Inbound marketing is one of the most popular forms of marketing right now, and it makes perfect sense. It’s all about driving people to your website and to you with good content. The point is to get around all of the flashy advertisements, since people have learned to shut those out. So in direct mail, how is it possible to break through the barrier? Is there a way for the two to work together?

Absolutely.

1. Personalized URLs (PURLs)

One of the best ways to drive people to your website is using PURLs on your direct mail piece. You can integrate videos, blogs, white papers or any content of your choosing while capturing the information of a potentially qualified lead. The receiver of the piece of mail won’t just be seeing a standard advertisement — they get to witness quality content that they otherwise wouldn’t see on direct mail.

2. Social Media

We haven’t spoken much about social media in our blogs so far, but it’s still one of the most important forms of marketing right now. Including social media links on your direct mail pieces is another great way to get the potential customer engaged with you. They can receive regular updates from you, which will result in them engaging with your website. Another option is to upload your direct mail pieces and marketing collateral to Pinterest, if your artwork is particularly interesting. Getting potential customers to re-pin direct mail ideas can bring more attention to your company.

3. StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon is an online program that lets you choose your interests which, and will randomly show you pages that reflect these interests. You can upvote or downvote the content, personalizing what you see. Because StumbleUpon is so visual, you can submit your pretty direct mail pieces as content, which will lead to people seeing your paper designs digitally.

4. NFC/QR Codes

We’ve spoken a little about NFC and Apple Pay in the past, and how it will hopefully result in marketers employing it in their campaigns. QR Codes are still valid, though less used. The concept of integrating NFC and QR codes into your direct mail is the same as PURLS: have these pieces lead back to quality content.

5. Unified Branding

Integrated Marketing Communications is a relatively new concept, but still very important. Basically, the concept is to make sure all of your marketing efforts are consistent across all of your channels. A very important channel is direct mail. Make sure that your direct mail is giving the same message as your online advertisements, your content, and your social media. This means that people will recall your brand better, and be clear on what your brand is all about.

By: Chase Kirkwood, President