How Sailthru and Inkit Deliver Personalized Direct Mail Campaigns

Many marketers have tech stacks that go beyond simply being a system; they’re practically living organisms with powerful brains of their own. But others have a difficult time applying their hard-earned data and clever personalization techniques to every channel, including direct mail, which is experiencing something of a resurgence thanks to the availability of data.

Of course, it’s not that these teams don’t want to personalize these channels. It’s that they’re often forced to cede control of their campaigns to outside vendors. After all, most teams don’t have a film studio or print shop in-house. But with the right technology, such as Sailthru’s new Inkit integration, that gap can be bridged.

How to Send Hyper-Targeted Postcards with the Sailthru + Inkit Direct Mail Integration

Part of Sailthru’s power comes from its lists — not just regular contact lists you grow or upload, but Smart Lists, which add users dynamically based on complex behavioral criteria. Purchases, email engagement, site activity: You can track it all, and tailor your digital content to match.

The Inkit integration lets you get just as targeted with direct mail. No matter how small or precisely defined your Marigold Engage by Sailthru list may be, you can now use it to create an Inkit postcard campaign.

If you’re not familiar with Inkit, it’s pretty simple. First, you upload your postcard or mailer design to the platform. Then, you decide who should receive it and send it from right inside your account, either manually or using marketing automation. No trips to the printer or the post office required. (For more on how this works, check out Inkit’s FAQ.)

Integrating Sailthru with Inkit takes about 30 seconds. Once you’ve connected the two accounts, you’ll be able to access your Marigold Engage by Sailthru lists inside Inkit and add those contacts to a direct mail campaign.

Once you connect your account, your Marigold Engage by Sailthru lists will pop right up inside Inkit.

But what kind of campaign? Here are three of our favorites:

1. Win back inactive customers

When a customer is at risk of churning, your usual marketing tactics might not be enough to keep them. A well-timed postcard offer, on the other hand, just might surprise and delight even a customer who isn’t opening your emails. NatureBox found an effective strategy: alerting inactive customers to a free credit waiting in their account. Here’s what their postcard looked like:

And here’s the postcard, shown inside the Inkit builder:

Sailthru’s Smart Lists are a great way to dynamically build a direct mail audience of disengaged customers using whatever behavioral signals spell trouble for your business. For instance, you could set up a Smart List that pulls in contacts who have recently stopped opening your emails or uninstalled your app. Then, you can instantly pull that list into Inkit and send a winback offer like this.

2. Keep high-value customers happy

It makes sense to pamper your best customers a bit. In addition to personalizing the digital content they see, make them feel extra special with postcards. Once you’ve built your list of top customers in Marigold Engage by Sailthru, log into Inkit and get ready to make their day. You might send them an exclusive offer, wish them a happy birthday, or just say thanks for being there.

A special offer postcard built and sent with Inkit

3. Sync Up Facebook and Instagram Campaigns with Direct Mail

Suddenly, you’re everywhere. That’s the magic of retargeting campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. They’re an excellent tool for increasing order frequency and value on their own. They get even better when you add postcards into the mix. The Inkit/Sailthru integration makes this a snap: just use the same Sailthru list you’ve built for your retargeting audience for your Inkit direct mail campaign.

Direct mail research supports this multi-channel approach. For instance, when Canada Post studied the combined effects of direct mail and digital advertising in 2016, they discovered that direct-mail-plus-digital campaigns got 39% more attention, produced 5% more emotional impact, and produced 10% higher brand recall than digital-only campaigns.

As long as you have names and addresses, you can send your audience uncannily perfect postcards and mailers, segment by laser-focused segment. Marigold Engage by Sailthru handles the targeting. Inkit handles the direct mail logistics. And your team handles the creativity — and the accolades when your campaign is a hit.