The use of direct mail campaigns dwindled substantially as people moved towards digital methods of contact and marketing. But times are changing and there is a renewed opportunity for organisations to take advantage of this marketing medium; many that have are reporting high levels of success.
6 reasons why direct mail is making a comeback:
- There is less noise to compete with – As mentioned above, many organisations have made the mistake of jumping ship on the use of direct mail as a viable marketing tool. By running a direct mail campaign now you are doing something unusual.
People are more desensitised to emails and online adverts than they are to direct mail. When a direct mail piece hits someone’s doormat or desk the recipient is much more likely to read it than they are a promotional email or online banner. - You can be more creative with direct mail campaign designs – A4, A5, full colour, smouldering black and white, glossy finish, matt finish, single sided, double sided, tri-fold... The choices are endless; you have the ultimate opportunity to be creative with your brand and how you represent your products and services.
- Postal addresses are easier to find than email addresses – With data protection laws in place blocking marketers and business owners from using personal email addresses, it is now easier to reach the correct people by post. If you buy a mailing list you are much more likely to get the name and postal address of every single contact on the list. Likewise, if you contact a company to find out who the key point of contact is for your product or service, you are likely to get their name but not their email address. Many organisations don’t give them out.
- Your first impression is much more than a subject line - If the outer packaging of your direct mail campaign is right, people have opened and read it before they know what they are doing. Promotional emails are often deleted before they are even opened.
- The cost of digital marketing is increasing – Many people moved over to digital marketing methods such as email and social media because they were seen as more cost effective. This is now changing. Email platforms such as Constant Contact and Dotmailer and social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook have cottoned on that there is money to be made. They are making it increasingly difficult to market effectively for little or no cost.
- The ‘noise’ online is unbearably loud – Flashing images, spam email, personal emails, pop up ads, these are all the things you are competing with when you take your marketing online. Physical post has diminished, people even get their bills by email now so you are competing with a lot less; plus everyone likes to have post to open.
There really is an argument for including direct mail in your business’ marketing plan. Get ahead of the curve and get your business in front of your customers today.