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As of late 2016, 80% of internet users owned smartphones – and more than 50% of those reached for their phones immediately upon waking in the morning.

Mobile devices have become a regular part of daily life for many consumers, so it’s important to keep that in mind during the planning of any marketing push. But how can you effectively reach those mobile users in a direct mail campaign?

Adding Tech to Print

Let’s talk tech first. Adding technical elements to your direct mail piece is one of the simplest ways to engage mobile users. These technical elements can include:

  • Augmented Reality: AR can be used to help a customer visualize a product in their home using a smartphone or tablet – or you can use it to deliver an animated message, increasing the power of your direct mail campaign.
  • QR Codes: These codes, when scanned with a QR reader app on a smartphone, can deliver information or open the user’s internet browser to take them to a specific landing page.
  • Near Field Communication: NFC technology uses a chip imbedded in the direct mail piece to tell the user’s phone to perform a specific action. You can use it to deliver a coupon, send the user to a landing page, give directions to a physical store, and more.

By pairing any of these technologies with a PURL (a landing page personalized for each recipient), you can create a powerful print-to-digital funnel that makes responding to your direct mail piece convenient for your customers.

Harness the Power of Text

No, I’m not talking about the text on your mail piece. I mean texting – today’s cell phone users are as likely to send a text as they are to make a voice call. By keeping this behavior in mind, you can enhance your direct mail piece with text-friendly features.

One example is to direct recipients to text a specific word to an easily-remembered number in order to sign up for discounts and text notifications of new sales. Or, you can text recipients a day after the direct mail piece lands in mailboxes to offer an extra incentive to open it.

One big benefit of adding texting to your direct mail campaign: Since you can use a unique number for users to text, you can easily track your response rate.

Be More Social

According to statistics gathered by Hootsuite, more than 2.8 billion people were using social media by the end of 2016. 83% of Americans had at least one social media account. These numbers make social a crucial element in your marketing campaigns.

You can make your direct mail more social by including your social media handles so they can “follow” you online. Or, you can go an extra step and turn that QR code we discussed earlier into a “share” code – automatically generating a message the user can share to their social media accounts. By pairing this with a discount code, you’ll give them an incentive to share your message with their online friends.

All of these methods help you harness consumers’ love affair with technology to improve your direct mail ROI. Get creative with mobile integration, and you’ll likely see your response rates soar.

Contact United Mail

If you have any questions about how your next direct mail campaign can work with mobile advertising give us a call at 866-542-2107 or contact us today.