Did you know that 96% of people who visit a website aren't ready to buy? That is why many businesses invest in retargeting to bring interested customers back to complete their purchases.

You've probably experienced this yourself—you click an ad or visit a website and then see the same ad everywhere online for the next several days. That's retargeting, and it's effective because it keeps the brand in front of you as you try to finalize your buying decision.

Retargeting has come a long way since times when only online ads could be used for digital retargeting. Now, there are more ways to implement a retargeting strategy, including direct mail retargeting.

This article will look at what is retargeted direct mail, the benefits of retargeting using direct mail, and how to make it work for your business.

What is Direct Mail Retargeting?

Direct mail retargeting is the practice of delivering highly personalized direct mail pieces to prospects who recently interacted with your brand online but didn't convert. Direct mail retargeting combines the personal touch and tangibility of direct mail with the power of digital marketing to identify and build relationships with your most valuable website visitors.

Direct mail retargeting is an excellent option for businesses with a lot of retail traffic coming to their website, but it also applies to B2B companies.

This strategy aims to send direct mail to consumers who have visited your website or mobile app without a conversion. These prospects may have:

• Viewed your product page but didn't complete the checkout
• Engaged with content on your website or blog but didn't fill out a form to download the content?
• Abandoned a shopping cart before completing a purchase

All of these behaviors on your website are indications that a site visitor might be interested in your products, and they're all triggers for retargeting.

You can use this tactic in conjunction with your existing digital marketing strategies or as a standalone method for reaching consumers through an offline touchpoint.

When to Use Retargeting

According to studies, only 2% of website visitors convert on their first visit. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to find the perfect bait to get the remaining 98% back to buy from you. A good way to do this is by using direct mail or digital retargeting.

Here are some examples of situations where you'd want to use it:

• A visitor comes to your site and sees a product she likes but doesn't buy: Use a retargeting ad to show her that product again and other related products. If she was interested enough to look at that page once, she'd probably be interested in seeing it again.
• A visitor comes to your site, looks around, and leaves without buying anything: Use retargeting ads to remind her of the items she viewed on your site or similar ones you think she might like if she wasn't quite ready to buy yet.
• A visitor added something to his shopping cart but didn't check out: This indicates high purchase intent, so use retargeting direct mail to remind him about the item he picked and maybe offer a discount or free shipping if you want to close the deal.

Benefits of Direct Mail Retargeting

In the past, marketers used direct mail to market to mass audiences in their homes. It was essentially a "shotgun" approach where you would hope that your message would hit its mark.

With direct mail retargeting services, you can target specific customers who have already shown an interest in buying your product or service but haven't yet purchased it.

It has many benefits over other types of advertising strategies, including:

Better Response Rates

It's well-documented that direct mail generates a much higher response rate than digital advertising. A 2017 study found that the direct mail response rate is 5.1% compared to less than 1% of digital channels. These numbers prove that direct mail retargeting campaigns can help convert people who have expressed interest in your company or product.

Stand Out From Your Competitors

Let's face it, email marketing is a crowded place. Americans receive 121 emails each day and only open around a quarter of those messages. In this kind of competitive environment, it is essential to capture your customers' attention in the best way possible.

Direct mail can help you do that by utilizing retargeting to make you stand out from your online competitors.

It Has A Much Longer Shelf Life

Unlike with digital ads, your direct mail piece isn't going to disappear after a certain amount of time or when someone scrolls past it. Your recipients can hold onto their catalogs or brochures for years and refer back to them whenever they need it. That makes your campaign more memorable and more likely to generate conversions.

It's Cheaper Than Most Forms Of Advertising

Digital ads may be affordable, but direct mail is still one of the cheapest ways to reach new customers. The cost varies depending on what materials you use and how many pieces you send. Still, even with full-color printing and custom packaging, it's usually affordable for most businesses.

It's Easy To Track ROI With Direct Mail Retargeting Campaigns

When you set up a retargeting campaign, it's easy to track how many people open their direct mail pieces, visit your website and take other actions based on the mailing. For example, you can use a unique promo code or measure how many customers come in and mention the mailer. This gives you reliable data that shows how much revenue the retargeting effort generated for your business.

Getting Started With Direct Mail Retargeting

If you are looking to generate both immediate sales and long-term customer loyalty, then you need to think about starting a direct mail marketing strategy.

Here are some ways to get started with direct mail marketing:

Track Your Website Visitors

To use retargeting services, you need to track your website visitors. The simplest way to do this is to use a tracking pixel you can place on any page of your site. Once you collect this data, your mail marketing can rely on user behavior.

Design Your Mailer

Direct mailers should include a compelling offer that encourages recipients to take advantage of the deal right away. For online retailers, these can be free shipping and promotional code offers. Other businesses may offer discounts or free samples of their products or services.

Develop a Targeted Mailing List

Once you have a tracking pixel in place, you'll need to build a list of prospects who visited your website but didn't make a purchase. To generate the most conversions from your direct mail campaign, you'll want to focus on your most qualified leads—those who viewed specific product pages.

Send The Mail At The Right Time

When it comes time to execute your direct mail campaign, you need to send out that first piece as quickly as possible—ideally within the first 24 hours after someone visits your site. If you wait too long, they may lose interest or forget about your brand entirely.

Use Address Verification

A crucial part of any direct mail campaign is ensuring you have the correct address. That way, your mail reaches the destination, and you're more likely to get more business. This is what a good address verification service like Inkit Verify can help you achieve.

Automate Direct Mail

With Inkit Send or alternative tools, you can make direct mail retargeting campaigns automated. Once you integrate Send with your systems through an API, It automatically initiates custom mail printing and delivery based on triggers. For example, you will be able to send a tailored offline reminder when a person abandons a cart. Automation eliminates the need to track user activity and organize mail fulfillment manually.

Sign up for a free trial to see how Inkit works.

Final Thoughts

Direct mail is a viable medium for retargeted ads. It's one of the most effective ways to reach customers who engage with your website. Remember though, the key to success when using USPS retargeted direct mail is choosing the right message, targeting the right audience, and sending a high-quality offer that people will find irresistible.