Using Direct Mail to Drive Site Traffic

When you need to boost traffic to your website, an integrated approach using direct mail is the way to go

Many people don’t realize how well online and offline marketing strategies work together, but the fact is, it’s a tactic that delivers. And when you need to boost traffic to your website, an integrated approach using direct mail can provide some of the best results.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when using direct mail to drive visitors to your website.

1. Create a landing page

When using direct mail to boost site traffic, it’s best to create campaign-specific landing pages to capture leads. While still technically a part of your website, landing pages are a distraction-free way to funnel the audience to a single, exciting offer. They are also crucial for tracking the results of a campaign. Adding elements like videos and customer testimonials to the landing page can also help relay the benefits of an offer.

With direct mail, website or landing page URLs must be typed into a browser. So, it’s crucial that you make your URLs short and easy to spell. Your action and conversion rates will both spike, and should you need one, there are some great link-shortening plugins and tools out there to help you.

2. Provide an enticing offer

While marketers may feel that a personal invitation to visit their website is enough to spike traffic levels, it’s important to give the audience a compelling reason to do so. Providing an incentive—something that the target audience actually wants, like a free trial, redeemable coupon, or product sample—will motivate them to take the desired action.

3. Make it personal.

There are a few ways to personalize integrated marketing campaigns. First, use personal URLs (pURL) to make prospects feel extra special by addressing them directly. For example, marketers can include recipients’ first name in both the URL and the website copy. Using a pURL takes more time and effort than the use of a generic URL, so test it out and measure conversions before using it as a blanket strategy.

You can also personalize other areas of the landing page, like in headings or in the body copy. Just remember, a little goes a long way. Overdoing it can be perceived as too aggressive and might end up being counterproductive.

4. Keep branding consistent

Even if you design the world’s most visually interesting and compelling direct mail piece, if people land on your site and wonder where they are, they’ll bounce out without a moment’s hesitation. Your direct mail pieces and corresponding landing pages must use the same campaign-specific branding, because without visual continuity, visitors may get confused and bail.

When designing a campaign, make sure the mailer and landing page share the same colors, fonts, and overall look and feel. This will create an immediate association for website visitors and will keep them on the page longer.

5. Use a strong call to action

Don’t feel bad about telling prospects what to do. They want marketers to make it easy for them. All direct mail pieces and landing pages should include a clear and consistent call to action (CTA). Do you want people to sign up for a blog or newsletter? Tell them to. Is the goal to make sales? Tell them to buy now. Decide what it is that you want your audience to do and then spell it out for them.

6. Relay a sense of urgency

Since using direct mail to drive web traffic requires a middle step (going to the computer and typing in a URL), it can be a little too easy to procrastinate. To avoid significant lag time between receiving a mailer and claiming an offer, try to relay a sense of urgency. Create limited-time offers, give recipients a 30-day window before expiration, or specify limited quantities. This can move people down the funnel faster and help prevent too much stalling.

7. Require contact information

One of the main advantages of a landing page is its ability to capture leads. Marketing is all about creating a long-standing relationship with prospective and current customers, and a single website visit rarely offers high value. Once you’ve directed leads to a landing page, ask for their email address or other contact information before they can access the offer. This will help build your contact list and enable you to stay in touch with valuable leads.

Direct mail on its own remains the one medium that can help you stand out from the digital crowd and get noticed, but when coupled with digital marketing efforts, your campaign can really pack a serious punch.

Need help using direct mail to drive traffic to your site? Drop us a line.