.avif)
By
Guest Author
Most people who visit your website leave without telling you who they are. No form fill. No email. No clean way to follow up.
That is the gap direct mail can help close. With visitor identification, you can match a portion of anonymous traffic to real mailing addresses, then trigger automated mail based on what someone actually did on your site. This guide walks through how to identify anonymous visitors, segment by behavior, automate personalized direct mail, and know when to stop.
Here is the thing about website visitors: most of them leave without giving you a way to reach them again. They browse pricing, click around product pages, maybe even read a case study, and then they disappear.
Visitor identification changes that. It helps you follow up even when someone never clicks submit, so you can reach prospects who showed intent but did not convert. The win is simple: you are no longer limited to the small percentage of traffic that fills out a form.
Lob’s Visitor ID solution helps you turn web activity into mailable audiences. You install one snippet on your site, decide which behaviors matter most, and then use those signals to trigger campaigns.
You can:
Not every visitor deserves the same message. Someone who visited your pricing page three times is in a different place than someone who read one blog post and bounced.
Segmentation lets you group identified visitors by behavior, intent level, or profile so your mail speaks directly to what they care about.
Common ways to segment include:
The more aligned your segment and message are, the more your mail feels relevant instead of random.
Event-based automation sends mail triggered by specific visitor actions, so you are reaching someone at the moment of peak interest.
This approach keeps you present during the consideration window, when prospects are comparing options and deciding what to do next. The key is choosing the right triggers and matching the mailer to the behavior.
You can set up rules like:
If you want a practical framework for setting up triggers, this guide is a helpful reference: https://www.lob.com/blog/how-to-use-marketing-automation-triggers-to-send-direct-mail
The more you know about how visitors interact with your site, the smarter your retargeting becomes.
Use behavior to inform:
Behavior-based retargeting helps you stop guessing. You are mailing based on what someone did, not what you hope they meant.
Incentives can help when someone is interested but not ready to commit. A discount, free trial, bonus, or resource gives them a reason to take the next step.
Match the incentive to where they are:
Keep redemption simple. Use a QR code, a short URL, or a dedicated landing page that makes the next step obvious.
Not every visitor will convert, and sending mail forever is not a strategy.
Set clear rules so your program stays efficient:
The goal is to invest in people who are still showing signs of interest, not chase everyone who ever clicked.
Retargeting anonymous visitors with direct mail turns lost traffic into real opportunities. You are reaching people who already showed interest, with messaging that reflects what they looked at and what they are likely deciding next.
With Lob’s Visitor ID, segmentation, automation, and delivery visibility, you can build a retargeting program that runs consistently without manual lift. Book a demo to see how it works end to end.
FAQs
Can I retarget visitors who never fill out a form?
Yes. Visitor identification makes it possible to follow up with a portion of anonymous traffic by matching visits to mailable contact records, even if the visitor never submits their information.
What types of website behaviors are best for direct mail triggers?
High-intent actions usually work best, like pricing page visits, product page depth, cart abandonment, repeat visits, or returning to comparison content. These signals tell you the visitor is actively evaluating.
How quickly should you send mail after a site visit?
Soon enough that the interest is still warm. In most programs, the best performance comes from sending within days, not weeks, and timing follow-ups so the mail and your digital touchpoints feel coordinated.
How many touches should a retargeting sequence include?
Many teams start with two to three touches over a 30 to 60 day window, then adjust based on response and conversion rates. Frequency caps help you stay helpful without overdoing it.
How do you avoid wasting spend on the wrong audience?
Segmentation and suppression. Segment by intent, exclude existing customers and recent converters, and pause segments that consistently underperform until the message or offer is improved.
Answered by:
