By Susan Saldibar

What did you get in your mailbox last week? I don’t get as much crazy stuff as I used to. In fact, every so often I’ll get something and think, “Wow, how did they know I was looking for that?” IP matching is behind much of this and has been around awhile. But, like other things that get better over time, IP matching is evolving to new heights. IP matching, if you’re not familiar with it, is the ability to identify who is visiting your website by their IP address and match it back to the residential property address. For some, this is still a bit creepy. Most of us, however, have come around to acknowledging the benefits of IP matching.

You will often see IP matching paired with IP digital advertising in the form of a banner ad or newsfeed ad targeted to those that visited the website or similar websites. The win-win here is that consumers see more relevant information based on their website visits. And marketers are able to put more targeted ads out there, making the most of their digital marketing dollars.

I chatted recently with Valerie Whitman, VP of Senior Living for LeadingResponse (a Senior Housing Forum partner). LeadingResponse’s sister company has been able to achieve some powerful results with their patented IP matching programs, especially when used with direct mail campaigns. Here are a few things that got my attention:

  • Reach your audience in the mailbox, after they’ve visited your site. As someone who fits the general demographic for senior living, here’s what I like about that. I notice the mail that comes in my mailbox. Circulars and coupon books go straight to the recycle bin. But I look at invites to special seminars. So does my husband. He’ll set something to one side to look at later. So mailers (at least in my house) still enjoy a shelf life that digital does not. Direct mail is still the best way to reach this consumer segment (55+).

  • Surgically target the exact person you want in your community. I should qualify that — LeadingResponse’s database does this. Other IP matching programs typically match to a neighborhood. LeadingResponse’s sister company has developed a patented method of drilling even deeper to get the match down to the household itself. On that note, a couple extra points to consider:

    • Financial fit. It can filter out those individuals who may not be a good financial fit for your community. That means you’ll know that the mailer you send is going to someone who can afford your community. That’s a gift to sales counselors who want to make the best use of their time and talents.

    • Career-seekers. This is an interesting one. The system will filter out those who spend most of their time on your “careers” page. So, you won’t be sending “come to our marketing event” to someone looking for a job. Conversely, however, you might want a campaign focused on recruitment. Press a button and you’ve got the list. Pretty cool!

  • Get another chance at capturing missed opportunities or “lost” leads. “Maybe they didn’t find what they were looking for on your site or got distracted and left the site before finishing their research or filling out the contact form,” Valerie says. “Using IP matching with a direct mail campaign gives you a second chance to get in front of them.”

This is a pretty compelling set of reasons to consider the IP matching/DM combo as a potentially strong lead generation tool. I asked Valerie who else out there is doing this and who can provide this level of granularity and flexibility. “So far we have not seen it,” she tells me. “Some of the more sophisticated CRMs are dipping into it. But getting to this level isn’t trivial. It’s not something that can be done without expertise. Plus, you need a strong understanding of consumer behaviors backed by data, not just the ability to retarget” she adds.

Something pretty powerful may be emerging here. If you are putting the finishing touches on your marketing plans for 2019, you might want to consider your IP Matching options. And the nice thing about this option with LeadingResponse’s IP Matching/DM combination is that you can control the spend as you do with other digital efforts. Nicer yet is getting a second chance with those folks who left your website. The ones who are 100% qualified, of course. They won’t slip through your fingers anymore!

For more information about LeadingResponse lead generation programs, you can visit their website.

 

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