Because getting left behind is not an option.
You don’t have to be a trendsetter to be relevant. In fact, it’s much safer to be a follower of proven trends as long as you’re an early adopter. With that in mind, here are some top trends for DM, Digital and TV that you need to be aware of as we plan for success.
DIRECT MAIL TRENDS
QR Codes for Digital Response on the Rise: According to Who’s Mailing What, QR codes now surpass basic website URLs among mailings that include a digital response. QR codes appeared 40% of the time vs 31% for website URLs and 23% for social media. This is no surprise since QR readers are now built into today’s smartphone camera apps.
Informed Delivery Is Growing Fast: This service by USPS allows customers to get a preview of what’s arriving in their mailbox via email, web or mobile app. It also allows marketers to run small digital ads on the Informed Delivery platform which coincide with a mail piece appearing in a customer’s mailbox.
Usage of this service skyrocketed 38% in 2021 to approach 43 million users. More importantly, the average email open rate is above 64%. And check out these click-through rates reported by the USPS:
With numbers like this from a free service, there’s basically no reason for mailers not to use it! Get the full guide from the USPS.
DIGITAL TRENDS
In-App Advertising Builds Value: According to mobile-analytics firm App Annie, the amount of time people spend in apps has increased 30% since 2019. In a 2021 survey, 50% of Americans stated they spent five to six hours on their phone on a daily basis, not including work-related smartphone use. Combine these statistics with the fact that most people hate paying for ad-free apps and you have a recipe for rapid ad growth.
Search Is More About Context and Less About Words: Rather than relying on basic keyword-matching, search engines collate data such as location, device, demographics, and browsing history to deliver search results optimized for intent. Sure, you should still update and strengthen your keywords but in the race to the top of a Google search, today’s SEO specialists are focusing more than ever on context sharpening.
TV TRENDS
Streaming to the Max: The number of people receiving TV via cable or satellite continues to plumet. According to Pew Research, 27% of U.S. adults are “cord cutters” and more than 65% of adults age 18-29 are not watching TV or cable at all. Along with this trend comes better targeting and new types of ad units such as pause ads delivered when you hit pause and binge ads which deliver a series of ads as you watch multiple episodes of a show in succession. In other words, it’s time to think about doing more than repurposing your linear TV spots.
NextGen TV Accelerates: Broadcasters competing with streaming see NextGen TV as a matter of survival. It allows over-the-air broadcasters to maximize the use of Internet connected TVs to deliver content the same way as their digital peers. As with streaming, it allows for precise targeting of ads and pay-for-performance billing based on impressions.
No matter what your media mix may include, constant changes in technology and media consumption are ignored at your own peril. Change is good for our minds and our bottom lines.
