Online Tools to Increase Direct Mail Effectiveness
How additional touchpoints, such as IP targeting, will drive action
As we all know, direct mail is an extremely effective medium to keep your guests coming back, because a good DM piece can hold everything from monthly offers and promotions, to concert announcements and dining specials.
In addition to your monthly “core” mailers, direct mail has proven to be the best way to reach new members, decliners and inactives. As such, casinos spend a significant amount of their marketing budget to create, print and mail these pieces every month. But getting the most out of your direct mail doesn’t end with just the mailing. Many casinos now layer their direct mail campaigns with email, which is a smart use of this inexpensive medium. However, several other online targeting features allow you to add additional touchpoints to increase the effectiveness of your direct marketing efforts, and ensure that you remain top-of-mind when it comes to driving an action.
One of the best is IP targeting. Consider the following scenario: you’re getting ready to send out an inactive mail piece to players who have strayed from your property. Since you already have their home address, with IP targeting you can send your audience online ads while they are surfing the web at home. Correctly timed, your guests will see your ad soon before or after they receive their DM piece from you. That means you could send a “we miss you” postcard in the mail, followed by a similar online IP targeting message at home. The messaging doesn’t have to be specific to that person; a general “come see what you’re missing” message will suffice. This same tactic can be used for new members, decliners, birthdays or any other milestone you utilize.
Facebook also has some great features that can add another layer of communication. Simply by using the guest’s email or phone number, you can serve ads to their phones or desktops as they scroll through their Facebook and Instagram newsfeeds. It’s a great way to get creative with your advertising and establish unique touchpoints. To see how you might use it, simply upload everyone who has a birthday this month into a custom audience on Facebook, then create a corresponding message — “Join us at [YOUR CASINIO NAME] to celebrate your birthday!” You could also go a step further and include the birthday promotion to notify recipients that they’ll receive a special gift just for visiting during their birthday month.
Alone or together, these tactics deliver a targeted, ongoing and somewhat specific message that guests will see multiple times across multiple mediums. Layering direct mail with supporting messaging, whether via an inbox or the digital ad space, remains an effective way to enhance your relevance. Because the more well-executed touchpoints you can create, the higher response you’ll see.
