How digital marketers can get personal through technology

Though we’ve become more sophisticated in the way we use Internet and cloud-based technologies to identify users and automate our digital marketing efforts, we still default to sending emails when it comes to communicating with our audience.

Email isn’t bowing out anytime soon, but a fundamental shift in communication is emerging as marketers are gaining access to new ways of engaging with customers using Physical Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

Related: How to Write an Unforgettable Thank-You Note

What are Physical APIs? Put simply, they’re a set of instructions that allows computers or automated systems to perform tasks that people traditionally do manually. These might include writing and mailing letters by hand, sending gift cards, or ordering and shipping merchandise.

Physical APIs are big—and are fueling the growth of companies like Lob. Instead of thinking about sending print and mail as a complicated and manual process, Lob lets anyone send targeted and personalized print messages, like a postcard, the same way they might send emails.