Direct marketing should combine multiple platforms, expert says

Monday 4th January 2010

Direct marketing strategies can improve client engagement by optimising a variety of promotional channels, an expert has said.

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Mark Thomson, media director at Royal Mail, wrote for Marketing Week that the explosion of personal technology during the last ten years had created a wide range of opportunities for marketers.

However, he added that the development had also put control firmly in the hands of prospects, requiring marketers to attempt engagement across numerous platforms.

In order to target campaigns effectively, Mr Thomson suggested using direct mail alongside other promotional media.

"Complementary marketing takes an integrated approach to its channel selection, but ensures that the different strands work hand-in-hand so that each execution is powerful in its own right, but also adds value to other activities," he said.

Royal Mail research conducted with the media agency group OMG found that digital campaigns saw a 62 per cent increase in return on investment when combined with direct mail.

Jordan Ayan of Media Post's Email Insider blog recently wrote that email marketing campaigns should be integrated with other online platforms like social networking and video in order to widen their impact.