What are Scheduled Campaigns and Why You Should Use Them

What is a scheduled campaign?

Scheduled campaigns are designed to automatically send a company’s messaging to consumers along a set timetable. These campaigns can be performed through various channels such as email or SMS, direct mail, printed newsletters, or a combination of these. Scheduled campaigns help keep a company’s brand in the minds of consumers even if they are not yet ready to make a purchase.

What are the benefits of scheduled campaigns?

Multiple Customer “Touches” & Lead Nurturing

The classic marketing “Rule of 7” states that a consumer will interact with your brand an average of 7 times before making a purchase. Initiating a scheduled campaign allows you to plan and automate several of these interactions or “touches,” making it easier for your brand to make an impression on consumers in a memorable way.

Scheduled campaigns are highly effective for lead nurturing since they allow you to get your message in front of potential clients multiple times. They allow you to build your relationship with a potential customer by maintaining ongoing contact and providing them with valuable information. This helps build consumers’ trust in your brand over time.

Targeted Messaging & Segmentation

Scheduled campaigns allow for a high level of targeting. Targeted messaging in marketing can attract higher quality leads versus more generalized campaigns. With scheduled campaigns, you can target your messaging by segmenting it according to certain psychographics (i.e., values and lifestyle), demographics (i.e., age and gender), locations, or groups, which allows for highly personalized messaging that is more relevant for the consumer. Digital campaigns can be targeted, and the same is true for physical scheduled campaigns such as direct mail or newsletters. Physical mail can be targeted with mailing lists, or by zip code. By the way, targeted direct mail campaigns get a very high ROI (5.3%) versus digital campaigns (less than 1%) precisely because of the level of targeting you’re able to utilize.

Automated & Scalable

Scheduled campaigns are automated, which means you can set them up in advance and let them run without constant manual intervention. This saves time and resources, making it easy to scale your marketing efforts. Keep in mind that there are many campaign automation tools for marketers out there, but the best ones are vertically integrated, allowing you to manage your entire campaign process from one place.

Brand Consistency

An important aspect of successful marketing messaging is brand consistency. Scheduled campaigns ensure consistent messaging and branding over time, since the messaging is set up in advance according to your brand standards and doesn’t need to be created “on the fly.” The consistency of your scheduled campaigns helps reinforce your brand image and key messages in the minds of your audience.

Measurable Results & Testing Capabilities

You can track the performance of digital scheduled campaigns through various metrics like open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and ROI. You can measure the impact of physical scheduled campaigns through calls to action (CTAs) that ask customers to reach out for more information, or to scan a QR code. Scheduled campaigns allow you to perform A/B testing on different elements (subject lines, content, CTAs, etc.) to optimize your campaign’s effectiveness and improve conversion rates. This data helps you refine your campaigns and make data-driven decisions.

Why run a scheduled campaign with printed materials?

• Build Lasting Relationships: Printed materials such as newsletters and postcards provide a tangible and personal touch to your marketing efforts. By sending physical materials to your audience, you show that you value their connection. This personalization helps build stronger and longer-lasting relationships with your customers.

• Avoid Spam Filters: Printed materials, unlike digital counterparts, escape spam folders and ad-blockers, making them more likely to be seen and trusted by recipients. Consistent, quality content in your newsletters and postcards enhances your credibility.

• Educates and Informs: Printed newsletters offer ample space for in-depth content, allowing you to educate your audience about your products, services, and industry trends. Postcards have room to provide important statistics and facts to grab your audience’s attention. This educational approach positions you as an authority in your field, which can lead to increased loyalty and sales.

• Extended Shelf Life: Unlike digital messages that can disappear from inboxes in an instant, printed mailers have a longer shelf life. Recipients often keep physical materials for reference, ensuring that your message continues to resonate over time.

• Improved Open Rates: In a world flooded with digital notifications, physical mail stands out. Recipients are more likely to open a physical envelope and read its contents, potentially leading to higher open rates compared to email campaigns.

• Complements Digital Efforts: Scheduled campaign marketing through printed newsletters or postcards does not have to replace digital marketing efforts but can complement them instead. A multi-channel approach ensures that you reach your audience through various touchpoints, enhancing brand visibility and engagement.

• Measurable Results: Contrary to the belief that print marketing lacks tracking capabilities, printed postcards and newsletters can be used in conjunction with digital tools. QR codes, personalized URLs, or unique promo codes allow you to measure the success of your scheduled campaign accurately.

• Cost-Effective: While printing and postage costs may seem high initially, the long-term benefits often outweigh the investment. The lasting impact and higher engagement rates can lead to a strong return on investment (ROI).

• Enhances Brand Loyalty: Consistency in delivering valuable content through printed materials fosters brand loyalty. When customers receive meaningful information from your brand regularly, they are more likely to become loyal advocates.

Your Partner in Scheduled Campaign Print Marketing

You may be thinking, a printed scheduled campaign sounds like a good idea for my brand, but that involves a lot of work. How do I manage the content creation and design elements of my printed materials, not to mention find a mailing list and send it out to my contacts? Xpressdocs can help you with the entire process. Design and find content for your mailers with ease using our new templates, which can be pre-loaded with your brand specifications and branded content. Or use one of our pre-written newsletters and postcard templates to interact with customers in the real estate and home services spaces. Rely on us for everything else, too – we provide mailing lists, EDDM, and the speediest printing and mailing operations around.