I am eating my words a little in this blog post, I have preached a time or two that we have moved beyond direct mail in marketing. I am wrong, what is happening is a revolution in direct mail, and it is still very relevant.

Thanks to web services like google analytics, tiny url, twitter, and others we can easily integrate our direct mail campaigns back into our online world and accurately measure the results. But there is one small problem, what if you work in an industry that either does not respond well to online, or just simply prefer to call?

Historically we had a few options here: we could set up a phone bank, this however was typically expensive, and you had to trust the workers to provide accurate reporting; or you could have it direct back to a single number or company switchboard, which tended to be the most common option. Our company recently did this; we had it go to the business developer’s number. The problem is that our business developer left halfway through the campaign. Other problems with this are people being busy and not answering phones, potential customers not leaving messages, along with endless other potential problems.

Then you throw in organizational issues. I can create a phone line that rings various people in the office, but working for the state like I do takes an act of congress and a personal signature from God himself to do anything.

There is a solution to all this that few have seemed to realize, Google Voice. With Google Voice you can create a specific number tied to your marketing campaign (I know google says 1 number, but multiple accounts are not too difficult), even better you can typically localize the number if you are going after a specific region.

The real beauty of all this comes in Google Voice’s web interface: from there you can check calls missed against calls received, you have a central location for all messages, and see generally where the calls are coming from. Want to take it one step further? You can add notes to the call logs, allowing you to put the results of the call back into the central location. You can set up multiple phones to receive the calls, and even schedule when those phones ring. One of the even nicer additions is the ability to have that phone receive SMS text messages, even further expanding the possibilities of direct marketing.

Direct mail and marketing just got a lot easier. There are tons of other possibilities with Google Voice beyond what is covered here; a world of opportunities can open up when you integrate your direct mail list with your Google Voice contact list.

I am personally am planning a large direct mail campaign towards the end of the year. I would not even consider it if it was not for Google Voice. Be sure to leave some comments about your take on Google Voice and how it can enhance marketing.