With the new year fast approaching, it’s important to reevaluate your marketing strategy. For 2025, people can expect two key trends to reshape the marketing landscape: AI-driven personalization and a renewed dedication to direct mail strategies – both contributing to a more omnichannel approach.
Hyper-personalization powered by AI
Advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming significant changes across industries, especially for financial services companies. By leveraging vast sets of customer data, AI can help your organization understand customer behavior and preferences on a deeper level to drive marketing that truly resonates with audiences.
Despite ongoing obstacles, AI and automation are revolutionizing marketing by enabling personalization and creativity at scale. The Harvard Business Review offers insights on applying “personalization at scale” to marketing campaigns, including:
- Data-driven segmentation: AI analyzes data to create hyper-targeted customer segments, ensuring your messaging reaches the right people at the right time.
- Campaign optimization: AI can analyze the performance of past campaigns, pinpointing the elements that resonate most with your audience. AI can also help refine content, design, and messaging for subsequent campaigns.
- AI-recommended content: Use AI tools to generate high-performing email subject lines, headlines, CTAs, and marketing copy, which can significantly increase open rates and click-throughs.
The reinvention of direct mail
Remember direct mail? Well, now it’s back and bigger than before. Insights from Comperemedia reveal a renewed emphasis on direct mail strategies, but with a twist: enhanced quality, strategic personalization, and seamless integration with digital tools. Users who combine personalized, creative, high-quality direct mail with digital tools can expect a boost to consumer engagement significantly and increase ROI.
Here’s how to leverage the power of direct mail in 2025:
- Personalized content: Use data analytics and AI personalization to boost engagement, while using creative design to capture attention in crowded mailboxes. Craft targeted mailers addressing specific customer needs, whether it be life insurance policies or retirement planning.
- Hybrid strategies: Combine traditional and digital techniques, such as having a direct mail piece that links to an app, website, or social media page. QR codes can bridge the physical and digital worlds, allowing consumers to seamlessly access resources and information. This hybrid approach creates a more interactive experience, fostering deeper client relationships.
- Direct mail users expect to see better quality and creative content to stand out and engage consumers more effectively. A variety of CTAs increases the likelihood of consumer engagement and conversion and can help guide leads toward desired outcomes, such as accessing educational content, comparing policies, or scheduling consultations.
Omnichannel: The customer journey redefined
Another major trend in financial services marketing is the emphasis on omnichannel customer experiences. Modern consumers demand seamless omnichannel experiences — which means moving beyond traditional print-based advertising to embrace a wider range of platforms.
A truly omnichannel marketing strategy should include:
- Content focus: Develop captivating content marketing campaigns, including blog posts, infographics, and videos.
- Digital advertising: Utilize targeted online advertising to reach your ideal audience.
- Social media power: Connect and engage with clients on social media platforms.
- Email marketing: Craft personalized email campaigns to nurture leads and build long-term relationships.
- Direct mail integration: Blend direct mail with digital journeys with QR codes or other scannable links.
- Metric-driven success: Link your marketing efforts across platforms for data-driven insights and ongoing campaign optimization.
Omnichannel direct mail campaigns, as described above, can serve as a gateway to digital engagement, driving consumer actions like website visits and online searches. While cross-channel strategies increase the effectiveness of traditional methods, creating more touchpoints for consumer interaction. As we move into 2025, embracing these trends to stay competitive and meet the evolving needs of your clients.