Create Killer Retargeting Campaigns with Direct Mail + First-Party Data

Retargeting is one of the most powerful tools in ecommerce. But in the past couple of years, it’s taken quite a hit. 

Apple's privacy changes have made it more difficult for businesses to track users, stricter rules about personal data collection have come into play, and even the FBI is recommending that consumers use ad blockers. 

In short, it’s gotten harder to connect with customers who have shown interest in your brand. 

But there is a potent, cost-effective retargeting strategy that most brands don’t know about. 

Direct mail driven by zero-party data is a combination punch that can drive conversions like crazy. 

The data lets you personalize campaigns to make them highly relevant and engaging. Direct mail is a tangible expression of your brand that bypasses spam filters, privacy settings, and jammed email inboxes. 

Memorable and effective retargeting campaigns are fast and easy with the Customer Fields Shopify plugin and PostPilot’s done-for-you postcard campaigns. 

Here’s why and how to effectively combine zero-party data and direct mail to improve your retargeting and winback efforts and boost sales. 

What is zero-party data? 

You know about third party data—the customer information we buy from other companies—and first-party data, which is the information brands get from observing their customers, but wasn’t necessarily meant for us. That includes website visits, orders, social media data, and more. 

Zero-party, a concept that came from Forrester Research, is information that customers choose to share with you. It can include anything from their birthday to their preferred eyeshadow colors. 

You can use zero-party data to better understand your customers. You can also use it to take personalization to the next level, zeroing in on what shoppers really want, creating campaigns that really connect, and building lasting relationships. 

Why is zero-party data so great? 

Zero-party data is powerful for a number of reasons. First, it’s coming directly from the customer and being willingly shared with you. 

That means it’s cost-effective—you’re not buying it from someone else. 

It’s reliable, because it’s not filtered through other parties. 

It’s low-risk. You know how and when it was collected, and that your customers consented to share it. 

It’s yours. It’s not walled off by a social-media platform or ad network. 

If you’re an online retailer, you’re already gathering information like customer emails, mailing addresses, and phone numbers. 

But there’s so much more that you can do. One of the easiest ways to collect additional data is by personalizing your sign-up experience. The Customer Fields Shopify plugin makes it simple with drag-and-drop forms. 

The app can save customer data in metafields, your Shopify admin, and a database that can be exported to your CRM or other platforms. 

Why is direct mail so great? 

Yes, you can use zero-party data to inform email campaigns. But email—as great as it is—has some major shortcomings. 

People ignore it, delete it, and unsubscribe from it. Marketing emails get nabbed in spam filters. 

Direct mail—specifically postcards—are an end run around all of those challenges. There’s no spam filter on IRL mailboxes. So many brands rely on digital platforms that competition for attention in customers’ actual homes is much lower. 

Plus, people like  mail. It feels like a gift rather than intrusion. They keep it around, they look at it. They pin it to their refrigerator. When was the last time a customer did that with one of your marketing emails? 

Ideas for Zero-Party + Direct Mail Campaigns 

You don’t want to ask customers for information willy-nilly—it’s important to put their goodwill to good use, and strategize about how to drive revenue with the data you collect. Here are a few ideas for keeping your brand top of mind. 

Birthday Greetings

Time a special greeting to customer birthdays (it can be automated on PostPilot). Offer a one-time discount or a gift with their next purchase. One PostPilot customer that specializes in apparel has an ongoing birthday campaign that has yielded a startling 37x ROAS. 

Pet Connections

Fur babies can’t read, but their owners can—and they take notice when you include their pets in the conversation. Address a holiday campaign directly to Max or Daisy. Send a winback discount to commemorate a pet’s birthday.  

Gift Recommendations 

Does your customer shop for someone else? Send targeted campaigns around special days—like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day—that take the guesswork out of gifting. 

Product Releases 

Is your customer looking to build muscle? Trying to reduce stress? A fan of eyelash extensions or the New England Patriots? Use that information to create product release or awareness campaigns that are laser-targeted at their interests and sure to work. Got a whole new line? Let it shine with an expansive cardalog. 

How to Get Started

These kinds of ideas are just a jumping-off point—there are endless possibilities for combining data and direct mail to grow your ecommerce business. 

Don’t have the bandwidth to get rolling? PostPilot’s concierge service can handle it all. Contact us to get your first campaign started today.