The State of Multichannel Marketing

Resource Overview

For the second consecutive year, Demand Metric and PFL partnered to understand how nearly 600 marketers use multichannel marketing and the power of intentional, coordinated marketing efforts.

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Introduction

The goal of the study was to collect data to identify best practices and help marketers know how to reach specific audiences, and when to use particular tactics within their multichannel campaigns. This report shares the research results and insights from this study.

Study results show that direct mail is anything but “old school” or “dead.” It’s highly effective and ideal for reaching specific audiences. And, when it’s deployed as an integrated component of multichannel campaigns, the results are impressive.

While direct mail isn’t a new strategy, there’s a new strategy around its deployment, and this learning is too impactful for marketers to ignore. This report details the results and insights from 589 participants and the analysis of the study data.

The objectives of this study were to:

  1. Analyze the indicators that signal higher multichannel marketing performance;
  2. Share best practices about how to reach specific audiences;
  3. Help marketers understand when to use particular tactics within their campaigns.

This report shares the research results and insights from this study.

 

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Multichannel Campaign Mix
  • Target Audiences and Channels
  • The Direct Mail Channel
  • Research Insights from PFL Customers
  • Action Plan
  • Acknowledgments

  • Appendix - Survey Background

 

Direct mail has the reputation of a low-tech channel that was once highly relevant but has been eclipsed by more modern digital channels. It’s an understandable assumption to make but it’s incorrect.

In our world, where much of what we receive is in a digital format, the tactile nature of direct mail can register in a way digital media cannot, and including tactile marketing approaches in multichannel campaigns makes them perform even better.

Whatever the emotions, experience, or opinions surrounding direct mail, the data here shows that including it in the mix for multichannel campaigns is a catalyst for better response rates and higher ROI.

The research also shares insights about the second stance. The data reveals that direct mail is not always ideal for the technical audience, but is optimal for the financial audience.

It’s also one of the best channels for the most sought-after audience in this study: The C-Suite.

 

Research Methodology

This 2020 Multichannel Campaign Benchmark Study survey was administered online during the period of May 21 through June 9, 2020.

During this period, 589 responses were collected and were qualified and complete enough for inclusion in the analysis, including 77 PFL customers. Only valid or correlated findings are shared in this report.

The representativeness of this study’s results depends on the similarity of the sample to environments in which this survey data is used for comparison or guidance.