How to: Direct Mail and Retargeting for Holiday Marketing Success
Research shows that many marketers plan to double down on their digital ad spend this holiday season. The reality? Using the same digital approaches as everyone in the industry drives up costs while driving down results in the process.
Here’s an idea: Consider building your holiday campaigns around strategic direct mail — that actually gets seen and read — while leveraging the power of postal retargeting.
Gift marketer Sendoso found that 74% of marketers agree that direct mail provides the best response rates, conversion rates and ROI compared to any other channel. What’s more, customers returning to a brand based on a retargeting campaign are likely to spend 67% more on their next purchase.
With direct mail, you’re reaching buyers at their leisure when they’re most receptive. And when you combine direct mail with retargeting, you’re following up when recipients are primed to take action. If you’re ready to roll out seasonal campaigns that become year-making revenue drivers, direct mail may be a smarter way to invest your holiday marketing dollars.
>>Related: Realizing Incremental Holiday Sales<<
Steps to successful holiday direct mail and retargeting approaches
Incorporating postal mail into your holiday campaign efforts means thinking differently about your campaign set-up, including:
More strategic timing — Unlike digital campaigns that you can start and stop instantly, direct mail requires lead time. For example, you may plan for 40% of your direct mail budget to hit mailboxes in early November (when competition is lower and attention is higher), 50% in the crucial mid-November to early December window, and 10% for last-minute “ship by” deadline campaigns.
Your retargeting budget should mirror this timeline but with the flexibility to surge during peak shopping moments.
Calculating blended ROI. A prospect who receives your direct mail piece, but converts through a retargeted ad, represents success for both channels.
Track your integrated campaigns, measuring the combined investment against total revenue generated.
Speaking to your segments. Don’t hesitate to invest in your VIP customers. They may warrant extra mile mail pieces like dimensional mailers, personalized catalogs or exclusive event invitations.
But don’t stop there. Tag every person who receives these premium pieces for immediate retargeting with coordinated digital messages.
Direct mail creative that converts
The most successful holiday campaigns treat direct mail and retargeting creative as two parts of the same conversation. Your mail piece starts the dialogue when customers are relaxed and receptive, while your retargeting ads continue that conversation when they’re in active shopping mode.
- Go bold for the holidays.Make your holiday direct mail merry and bright! Use rich colors that signal seasonal relevance, and include gift-focused or lifestyle imagery rather than product-focused shots. Calls to action should create urgency given the limited shopping window.
- Use sequential storytelling across touchpoints.Your direct mail piece might focus on creating desire and establishing your holiday theme, while your retargeting sequence tells the rest of the story, showcasing social proof or creating urgency around shipping deadlines. Each piece should feel like a natural continuation of the last.
- Test different creative formats. Postcards work great for awareness and broad reach; catalogs excel for high-value customers and dimensional mailers create lasting impressions for your most important segments.
Measuring what matters
A prospect might receive your catalog, visit your website, abandon their cart, see your retargeting ads, return through organic search and finally convert through email. Which channel gets credit? That’s why it’s so important to track attribution.
- Use promo codes.Every piece of direct mail should include a unique promo code that serves as your primary attribution method. Monitor code usage patterns to understand timing, geographic performance and cross-channel behavior. So if someone receives the HOLIDAY25 code in the mail, but uses it after clicking a retargeting ad, you know both channels contributed to the conversion.
- Optimize ad frequency to prevent holiday burnout. Ad fatigue happens faster during the holiday season. Monitor frequency metrics closely and make adjustments based on customer segments. You may use engagement metrics like click-through rates or time spent on a website as early warning indicators of fatigue.
- A/B test timing across channels.Mail delivery timing matters more during holidays because of increased mail volumes and changing household routines. For example, you may test Tuesday vs. Thursday mail delivery for different segments. Apply the same thinking to your retargeting strategy as shopping behavior shifts to balance work, family and holiday preparation.
- Measure integrated campaign performance. Track customers from first mailbox impression through final conversion, noting every touchpoint along the way. From website visit to cart abandonment to retargeting QR code to conversion, your measurement should capture this entire sequence and calculate ROI based on the total investment across all channels.
Making holiday marketing magic
The biggest mistake holiday marketers make isn’t spending too much; it’s not spending strategically.