Royal Mail is aiming to increase take-up of direct mail by digital marketers by integrating its DIY mailing scheme, MailshotMaker, into the dotdigital Engagement Cloud, the service which recently rebranded from Dotmailer.
Launched in 2016, MailshotMaker is designed for businesses which are new to direct mail or have limited marketing budgets and allows them to create professional mailshots which Royal Mail prints and sends. It can be used to send mailings to addresses within the UK, the Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey.
Customers are now able to automate the messaging and timing of direct mail campaigns in the same way as digital channels. Using Engagement Cloud’s program builder, it is claimed that customers can trigger high-quality printing, postage, and delivery as part of their marketing strategy, and optimise overall campaign performance.
The example it provides is where customers can deliver direct mail to customers who have not responded to emails or SMS messages within a certain timeframe. The creation and dispatch of direct mail is triggered in Engagement Cloud using customer insight and behavioural data. Customers can test and optimise direct mail within their media mix, helping them to achieve the best results for their marketing campaigns.
A Royal Mail spokesman said “Gone are the days of direct mail being used in isolation. This new integration enhances the power of MailshotMaker, making it simpler for SMEs to incorporate direct mail into their digital and multi-channel campaigns and to engage with customers offline. Dotdigital recognised the unique role that direct mail can play in enhancing the customer journey and increasing the overall results of a campaign.”
Dotdigital chief marketing officer Phil Draper added: “The MailshotMaker for Engagement Cloud integration helps marketers to reach customers – who are unengaged online – offline. Now it’s simple to incorporate direct mail into digital campaigns; increasing first-time purchases and maximising brand affinity. What’s more, businesses can differentiate themselves from competitors who only send email, enhancing the customer journey with highly targeted direct mail.”
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