, change is scary, but it is a necessary part of life,” he concludes in his Forbes post.
“Just as you have successfully capitalized on the digital marketing boom, you can do the same with the tried-and-true traditional marketing methods that so many relied on in the past.
“In fact, you might even be able to use them better.”
