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8 Tips for an effective Cross Media Campaign
You’ve probably heard the term cross media being tossed around in your marketing meetings, but what is it exactly and how do you even begin? A cross media campaign uses targeted communication and delivers it across various multi-media channels. This can include everything from print and email to SMS text messaging. Every business, big or small, can utilize cross media campaigns to boost their client communication. In fact, you are probably using aspects of cross media in your 1 to 1 marketing without even noticing. A printed postcard containing a QR Code that directs customers to your webpage is a simple form of cross media marketing.
There is no one algorithm used to execute a cross media campaign successfully, but there are some great fundamental tips to help you with your marketing goals. These 8 tips have helped us at DOME create great marketing campaigns for our clients, and can help you get your campaign heading in the right direction.
Tip #1: Prepare your strategy
Your strategy is not just the technology or data. It also includes who are you try to target, what media outlets you want to use, and what goals you are trying to achieve from your campaign.
Tip#2: Know your client base
Your company is unique and so are your clients. They may respond to certain forms of media differently depending on their demographic. Understanding whether your clients respond better to print, email, PURLs and/or SMS messaging, will provide a higher ROI.
Tip#3: Track all your channels
Watch the response rates of each of your channels to get an idea of the best ways to reach your clients. You may find that more clients responded to your campaign from their mobile phone. On your next campaign you’ll want to make sure you include a well-developed mobile aspect.
Tip#4: Integration
Cross media marketing is most effective if all of the channels are integrated together. They should always reinforce the other channels in the campaign. Use common branding and similar messaging to tie all the components together.
Tip#5: Print!
Of course a printing company would love to tell you this, but it is true! Variable printing creates a more personalized direct mail piece and will improve your results.
Tip#6: Watch all metrics
Look at all of the metrics not just the response rate. Yes, it is fantastic to have great response to your campaign, but understanding the best time to contact clients, or where they are located will provide more variable metrics to your data. And you can use this information to refine your next campaign.
Tip #7: Make it easy to share
If you have a fantastic message, allow your client to share your content. The more viral your message goes, the more your business will thrive.
Tip#8: Always ask for feedback
A very important tip that often gets overlooked. Clients can provide you with the best feedback and help you create a better marketing environment for your business. Allowing your clients to fill out a survey can help you focus your attention and create a dialogue with your clients.
In a world where clients are looking for a more 1 on 1 approach and want to feel like they are important, cross media can provide be a very effective marketing tool. It’s funny how a simple direct mail piece that is personalized with the clients name and some personal information can have a greater impact than just a simple run of the mill piece. Cross media is your greatest friend for marketing.
What is Big Data?
Big Data! It’s the new hot term in the corporate world. But what exactly does it mean?
At it’s core, Big Data is basically a term the industry uses to describe an instance where your data set is so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using traditional data processing applications. This type of data is analyzed to show information like trends and consumer interaction patters.
Traditionally, the data companies and marketers collect standard information like name, phone, email and address. With big data, you are collecting lists that may contain social media interactions, search histories, buying trends, etc. Not the typical lists that many marketers and mailing companies are aware of.
So why collect this big data information? It’s data that matters. You can now successfully measure helpful data to leverage and optimize the best opportunities to market your brand. Also, with the increased influx of data, you can create customer profiles, test assets, and determine the success of your marketing campaigns. The idea is to use your data to create a better one-to-one marketing strategy, helping increase your ROI. It’s hard to do that with only a name and address.
So the big question to ask yourself or your company is….Where do you start with all of this Big Data? You want to start by educating your team on what data information you want to focus on. The report from 360i.com, asks a great conversation starter, “If I knew…”. For example, If I knew what blog topics our clients were interested, how could I use them to improve our conversion rate to for new clients? What questions will help your company gain traction with clients?
As a print solutions provider, DOME has help many clients with their marketing plans. From PURL and Cross Media Campaigns to VDP (Variable Data Printing), cross media is a great way to collect and analyze your data. Set up campaigns mixed with creative strategies like personalized 4 color print pieces and responsive email designs.
So, what is Big Data? It is your company’s greatest ally! Using data correctly can help you retain clients, identify new leads, create better marketing plans, and make your advertising budget last. Start thinking of better ways you can leverage your Big Data now.
The Seamless Acceptance Way
DOME is cutting through the postal red tape and introducing a system called, Seamless Acceptance. Seamless Acceptance is a new streamline and automated acceptance, verification, payment and induction into the United States Postal Service® (USPS®) system. What does this mean? We have the knowledge and expertise to help move your mail pieces into the system faster; efficiently getting your pieces into the consumers’ mailbox. DOME is proud to be the first on the west coast to adopt Seamless Acceptance from the United States Postal Service®.
Here’s a little background on what it means to become a Seamless Acceptance mail provider. In order to be accepted, a company must do two things.
1. Use an Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb)
2. Be a certified full service mailer.
3. Submit documentation electronically.
DOME has been using Intelligent Mail Full-Service since 2009. Full-service requires us to use a unique IMb on mail pieces, handling units, and containers. It also requires us to submit our documents electronically to PostalOne!® before the mail enters the mail stream. Seamless Acceptance was put in place to speed along the process.
90% of DOME’s current mail production require us to submit eDocs to PostalOne!®. With our expertise and knowledge of Direct Mail and other mail services, we no longer need a mail clerk to authorize our pieces before they enter the mail stream. Some common issues with the old regular acceptance method include: an inconsistent experience, acceptance delays the mail induction, and a manual, time-consuming mail verification. With Seamless Acceptance, the United States Postal Service® certifies that DOME’s well training staff is allowed automate the verification process by comparing our system data to the electronic documentation, as the mail pieces move through the mail stream.
In short, with DOME’s new implementation of Seamless Acceptance, you’re projects will get submitted into the mail stream faster and with fewer hiccups. Not only do we have the training, knowledge and expertise to automate the verification process, but we have the support confidence of the USPS backing us up.
DOME has given a whole new meaning to the “One-Stop-Shop”. What other printer do you know is allowed to become their own USPS postal clerk?
