Recently, marketing automation company Eloqua considered including triggered direct mail to its suite of services. To gauge just how well the service would work, the Virginia company devised a simple plan: It implemented a triggered mail pilot test promoting Eloqua itself.

“To get our message in front of executives, we need to reach them over their preferred channels,” says Elle Woulfe, Eloqua’s director, marketing programs. “By adding a direct mail touch to an integrated e-mail campaign, we hoped to open the door with new contacts and reach them outside of their inbox.”

Eloqua added the DM trigger so that, when an executive target clicked through an Eloqua e-mail, a customized direct mail response was activated.

One card, themed “Cash Cow,” went to CMOs. Another, entitled “Profit Prophet,” went to non-CMO prospects. The cards featured themed graphics, first-name personalization and a QR Code.

Executives who didn’t respond immediately received a triggered e-mail; those who did respond drew another direct mailing. All mail pieces were tracked, so when a card was delivered, it instantly activated the next marketing step.

For Woulfe, the test underscored the traditional advantages of direct mail: “We’re looking to add these direct mail touches into all of our lead nurturing programs. It gives us a way to reach those people who may not be as receptive to or who have ‘emotionally unsubscribed’ from e-mail.”