According to expert opinion from Mark Thomson, Media Director at Royal Mail, direct marketing strategies can improve client engagement by optimising a variety of promotional channels.

Writing for Marketing Week, Mr. Thomson claims that the explosion of personal technology during the last ten years had created a wide range of opportunities for marketers. However, this development has put control firmly in the hands of prospects, requiring marketers to attempt engagement across numerous platforms.

Marketing experts are advising businesses to put their data at the forefront of their direct mail efforts.

Despite advancements in marketing, most notably digital, business data is still an integral part of the marketing mix, with many believing that a combination of new technology and solid data can lead to the best outcome.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), winning consumer trust is vital if mobile marketing is to be successful.

The DMA’s research found more than half of respondents didn’t feel the opt-in process for receiving promotional SMS messages was clear enough.

The timing and personalisation of direct marketing is critical to achieving success. It’s always been accepted that colour, size and shape all contribute towards grabbing the recipient’s attention, but now a greater emphasis is being place on personalisation and timing.

Timing is now considered to be the most important aspect of a direct marketing campaign, despite the fact that too little attention is still being paid to delivering targeted direct mail at the most appropriate time.

66 per cent of Britons say they’re more likely to respond to direct marketing that reaches them at the right time, whereas a third state that design and personalisation is more important.

Despite the case for personalisation in direct marketing being widely recognised by marketers, the findings indicate that timing was a more likely reason to encourage the recipient to buy.