Webinar Recap: Retain Customers and Boost Revenue With Personalized Direct Mail

We talk a lot about personalization in direct mail marketing and many of our customers are maximizing their opportunities in personalizing their direct mail campaigns. We recently hosted a webinar as part of our Modern Marketer's Best Practices Series where we sat down with Evan Metrock, CEO and Founder of iExit, to discuss how his company has found the sweet spot with personalization in his campaigns.

Read on to discover how iExit is harnessing the power of personalized direct mail marketing to drive results, as well as get the key takeaways from our recent webinar that you can implement in your omnichannel marketing strategy.

Why customers love personalization

Personalization is key to forming the emotional connections that engage consumers in today’s marketplace. In our webinar, we shared these eye-opening statistics:

• 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that provide specific and relevant offers.
• 80% of customers are more likely to purchase products or services from brands that offer personalized experiences.
• 71% of consumers feel frustrated when a shopping experience is impersonal.

The bottom line is that consumers truly believe brands should offer more personalization in their direct marketing channels.

Why businesses love personalization

It’s not only customers who love personalization. Businesses believe strongly in direct mail as a channel that continuously drives efficient ROI. In fact, 67% of marketers who use direct mail in their channel mix agree that it has the best ROI of any other channel they use.

Personalization drives engagement ROI and gives your consumers the experience they desire – so investing in personalized direct mail means making your best channel even better. Also, note that when digital and direct mail are combined, marketers see up to:

• 40% higher conversion rates
• 68% increase in website visits
• 63% increase in response rates
• 53% increase in leads

These numbers prove that ROI is even greater when the multi- or omnichannel customer experience is personalized. But, while facts and figures like these are impressive, nothing is more convincing than real-world proof of the effectiveness of personalized direct mail.

Let’s look at how one client used Lob’s direct mail personalization methods to boost ROI, connect with their customers, and grow their business.

How iExit app is retaining customers and boosting revenue with direct mail personalization

We sat down with Evan Metrock, founder of the popular iExit app, to learn how he helped his company leverage the power of personalized direct mail. (The full interview covers iExit’s strategy, how to execute true direct mail at scale, and how leading companies drive ROI by personalizing their mail pieces.)

iExit is an app that lets businesses located at interstate exits advertise to approaching travelers. Like many apps in their earliest days, iExit began as a paid app that customers could purchase for a small fee — the extent of its business model. However, Metrock and his team soon realized they needed to figure out an advertising model to make their business more sustainable.

Metrock helped the team develop a plan to work with one business per exit to become that exit’s sponsored company. To a business, sponsorship means getting seen by thousands of approaching interstate travelers who wouldn’t otherwise know it exists.

Considering there might be 150 businesses at every interstate exit, Metrock knew his team had to contact as many as possible, and offer each company a chance to advertise their services and show up at the top listing. First, they tried digital marketing tactics like email address searches, cold calls, LinkedIn messages, and other tactics, but nothing worked well. Then, they came across Lob and fell in love with our personalized direct mail solution.

They used Lob’s API to design a personalized mailer postcard and then sent it to an initial batch of target customers. Each postcard contained a unique code, allowing that business to go into iExit, enter their code, and claim their ownership of that exit listing.

Metrock helped oversee several variations on the type of direct mail iExit used, and his team performed A/B testing over the years to figure out which methods worked best. He realized that the graphical personalization on letters and postcards — showing business owners what their sponsorship placement would look like in the app — was the most successful. Metrock says that while getting a customer’s attention was an uphill battle, the personalization of direct mail felt so much more legitimate that it immediately appealed to business owners. Ultimately, he feels that direct mail comes off as much more trustworthy, relevant, and profitable.

Watch the full video to learn more...

Want to learn more about iExit's A/B testing and personalized direct mail efforts? Watch the webinar recording to get the full picture of their journey with Lob and some tips and tricks for personalization outside of first and last name.