By Michelle Syme
Insert Media is the only channel that offers full funnel outcomes, all from a physical printed piece reaching consumers without the cost of postage while leveraging high engagement inherent to the delivery vehicle. From driving brand awareness and recognition through scale of impressions and repeat exposure, to fostering consideration through a tangible, leave-behind reminder, to generating leads, orders and revenue at profitable and sustainable KPIs, it’s a unique way to achieve multiple marketing goals for a relatively low investment.
Insert Media is an umbrella term covering multiple advertising distribution vehicles, with the most well-known being the “package insert”, or when an advertising piece is placed into a non-competitive out-going customer merchandise shipment. It’s a tangible way of reaching a consumer that aligns with the demographics of your own target audience and is known to be an active buyer. With an open rate of essentially 100%, it’s almost guaranteed that the consumer will be exposed to your advertisement. Other vehicles include catalog blow-ins, statement inserts, ride-alongs, shared mail, co-op mailers; even magazines and newspapers can distribute preprinted advertising inserts. Whether targeting a certain demographic or leaning into geographic targeting, or looking for consumers demonstrating a certain buying behavior, strategic Insert Media testing can result in the rollout of customized campaigns at significant scale, reaching multiple millions of prospective customers on an annual basis. Either on its own or combined with various marketing tactics through an omnichannel approach, the sheer number of impressions will generate brand awareness, foster brand recognition and create traffic (virtual or retail).
Another benefit of Insert Media is its physicality. Similar to direct mail pieces, Insert Media advertising pieces have a longer “shelf life” than digital marketing efforts, allowing time for further review and consideration of your offer. The more impactful the format, the longer the hold time – Insert Media vehicles can accommodate simple, smaller single sheet pieces to larger envelope formats carrying multiple components. In fact, you can utilize a proven control direct mail format, with little modification, as an Insert Media piece, and reach consumers in home without the postage cost normally associated with that direct mail format. Sampling can also be done through Insert Media vehicles, offering consumers a free trial and high conversion rates for advertisers.
Speaking of cost, Insert Media offers tremendous reach very efficiently. With all-in CPMs ranging from $35 – $150 (samplings costs will be higher), you can easily reach millions of consumers at a fraction of the cost of direct mail, anywhere from 60% to 90% lower, due to no postage cost. The efficacy of Insert Media is unchallenged – both frontend (i.e., CAC) and backend (i.e., LTV) KPIs are usually on par with and sometimes better than other channels, providing this channel with 60+ years of longevity in the smart marketer’s arsenal. The comparable KPIs mean that the ultimate outcome, that of action/conversion/purchase, can be accomplished effectively through this versatile media channel. Its broad reach allows it to attract and acquire new customers, remind and reactivate lapsed customers, and prompt existing customers to make additional purchases, incrementally and otherwise. It’s a valuable tool often overlooked by big brands that deserves to be in their consideration set.
As you can imagine, the long life of a printed piece combined with the broad reach of Insert Media often translates to untracked activity, meaning that results cannot be attributed to a specific Insert Media effort, which is where incrementality comes into play. Incrementality is another important metric used to evaluate the efficacy of paid media. In cases where it can be measured within the Insert Media channel, incremental lifts of over 100% have been confirmed, indicating that Insert Media helps to convert users at a higher rate than when it is not in the marketing mix.
Naturally, with physical printed materials, a longer lead time is needed to develop, produce, ship, insert and deliver these ads into the hands of consumers. An agency experienced in the tactics and execution of Insert Media can show you how to leverage the reach and frequency of the channel through strategic testing and building a foundation for rollout. Even this offline channel is “on” all the time – packages, mail and newspapers are delivered daily and marketing campaigns can be constructed with the optimal mix of Insert Media programs to yield steady outcomes over the course of a week, a month, quarterly and annually.
Agencies that provide true omnichannel capabilities through a combination of the tangible and the digital offer ecommerce and digitally-native marketers the ability to reach consumers where they are at any given time – whether immediately through screens in various locations, or at a more leisurely pace such as at their doorstep through a delivery of a much-awaited package, in the mailbox, on the kitchen counter, through a favorite magazine publication or while reading their local newspaper. Contact Mile Marker today for more information on the advantages of Insert Media!
