However, the powerhouse that is Google has recently announced several changes to its policy that will make it harder for your carefully crafted marketing message to be seen by your customers. Here’s what Google is doing:
There’s no doubt that a kick-ass digital marketing strategy brings benefits to many industries. It’s flexible, it can boost brand awareness, and it is measurable.
All good news so far.
Email Marketing:
- Google now requires email senders who broadcast more than 5,000 messages per day to Gmail users to include a one-click unsubscribe button in their messages. This makes it even easier for your customers to opt-out, and it’s predicted email marketing lists will start to dwindle. Yahoo has also signed up for this policy.
- Google will also require email senders to authenticate their email address and configure their systems to prove they own their domain name and aren’t ‘spoofing’ IP addresses. Yep, spam filters are getting even tougher.
While the move is designed to act as a ‘tune-up’ of email marketing, the bottom line is that these stricter rules mean that businesses may start to see less success in their email marketing efforts.
Google Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)
- The cost of a ‘click’ is set to rise in 2024. Estimates suggest an increase of around 5-10%1, pushing the average cost per click to somewhere between £3.51 and £3.68 – and in many industries such as legal and finance that figure easily rises to over £10 per click.
- Without getting too technical, Google has recently changed the way its algorithms match keywords and phrases to display results, leading to potential legal wrangles with competitors. For example, a dynamic ad touting ‘Boiler Installations,’ could display with a competitor’s name tagged onto the end. It’s not cool for your advertising efforts – and could infringe trademarks.
It’s becoming increasingly evident that companies are expected to ‘pay to play’ and keep up with an ever-changing landscape of legalities, algorithm changes and spam filters. Exhausting, eh?
And it’s not just Google, it’s AI too
The explosion of AI technology is both brilliant (in the right hands) and a little bit scary (in the wrong hands).
We’re not saying the robots are taking over (not yet at least!) and while automation can streamline digital marketing processes, an over-reliance on AI-powered tools such as Chat GPT and Bard may lead to a lack of the human touch and creativity that using real words from a real person can bring. We love AI – but it’s pretty obvious when it’s been used to draft a personal communication. It all seems a little ‘forced’ and customers know when a message is not making a genuine connection.
So, what do we do about it?
Okay, enough of the doom and gloom. After all, we’re a good vibes company and love to tackle challenges.
At Pen Written Post, we firmly believe human intuition and judgement are still crucial in creating an effective marketing strategy. We want to understand customers’ nuances and quirks to build a personable connection with them.
Businesses are returning to traditional marketing strategies, such as direct mail and posted communications for a few reasons:
- It’s cost-effective: With some clicks costing over £10, sending a personable letter or card for 99p is much more affordable than a click.
- It grabs attention: 75% of people say they remember receiving a direct mail piece.
- Customers like it: 73% of consumers say they prefer direct mail for brand communication because it’s more tangible than digital ads.
- It works: Direct mail is responsible for getting 39% of customers to try a brand for the first time.
- Younger generations love it too: You may think that direct mail only works for older generations, but studies report that 65% of Gen Y and 57% of Gen Z respondents were excited to receive direct mail.
It’s more important than ever before to have a direct marketing strategy to stand out from the competition, and that’s where Pen Written Post can help.
We offer handwritten-style letters, greeting cards and notes that have the power of personability. Allow your message to break through digital noise, spam filters, and, in the commercial world, over-zealous PA gatekeepers!
Handwritten-style direct mail is where it’s at
If you’re looking to delight your customers and improve engagement, loyalty, and revenue generation, then get in touch with the friendly family-run team at Pen Written Post.
We can help you deliver personal experiences and value by forging meaningful connections with your customers and building long-term success.
You can get tactile and feel the quality of our handwritten-style notes, letters, and greetings cards yourself, as we’d like to offer you a free sample pack – we’ve got a feeling you’ll love what you see!
PS: It’s good to know that we’ll beat any like-for-like quote too.
