What is the role of each channel in a multi-channel trigger marketing campaign?

At Deluxe, our marketing experts have long advocated a mix of online and offline channels to expand a campaign’s reach and reduce the time it takes to get a message to market. But before you can nail down the right mix of channel tactics in your media plan, it’s critical to make sure you understand the role each channel plays in the buyer journey.

“It’s one thing to have the data, it’s one thing to know best practices, but unless your campaign is implemented correctly, it’s not going to do very well,” says Alexandra Moss, vice president with Deluxe Data-Driven Marketing.

During “Building Stronger Customer Relationships with Trigger Marketing,” her popular breakout session at Deluxe Exchange 2022, Moss described the function of each channel in a multi-channel execution strategy:

ATTRACT: Programmatic display channels

“If you think about marketing as a funnel, programmatic display, or banner ads, are at the very top,” explains Moss. These tactics are used for brand recognition, product awareness, and consideration—but not necessarily driving clicks.

ENGAGE: Social channels

Channels like Facebook and Instagram are well suited to mid-funnel engagement tactics during the consideration phase. They also have the potential to drive conversions, depending on the complexity of your product.

“If you’re trying to sell a mattress, you can probably sell that on Facebook,” says Moss. “If you’re trying to open a commercial mortgage, it’s a lot harder to sell that on Facebook.”

And where social channels truly shine, says Moss, is retargeting: “If someone visited your website to look at your product but didn’t purchase, following up with retargeted ads on Facebook and Instagram could facilitate conversion.”

CONVERT: Direct mail, paid search, outbound telemarketing

Don’t sleep on the power of these tactics, particularly lower down the funnel. “Direct mail drives conversion,” says Moss. In the case of financial services, a mail piece might bring someone into a branch to meet with a banker and open up a product.

Paid search can be powerful as well. “If someone out there searches ‘best checking account,’ having your paid search efforts in conjunction with this is really helpful for creating a unified experience,” explains Moss.

Phone follow-up is entirely dependent on the product, but Moss says it’s worth considering if you’re reaching out to business customers: “It’s easier to get business phone numbers because the do-not-call rules don’t apply to businesses.”

The clock is running

As a general best practice, Deluxe recommends performing initial outreach in the seven or eight days immediately following a trigger, and multi-channel retargeting throughout the rest of that 30-day period.

In this video clip from her session at Deluxe Exchange 2022, Moss offers day-by-day insight into prospective customers’ experience during the initial targeting period:

Key takeaways

• In trigger campaigns, marketers essentially have a one-month window where a product is top-of-mind for the individuals they’re targeting.
• Every channel plays a different role in the buyer journey (attract, engage or convert).
• Your specific media plan—including the degree to which you leverage individual channels—will always vary depending on the product you’re selling.